Review: The perfect gene diet by Pamela McDonald

Alzheimer's, cardiovascular, and other chronic diseases; biomarkers, lifestyle, supplements, drugs, and health care.
Post Reply
User avatar
Stavia
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 5255
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2014 6:47 pm
Location: Middle Earth

Review: The perfect gene diet by Pamela McDonald

Post by Stavia »

So...trying to keep an open mind, Ive just read this latest jumping on the bandwagon. It is a book devoted to recommendations for all the various ApoE permutations with regard to diet and excercise plus some general stuff.
Pamela is a nurse practitioner who works in integrative health. She appears to have no other academic qualifications.

She pulls out of her pretty head macronutrient percentage recommendations. For both 4/4 and 3/4 she recommends 20% fat, 25% protein, 55% carbs, if calorie requirements exceed 2800 a day she drops the protein to 20 and raises the carbs to 60. She does actually stress the things we all know about diet, no crap etc. She recommends fat sources should be MUFA and non processed PUFA. Low on the saturated fats. Its actually not a bad diet overall, but truly nothing special.

She recommends 75% aerobic excercise, 25% anaerobic. She randomly states that e4s have dominant slow contracting fibres which I know for sure is not right for me, Im a sprinter with fast twitch. And its not a gene cluster for heavens sakes. Then in a footnote she says that human excercise performance could be polygentic but never mind, her recommendation should be a priority. Lol.

Then theres stuff about stress and spirituality etc. Heavy on the anecdotes of people she has helped. She is probably a wonderful nurse and clearly very well meaning. If I were sick I'd want her at my bedside.

My summary: a light fluffy fantasy like the picture on the cover of a gorgeous toned tanned woman standing against a tropical sea.
No substance. Perhaps useful for those trapped in the sadness of the SAD. But even those are unlikely to be rescued by this book.
asiagillett
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 195
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 7:22 am

Re: Review: The perfect gene diet by Pamela McDonald

Post by asiagillett »

I actually purchased that book the minute I found out I was a 4/4. Ha ha, I found the choice of the cover a bit comical as well. I was struck with so many carb recommendations. I can't see it being good for anyone's glucose levels. I think it has some interesting points. Like everything out there we just need to pull out a bit from all sources and retain the good.

I have to say some of the stress-reduction and spiritual aspects of the book were a needed read for me since I was at such a vulnerable stage. Boy has my choice in literature changed.

Asia
User avatar
Stavia
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 5255
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2014 6:47 pm
Location: Middle Earth

Re: Review: The perfect gene diet by Pamela McDonald

Post by Stavia »

Im getting everything from the library atm. After wasting money on DrPs old book I made an executive decision to be prudent.
I lol'd at the simplistic fudging and winging it with authority that this travesty was. It was good for amusement. Sigh.

But Ive now read DrP, DrG, and many other DrX's books and trawled through many megabytes on the internaut sea - and time for a change!
Homework done.
Onto Peter Watts's Echopraxia, sequel to Blindsight, cutting edge, mind blowing, not for sci-fi virgins, hard science fiction.
Have the new John Scalzi as backup. What I REALLY love to read.

Um...any hard scifi fans here? Not fantasy <shudder>
Welcomeaboard
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 915
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2013 8:28 pm

Re: Review: The perfect gene diet by Pamela McDonald

Post by Welcomeaboard »

I watch my sci fi on TV or the movies. My Dad said why do you watch that stuff. I said for the same reason that you watch the detective shows, they are both fake stories. I just like mine more fake than a fake cop arresting some fake someone for a fake crime and a fake judge sending that fake person to a fake prison. Then he understood.

Apoe4 with slow twitch muscles, probably does not matter unless a surgeon is cutting your muscles or if you have a heart attack as I would have a slower heart attack, which might be better than a fast heart attack.
User avatar
LanceS
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 250
Joined: Mon Aug 04, 2014 1:37 am

Re: Review: The perfect gene diet by Pamela McDonald

Post by LanceS »

Have the sprinters gene and am 4/4. I would imagine sprinters gene would have been handy way back when, so I'm skeptical about this I know how we ate and lived stuff, but seriously? How could anyone think that we were adapted for slow twitch? Historian with a vegetarian bias? We hid from animals and foraged for plant food? Ummmm...I don't think so. Fat tastes good. The author needs to sharpen his or her pencil. Better yet start reading and thinking more before sharpening the pencil

Unfortunately have a congenital anemia so I didn't get the benefits of sprinters gene til I had my spleen taken out.

I put on thirty pounds of muscle and lost five pounds of fat after having my spleen taken out. Ahhh! The virtues of oxygen. Whoops! I want to be thin again! I want some more protection against free radicals! Anyway to put that spleen back in? LOL
Post Reply