Fundamental important question

[shacherry]

Hi all,

Is the point of these diet and lifestyle interventions to get your labs to optimal levels? If I've been told my lab tests reflect envious levels, from aeop4.info members, does that mean I just keep on keeping on with what I've been doing because its working and just enjoy life?

Thanks

[rianlees]

Hi Schacherry,
I am sure you'll get some interesting replies to your question from our other members.
That is so fantastic that your labs look great.
Working in my naturopathic practice I often talk to my clients about all the pieces of the puzzle, so to speak, and ask them how do they FEEL alongside a variety of other parameters...
Like a lot of health related questions there is not always a yes or no, black or white answer. Even though your labs could be a good indication that what you're doing is good, perhaps your positive outlook ( that shines through your comment) and your enjoyment of life is a better marker.
Rian

[slacker]

Is the point of these diet and lifestyle interventions to get your labs to optimal levels? If I've been told my lab tests reflect envious levels, from aeop4.info members, does that mean I just keep on keeping on with what I've been doing because its working and just enjoy life?

Enjoying life is always the right answer!
My understanding is that you are already experiencing memory loss and cardiovascular disease (heart and brain of a 71 year old while in your 50's?). Therefore, the purpose of diet and lifestyle interventions is more than simply optimizing your blood work. The real goal is to limit further damage, and if possible, reverse it. If your lab results have always been "envious", something is being missed - otherwise you wouldn't have cognitive and vascular problems. If your labs have become envious after making lifestyle changes, also resulting in improvement in your arterial and cognitive health, then you are moving in the right direction.

[shacherry]

Is the point of these diet and lifestyle interventions to get your labs to optimal levels? If I've been told my lab tests reflect envious levels, from aeop4.info members, does that mean I just keep on keeping on with what I've been doing because of its working and just enjoy life?

Thank you for remembering my back story. My lipid, sugar, and inflammation labs have been great for two years after I adopted the lifestyle I wrote about there. https://medium.com/@shacherry/cancer-ga ... 5a980a1ac7

I never had physical symptoms of heart disease it was just detected on a CT angiogram. 2 years ago when I had borderline cholesterol levels I had a CT calcium scan that fell in the 98% range.

As for the cognition issues they are now stable. I believe some downward fluctuation is triggered by stress. Flares seem to be around stressful times. I just took a mindfulness-based stress reduction class. I have a genetic mutation V281L in the CYP21A2 gene that reduces the activity of an enzyme that regulates my stress and sex hormones notable cortisol and causes me to have excess levels of androgen (male hormones) in my bloodstream. I have an overactive stress response. Interestingly this gene is part of the p450 family of genes that upstream and downstream make cholesterol and insulin. I think there is a connection to this mutation and my ApoE 3/4 status and my diseases of old age.

It's really fascinating to me and I've been able to educate my doctors on the connections and science/studies about these genes relationships.

I want to share this studyhttp://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/do ... 1&type=pdf About Apoe4 postmenopausal women having higher levels of androgens in their bloodstream and makes them more at risk for the diseases associated with aging and menopause.

[slacker]

I never had physical symptoms of heart disease it was just detected on a CT angiogram. 2 years ago when I had borderline cholesterol levels I had a CT calcium scan that fell in the 98% range.

Not that there is anything wrong with feeling good, but your CT angiogram story is an example of how using feeling good alone as marker of health might not be enough. Same with breast cancer - a silent disease until quite advanced. With that being said, it's likely that the changes you have made will put you in good position for robust health and longevity in addition to feeling good! I think it's wise to make informed decisions about our health despite a degree of uncertainty, modify them as new information becomes available, and enjoy the ride. We increase our stress by worrying about whether or not we've made the right decisions, when we can not know with certainty at the moment.

[TheresaB]

Is the point of these diet and lifestyle interventions to get your labs to optimal levels? If I've been told my lab tests reflect envious levels, from aeop4.info members, does that mean I just keep on keeping on with what I've been doing because its working and just enjoy life?

My husband and I have been pleased with the direction of our biomarkers, but we’ve repeatedly asked ourselves: Are we testing the right things? And what isn’t being tested that we should be? What tests haven’t been developed that could provide greater insights? What isn’t being studied/researched that should be? Is research being conducted under proper conditions, e.g. are results being distorted because lab animals are in an indoor environment of artificial blue-light intensive lights? Are the lab values that indicate a condition is “good” correct because those results are mostly on folks following a standard American diet? On and on.

Many tests are proxy tests to provide INDICATIONS of a situation, but are not a direct representative test. For example, BMI, a good indicator for most people, but not all people because it doesn’t directly measure body mass. Ivor Cummins, the Fat Emperor Blogger http://www.thefatemperor.com/ and co-author of the book Eat Rich, Live Long has often repeated the story of his sponsor, David Bobbit, a thin, avid runner, who, as a successful businessman, took multiple executive physicals all with stellar results. Nevertheless, he (basically accidently) received a Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) scan, which unlike cholesterol and other tests, measures actual calcification and his results were HORRIBLE. Despite great blood test results at each of his physicals, he was rapidly on his way to a fatal heart attack. He probably wouldn’t be alive today if he hadn’t had that scan.

So our approach is to maintain a constant unsettledness to our situation despite mostly good biomarkers and basically feeling good. But that’s us.

[Searcher]

Hi all,

Is the point of these diet and lifestyle interventions to get your labs to optimal levels? If I've been told my lab tests reflect envious levels, from aeop4.info members, does that mean I just keep on keeping on with what I've been doing because its working and just enjoy life?

Thanks

Shacherry,

Fascinating question. You've had several excellent responses. I'll add a little.

The point of diet and lifestyle interventions is perhaps to enable you to enjoy life for as long as possible. Lab tests measure a subset of the important indicators. As time goes on, lab tests are refined or replaced to improve their predictive value. Factors outside those tests play a big role in outcomes. These include not just your genes other than the E4 allele, and the ones you identified, but also the regulation of your genes. Plus there are important risk factors for dementia such as depression, hearing loss, loneliness.

Everyone has a 100% risk of eventually dying. And there's no 100% guarantee that any steps will delay that or avert any particular disease.

So, I believe that it's important to do what enriches life right now, and to keep doing what enriches life (in the fullest sense of the term). Then healthy eating and living become part of enriching life. Depression, fear and stress lose some of their power. Knowing what really matters to you and doing what matters tend to help.

Hope that's helpful.