New 3/4 with 4/4 husband both focusing on prevention

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
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octicorn
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New 3/4 with 4/4 husband both focusing on prevention

Post by octicorn »

This is kind of an intro for my husband also; I don’t think he has posted here yet but we’ve been reading for months. I found out about this community in an article on consumer genetic testing and dug in, starting with the Primer, and I’ve been searching things as needed since then.



We are 39 (me) and 45 (him). Each of us had a grandmother with Alzheimer’s. His father was diagnosed a couple of years ago after experiencing mild cognitive issues requiring him to retire. The way we found out my husband’s genotype was sort of interesting: I was cleaning out old files and found a lab report from a doctor-ordered cholesterol test he had about 7 years ago, and noticed that there was genetic information in it. I recognized the APOE acronym from my previous reading about DNA testing for fitness and nutrition purposes, so I knew that it was related to Alzheimer’s. It reported a 4/4 result, but was only interpreted for him at the time in regard to cholesterol. So I showed it to him and it all became more real for us. We had actually been talking about getting 23andme done for both of us, mainly for health optimization, but we had been discussing how we would feel finding out about disease risks like this. Luckily, we had already been thinking we would prefer to know what there is to know.

To our great fortune, this website and its primer and its people already existed, so we have had hope along with our news every step of the way. The support I have seen here is beautiful. Thank you.

We were already familiar with LCHF/keto diets (he has been on a nearly lifelong weight loss journey), but after that we made further diet modifications such as reducing meat and saturated fat, and have worked harder on getting more frequent exercise and emphasizing cardio.

We both read The End of Alzheimer’s and I also bought a copy for his brother, and as luck would have it, their father picked it up while visiting the brother and read it immediately as well. He had already implemented many lifestyle changes when he retired, but I was truly surprised and happy that he would be so receptive to Dr. Bredesen’s book.

Since then, we’ve been layering on some of the more important/broadly recommended supplements from ReCode and Dr. Rhonda Patrick’s work and trying to get some initial lab tests done for him through Life Extension kits (scheduling the blood draw somewhere and getting it in the mail is proving a logistical hurdle).

Eventually I got curious enough (and also worked through my worries about health data privacy) to order myself a 23andme ancestry test and then run the report at FoundMyFitness. I was not surprised at all to find that I am 3/4. I’ve been mostly behaving as if that is the case up to this point. Now it mainly feels like we’re even more in the same boat than we were.

We have young kids, so it’s a struggle to spend as much time as I would like reading through all this information, but I’m trying to check back here regularly and listen to podcasts and keep learning. Thanks again.
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Re: New 3/4 with 4/4 husband both focusing on prevention

Post by Sara »

Greetings Octicorn and welcome to the apoe4.info site! You are on an amazing journey and congratulations for being so far ahead of the curve in health, wellness and awareness - and for already introducing positive change to your loved ones! You have already found the Primer which is a great source of information for our members. Another feature that might be helpful to you is How To Get the most out of the ApoE4.info Website. We look forward to the opportunity of being a resource for you and hopefully making your life just a little easier. Warm Regard, Sara
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Re: New 3/4 with 4/4 husband both focusing on prevention

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octicorn wrote:This is kind of an intro for my husband also; I don’t think he has posted here yet but we’ve been reading for months. I found out about this community in an article on consumer genetic testing and dug in, starting with the Primer, and I’ve been searching things as needed since then.



We are 39 (me) and 45 (him). Each of us had a grandmother with Alzheimer’s. His father was diagnosed a couple of years ago after experiencing mild cognitive issues requiring him to retire. The way we found out my husband’s genotype was sort of interesting: I was cleaning out old files and found a lab report from a doctor-ordered cholesterol test he had about 7 years ago, and noticed that there was genetic information in it. I recognized the APOE acronym from my previous reading about DNA testing for fitness and nutrition purposes, so I knew that it was related to Alzheimer’s. It reported a 4/4 result, but was only interpreted for him at the time in regard to cholesterol. So I showed it to him and it all became more real for us. We had actually been talking about getting 23andme done for both of us, mainly for health optimization, but we had been discussing how we would feel finding out about disease risks like this. Luckily, we had already been thinking we would prefer to know what there is to know.

