sibling has 1 APOE4. Need I get tested too?

[Darmitsock]

Hello,

I just read Dr. Breseden's book and am ready to start taking preventative action. My question is, if my brother's 23&Me Health report says he has 1 copy of APOE4, is there much chance that I don't have it, or should I just assume that I do and save myself $200 for a separate 23&Me profile? I have lots more blood tests to get for Dr. Breseden's program, so I'd just as soon save my money for those.

I'm working my way through Stavia's primer, so I won't ask any more questions for a while. Thanks, everyone.

[Tincup]

My question is, if my brother's 23&Me Health report says he has 1 copy of APOE4, is there much chance that I don't have it, or should I just assume that I do and save myself $200 for a separate 23&Me profile? I have lots more blood tests to get for Dr. Breseden's program, so I'd just as soon save my money for those.

Welcome,

If your brother has I copy, there is a decent chance that you don't have an E4 allele. You could have one 4/4 parent and a 3/3 parent, in which case you'd be guaranteed one 4. However you could have a 3/4 parent and a 3/3 parent (or non 4 parent), in which case you'd have a 50% chance of having or not having. This is my children's case. I'm 3/4 and their mother is a non 4.

I believe you can do the $99 version of 23andMe and still have access to the raw data. You could either examine the SNP's yourself or for $10 (I think) run it through Promethease.com which will interpret it for you.

[slacker]

Hi Darmitsock;

The primer is a great resource - to read and digest slowly, just like Bredesen's program. As far as testing for ApoE4, you might want to read our Thinking About Testing. No right or wrong answers, just ideas to ponder.

[Darmitsock]

Thank you, Slacker and Tincup. I'll do the basic 23&Me profile.
And yes, I'm already learning lots from the Primer.
My greatest fear is that I won't be able to sustain gluten-free because bread tastes so good (I've baked my own for years) and all the GF baked goods I've tried so far are so awful that one might as well just do without. (Sort of how I used to feel about diet pop vs. pop with sugar, although I've given up all pop without difficulty. It's the bread that's gonna be tough. )

[KellyS]

Hi, Darmitsock,

Welcome to the forum, it's so good to have you. The Primer is such an excellent resource, it's so full of great information and it does take some time to get through it all. In regards to the gluten-free products issue, I understand how changing your dietary choices is so tough to do when it's something that you've been used to for so many years. There are some wonderful alternatives, though, in regards to baking, such as almond flour, coconut flour, cassava flour and tigernut flour (my favorite!). My family has been eating foods that are free of many of the top allergens for years (autoimmune issues and allergies), and although it was a struggle at first, over time it became very easy. It sounds like you're already doing such a great job of testing the waters to prevent AD, I know you'll get the hang of it, my friend. Plus, you will find that you have tons of support here on the forum.

You got this!

[NF52]

Welcome, Darmitsock!

Kelly and Slacker have offered both a welcome and great advice. I would just add two things. First, you can bake great breads, so I bet you can improve upon those awful gluten-free breads you’ve tried! This forum has a Wiki with recipes from members; having some from a baker would be great!
Second, anyone who refers to “pop” instead of “soda” sounds like someone who grew up in western NY or someplace near there. If you had to give up pop, have you also given up “white hots” ? (A version of hot dogs not generally appreciated elsewhere.)
Good luck on your new voyage of learning. Don’t try to make too many changes at once!

[woleile]

I'm afraid you're right about gluten free bread.

I'm a baker, and my mother was a professional chef. We thought with our experience we could come up with a goodt GF bread. Well, we never did, and it wasn't for lack of trying. Wheat gluten has the unique ability to stretch around the gases produced by yeast cells, forming the bubbles that give bread its texture. None of the substitutes have that quality, and we tried all of them. I've made good pancakes, cookies, popovers...but not bread.

That said, I can eat the bread in Europe without consequences, and I've heard a few others say the same thing. I have a bag of European whole wheat flour that I'm working up my courage to experiment with.

[Tincup]

woleile & Darmitsock,

There is a closed Facebook group: The Plant Paradox Recipe Sharing
The lady who set it up, Darlene, has gone to town on baking recipes. Plant Paradox is Steven Gundry's book and so these recipes are compliant with his approach, which will also be compliant with Bredesen's.

