Plenty of Exercise: Need carbs

[vsanthony]

Husband is E3/4, 56, also in the formal diagnosis phase of hereditary hemachromatosis. He has a physical job and jogs, so needs energy. He has always drunk watered down grape juice while working, for both hydration and energy. We generally have a healthy diet and are working on sugar elimination and grain reduction. Still, he needs to keep up his energy and not burn muscle - How do we gauge this? e.g. He's eaten sandwiches and chips or crackers during the workday. Estimated average (fasting) glucose is 105, not horrible I don't think. I am trying not to stress/drive him crazy with diet changes, but of course we're interested in prevention (AD in family). Thank you, love these forums.

[KellyS]

Hi, vsanthony,

Have you checked out the Wiki section on the site here? There is a lot of information on various dietary topics that may be of help to you. https://wiki.apoe4.info/wiki/Main_Page

Warmly,
Kelly

[apod]

Husband is E3/4, 56, also in the formal diagnosis phase of hereditary hemachromatosis. He has a physical job and jogs, so needs energy. He has always drunk watered down grape juice while working, for both hydration and energy. We generally have a healthy diet and are working on sugar elimination and grain reduction. Still, he needs to keep up his energy and not burn muscle - How do we gauge this? e.g. He's eaten sandwiches and chips or crackers during the workday. Estimated average (fasting) glucose is 105, not horrible I don't think. I am trying not to stress/drive him crazy with diet changes, but of course we're interested in prevention (AD in family). Thank you, love these forums.

This documentary comes to mind:


A couple days ago, I went for an early walk for ~4 miles before work. Then took a break in the afternoon for a run (~8m/mi) and put in 30 minutes on a concept 2 rower. Came home, went back to work and did another 2miler before dinner. Yesterday for a shoulder day, I did barbell bench press, dumbbell shoulder press, cable chest flys, farmers walks, and tricep extensions... then had breakfast. The carbs are sort of non-essential if he's getting enough calories / rest, although the occasional splurge is nice. Average fasting glucose of 105 on a low carb diet doesn't seem too bad, as you're running something like 75-115 without any real blood sugar peaks and without major insulin production, so you're more or less producing what you need. If this is based on an A1C, perhaps you could be looking at longer-lived red blood cells. On a high carb diet, that could be evidence of sort of the opposite problem, where your ability to suppress the amount of glucose coming in is dropping off and insulin production is starting to max out. Definitely something to keep an eye on.

[NF52]

Husband is E3/4, 56, also in the formal diagnosis phase of hereditary hemachromatosis. He has a physical job and jogs, so needs energy... I am trying not to stress/drive him crazy with diet changes, but of course we're interested in prevention (AD in family)...

Hi "Vicky",
You are a smart and loving wife to recognize how important it is to not stress and drive our husbands crazy with too many diet changes at once! Especially when he's dealing with the stress of some new factors (FHE and Apoe 3/4) that he has to wrap his head around.

I am not an expert on any of your questions, only offering some "checking around for ideas" help. As far as the diet, I don't know if you've been able to find some great sources already, but here are a few that seem promising.

This is from the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society:
Dietary Precautions

And here is what seems like a gold mine of several articles on FHE from a university in the Netherlands. They include info on diet and genetic differences in specific types of FHE. Haven't had a chance to read them, but they do seem to address diet, risk of cognitive and vascular changes.
Wageningen University Studies on Hemochromatosis

They all seem to confirm that diet alone is not the make-or-break issue in iron levels, so it may help your husband to think of changes as "how about this instead of that?" The list below of low-iron cereals might be a start if he's a cereal-eater for breakfast, although many would suggest switching from cereal to protein and healthy fats for breakfast.

Kashi cereals range from virtually no iron up to 2 mg depending on the variety selected
Puffins have less than 1 mg
Cooked oatmeal has less than 2 mg
Flax Plus Multibran Flakes has less than 2 mg

http://mydietmatters.com/blog/?p=841

And this is from a doctor recommending rye and whole grain breads for those sandwiches he likes. (And maybe he can be nudged towards almonds and veggie sticks instead of crackers for snacks?)

Phytic and tannic aids are two food components that, when consumed in large amounts, prevent the abrorption of iron. Phytic acid is found in rye bread and other foods made from whole grains.

https://www.gicare.com/diets/highlow-iron-diet/

I hope that your husband will get referred to a great hematologist that can give some guidance on both the iron issues in his diet, and how to support his brain health.
Please keep us posted as you learn more, so we can learn and support others.

[Dan Parkie 234]

Please buy a copy of "Guide to Hemochromatosis, Second Edition" by the Iron Disorders Institute. I'm e3/e4 and was recently diagnosed with hemochromatosis. I'd be very interested in talking with you and Phil if you are so inclined.
Dan

[Andru]

Husband is E3/4, 56, also in the formal diagnosis phase of hereditary hemachromatosis. He has a physical job and jogs, so needs energy. He has always drunk watered down grape juice while working, for both hydration and energy. We generally have a healthy diet and are working on sugar elimination and grain reduction. Still, he needs to keep up his energy and not burn muscle - How do we gauge this? e.g. He's eaten sandwiches and chips or crackers during the workday. Estimated average (fasting) glucose is 105, not horrible I don't think. I am trying not to stress/drive him crazy with diet changes, but of course we're interested in prevention (AD in family). Thank you, love these forums.

Why not replace current carb sources with resistant starches? They're slow acting carbs with less of a blood sugar effect. Good choices include tubers such as sweet potatoes (not normal potatoes or yams, which have been shown to cause blood sugar spikes) and other root veggies. I'm active as well, and switching from rice and grains to root veggies hasn't affected my energy.

[vsanthony]

Thank you, that sounds workable.

[vsanthony]

Thank you all - We have the Iron Disorders Institute's book and will have our first visit w/ the hematologist soon. I have a gut feeling (fed with a lot of ongoing research) that iron played a heavy hand in his mother's (among other relatives) cognitive decline - She never saw a doctor, was clearly unhealthy and impaired, died at 79. I am determined that he will not share her fate. I'll make sure that his 3 siblings are tested, as well as their children. I'll keep you posted.

[SusanJ]

Maybe try some nuts or snacks made of nut flours. Two food bloggers I like are Elana's Pantry and Against All Grain. Nut flour snacks give you extra calories without the sugar high/low, if you focus on recipes lower in added sugars.

Body builders also supplement creatine to help muscles under physical demand. Might check into that. Start low, because too much to start can cause diarrhea.