To our great fortune, this website and its primer and its people already existed, so we have had hope along with our news every step of the way. The support I have seen here is beautiful. Thank you.

We were already familiar with LCHF/keto diets (he has been on a nearly lifelong weight loss journey), but after that we made further diet modifications such as reducing meat and saturated fat, and have worked harder on getting more frequent exercise and emphasizing cardio.

We both read The End of Alzheimer’s and I also bought a copy for his brother, and as luck would have it, their father picked it up while visiting the brother and read it immediately as well. He had already implemented many lifestyle changes when he retired, but I was truly surprised and happy that he would be so receptive to Dr. Bredesen’s book.

Since then, we’ve been layering on some of the more important/broadly recommended supplements from ReCode and Dr. Rhonda Patrick’s work and trying to get some initial lab tests done for him through Life Extension kits (scheduling the blood draw somewhere and getting it in the mail is proving a logistical hurdle).

Eventually I got curious enough (and also worked through my worries about health data privacy) to order myself a 23andme ancestry test and then run the report at FoundMyFitness. I was not surprised at all to find that I am 3/4. I’ve been mostly behaving as if that is the case up to this point. Now it mainly feels like we’re even more in the same boat than we were.

We have young kids, so it’s a struggle to spend as much time as I would like reading through all this information, but I’m trying to check back here regularly and listen to podcasts and keep learning. Thanks again.
Hi Octicorn & A Very Warm Welcome To Our Community!

You are incredibly inspiring! As I read your post, I could not help but notice the amazing strengths such as gratitude, zest, courage, persistence, love of learning and kindness that have served you well on your journey. It sounds like you and you husband are a tremendous support to each other, as well as other family members experiencing or at risk for cognitive decline. I’m sorry to hear that your father-in-law had to retire due to cognitive issues, however I’m glad he has been working on lifestyle changes. How wonderful that you all read Dr. Bredesen’s book and can empower each other, as you continue to implement aspects of the RECODE protocol and Rhonda Patrick’s recommendations.

I’m sure it can be tough delving into information with two young kids and I admire your commitment to learning. You have already accumulated a great deal of knowledge. What a fantastic role model you are to your children!

While you have already accessed the brilliant Primer, another helpful resource as Sara mentioned is How To Get The Most Out Of The ApoE4.Info Website. This guide can assist you in navigating the site more effectively and searching for topics of most interest to you.

We are thrilled that your research led you to our supportive community and we encourage you to share your insights, feedback, successes and challenges with us.

Wishing you and your family all the best. Again, a warm welcome:)
Gina
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
Reversing Cognitive Decline For Coaches Certification Candidate, Fall 2018
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Mahatma Gandhi
octicorn
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Re: New 3/4 with 4/4 husband both focusing on prevention

Post by octicorn »

Thanks, Sara and Gina for the welcome! I am excited that there are people like you who specialize in FM/ReCode, and hope there are many more of you as the years go by. The guide to using the website is so helpful. I love that the search examples involve Curcumin, because that is exactly what I was attempting to search earlier today. I've been lurking on forums for years and haven't learned many of the things that are so clearly explained in the guide. I look forward to becoming a power user.
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Re: New 3/4 with 4/4 husband both focusing on prevention

Post by Its Me »

octicorn wrote:... I've been lurking on forums for years ...
I wrote some of my thoughts to another post you can read, but I also like your idea of limiting saturated fat sources. I have great cholesterol - that ties to everything it seems like heart health and dementia - that I believe may relate to a diet for over a decade with oils and not solid added fats - butter is a treat when eating out occasionally. I eat skinless chicken and fish for meat nutrients, and once every week or 2 I have calves liver for a vitamin shot. My lipids are nicely low. And I also test Vitamin D, and take supplements 1000 twice a day that raised that from under 30 to 44 in 3 months when I retested. Quest Diagnostics now has a service where you can, in most states, order your own blood tests at reasonable cost if insurance does not cover.
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Re: New 3/4 with 4/4 husband both focusing on prevention