My 28 year old daughter told me one of the recipes she made off this was some of the best bread she's ever had! She and her husband loved it.

Here is a recipe file index from the group (the links won't work till you join, but it will give you an idea of what is available.

This is a guide that Darline put together (sorry, the copy/paste destroyed the fomatting):

Guide for Successful PP Baking
DARLENE LINDHOLM·WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 2018

Baking With the Approved Flours and Starches:
1) When baking gluten-free, we need something to provide the structure that gluten-free flour isn’t able to offer. And that usually means two key ingredients: xanthan gum, a thickener/emulsifier/stabilizer; and eggs, whose protein steps in for the protein in wheat flour. That’s why, particularly in recipes that use yeast, you’ll see substantially more eggs used than in their gluten counterpart.
2) Unlike most kneadable yeast doughs, most gluten-free bread starts with a batter. It’s difficult to mix any yeast bread batter by hand; you must use a machine of some kind - stand mixer, electric hand mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle. Note that gluten-free yeast batter will be very soft, and silky smooth; but it won't be elastic, like a typical wheat-based yeast dough.
3) You must use starches such as arrowroot or tapioca to achieve optimum results. They provide the lift and texture required in grain-free baked goods. That’s why all the baking blends include them.
4) A rest period of 15 to 20 minutes is crucial to allow the gum and starches to fully hydrate. For yeast-based recipes, the recommendation is to at least double the normal rise time. 1-1/2 to 2 hours is common. There is no punching down and double rise with non-grain flours.

Arrowroot and Tapioca Starch:
While arrowroot and tapioca can be used interchangeably, there are differences. Arrowroot can be used 1 to 1 as a thickening agent in place of cornstarch for gravies and sauces. It has no flavor. It creates a softer, lighter, texture; think cake and bread. Tapioca is a good thickening agent for dips and fillings. It has a slightly sweet flavor. It creates a springy texture, promotes browning and makes crusts crispy; think cookies and pie crust.

Xanthan Gum:
If you don’t use xanthan or another gum in most gluten-free baked goods, the end result will likely be a pile of crumbs! If you use too much, you may notice a heavy, gummy, or even slimy texture in your baked goods, so measure carefully. For yeast based products the recommended amount is 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per cup of flour, for non-yeast based, the recommended amount is 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon per cup of flour.

Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder:
Both are used for the purpose of leavening. You can use baking soda and vinegar (or another acid like lemon juice) or baking powder. Vinegar or another acid isn’t needed if the recipe calls for baking powder. On the other hand, if a recipe calls for baking soda, vinegar or another acid is required, or it will not do its job.
When acids are added to the baking equation, they must be balanced by a non-acid, or alkali, ingredient (also called a “base”). The most common base used in baking is baking soda. When a recipe calls for an acid and baking soda, those ingredients together are contributing to the leavening of the baked good. Baking powder contains both the soda base and an acid. The chemical reaction that takes place creates carbon dioxide gas which gives a little oomph to foods like muffins, cakes and pancakes.
The chemical reactions between soda and powder are a bit different and they give a slightly different texture, but can still be substituted successfully in almost all recipes. Baking powders are often “double acting”, so you get a late burst of additional leavening that you don’t get from soda + vinegar.
Understanding the importance of each ingredient in our recipes can help us produce superior baked goods. This information is also essential if you like creating your own recipes.
For creating your own recipes, per cup of flour, add: 1 to 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder OR 1/4 to 3/8 teaspoon baking soda + 2 to 3 teaspoons liquid acid, (one teaspoon acid per 1/8 teaspoon soda). If using a dry acid like cream of tarter, use twice as much acid as soda.

[ru442]

There is a closed Facebook group: The Plant Paradox Recipe Sharing

Bummer.... I don't do social media for personal and other reasons. Would be great if this could be shared another way.

[Tincup]

. Would be great if this could be shared another way.

Not my decision, the lady who set up this group made this choice.

My daughter never posts, she's just a consumer of the info. I also have my info pretty well locked down, most of my info can't be viewed by others. I'm guessing they wouldn't let my friend's cat's account (as that would be one way to keep everything private) join as the mod is worried about spam