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Its Me wrote:I wrote some of my thoughts to another post you can read, but I also like your idea of limiting saturated fat sources. I have great cholesterol - that ties to everything it seems like heart health and dementia - that I believe may relate to a diet for over a decade with oils and not solid added fats - butter is a treat when eating out occasionally. I eat skinless chicken and fish for meat nutrients, and once every week or 2 I have calves liver for a vitamin shot. My lipids are nicely low. And I also test Vitamin D, and take supplements 1000 twice a day that raised that from under 30 to 44 in 3 months when I retested. Quest Diagnostics now has a service where you can, in most states, order your own blood tests at reasonable cost if insurance does not cover.
I'm glad that this is working for you! We were liberal with butter, bacon and fatty meats (while also eating lots of vegetables) in the past, and my husband had just lost quite a bit of weight on the LCHF diet when he got that cholesterol test done 7 years ago; he's had another cholesterol test recently, around the same time we found out about APOE and started working on following the ReCode plan; his numbers need improvement but I hope that the changes we've been making will do that. I found the Google spreadsheet that was shared here for tracking one's own test results (ReCode specific, I think) and have been using a copy of that.

My own cholesterol numbers, when I was tested in my late 20s while on the typical mildly-health-conscious carb-heavy American diet, were described as fantastic by my PCP, and I have been lucky never to have struggled with weight. But I haven't had another cholesterol test in the past 10 years.

We will definitely check out Quest Diagnostics for our next round of tests; I ordered some for him through Life Extension and I couldn't tell until after we bought them that they don't have a direct relationship with any lab in our area, so it's a bit harder for us to get the samples sent off properly (overnight mail immediately after the blood is drawn, can't be on a Friday/weekend, with an ice pack inside a styrofoam box). He'll have to take an afternoon off work or something to get it done. I would love to be able to test things regularly.
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Re: New 3/4 with 4/4 husband both focusing on prevention

Post by TheresaB »

Since my husband is a 3/4 and I am a 4/4 we’re kind of kindred spirits so I wanted to say hi and welcome. Glad you found us.

LCHF/keto diets familiarity, reduced meat and saturated fat consumption, read The End of Alzheimer’s , etc. sounds like you’re already on the right track. Plus you’re young enough that the strategies you need to follow hopefully aren’t as restrictive as those of us who learned later in life, but of course biomarkers will tell.

I'm very grateful to have a spouse who's a 4 carrier. I find that since we're both aware and motivated, we support each other, are able to share information we discover, and can discuss issues with each other. I hope you have the same situation.
-Theresa
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Re: New 3/4 with 4/4 husband both focusing on prevention

Post by Its Me »

octicorn wrote: … tracking one's own test results …
This is a nifty calculator where you type in your test results for cholesterol and it generates a report showing low, normal, optimal, ideal.
http://www.hughcalc.org/chol.php

This is Quest's new feature for ordering your own tests. The service is 3rd party in providing a doctor to front the test if your state requires that. You can check your zip code to find the Quest location that does this in your area.
https://questdirect.questdiagnostics.com/
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Re: New 3/4 with 4/4 husband both focusing on prevention

Post by octicorn »

Let's see if I can quote two people in one post...
TheresaB wrote:I'm very grateful to have a spouse who's a 4 carrier. I find that since we're both aware and motivated, we support each other, are able to share information we discover, and can discuss issues with each other. I hope you have the same situation.
Hi, thanks! Yes, I am also grateful that we're working together on it. It could be so much harder without that agreement.
Its Me wrote:You can check your zip code to find the Quest location that does this in your area.
https://questdirect.questdiagnostics.com/
Unfortunately this brings up no locations near us. I tried at the main Quest Diagnostics website and there are locations in our town but only for drug testing and one within the children's hospital, so I guess they're not set up to do QuestDirect. -__-
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Re: New 3/4 with 4/4 husband both focusing on prevention

Post by Its Me »

octicorn wrote:Unfortunately this brings up no locations near us. ,,,
… in all states except Arizona, Indiana, Oklahoma, Alaska, and Hawaii, as well as Puerto Rico. You may be a state exception.
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