Just got results, I carry 2 E4 genes, I have questions!

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SZ2980
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Just got results, I carry 2 E4 genes, I have questions!

Post by SZ2980 »

I just got tesults from 23 and me, I carry 2 APOE e4 genes, but my questions are, what if any symptoms have people had throughout their lives? I'm just trying to see if there is a correlation between these genes and my symptoms. I will list symptoms I've had/have, please let me know. I am just about 40 years old,Thanks.
IBS (19 years)
Fibromyalgia (11 years)
Chronic inflammation (2 years)
Tinnitus (11 years)
Hand swelling (1 year)
Hand numbness/tingling (9 months)
Chronic pain (12 years)
Please let me know if anyone else has similar issues.
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Lisa G
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Re: Just got results, I carry 2 E4 genes, I have questions!

Post by Lisa G »

SZ2980 wrote:what if any symptoms have people had throughout their lives?
Hello SZ2980 and welcome to the ApoE4 forum. I am sorry to hear of your being notified of your E4 genes but please know that there are lots of things you can do in the coming years that will support you. I'm sure you have lots of questions...it can be an overwhelming few weeks until you begin to sort things out.
We are glad you found us as the information you find here should greatly assist you on your journey, especially because you are young and have lots of time to make the lifestyle changes that support your E4 alleles. While I personally do not carry the E4 genes and am not a physician, I believe your symptoms seem to be related to inflammation and microbiome issues, especially as you mention IBS and chronic inflammation. Are you under the care of a physician? If not, or if you are and feel you are not getting the results you desire, maybe you could find a "Functional Medicine" doctor who is trained in the Bredesen Protocol. You can find a list of ApoE4 aware practitioners here. Also, as you are new and have questions, you may want to visit the primer as it is a great place to start and written by a physician in laymen's terms. There is also a "How-To" Guide that makes your journey around the site much more efficient. I've found the search function to be an awesome way to research questions you may have as most likely, someone has asked the question before and there are several threads of information regarding that topic.
Again, welcome to the community. Please don't hesitate to tell us a little about yourself in the "Our Stories" and continue commenting on posts and asking questions! We love active members!
Lisa H. Gerardi, MA
National Board Certified - Health & Wellness Coach
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
Integrative Nutrition Certified Coach
Fiver
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Re: Just got results, I carry 2 E4 genes, I have questions!

Post by Fiver »

Hi.

I'm not an expert or medical doctor. I just like reading about this. For what it is worth I'm not aware of any studies showing strong, direct links between apoe4 and these particular symptoms. But I can think of lots of indirect ways in which they could be related. So a search of the literature would probably turn something up.

LisaG's comments seems like a good place to start: a common factor for these seems to be the inflammation.

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Re: Just got results, I carry 2 E4 genes, I have questions!

Post by Vikingman »

I started on inflammation and after a Viome test found out I had a poor purine pathway. Once I stopped eating purine foods the vast majority of my inflammation went away.
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SusanJ
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Re: Just got results, I carry 2 E4 genes, I have questions!

Post by SusanJ »

SZ2980 wrote:I'm just trying to see if there is a correlation between these genes and my symptoms.
Perhaps, in that E4s tend to be a more inflammatory type. I would say that for me, treating IBS has done the most to reduce inflammation, including joint pain. That might be a good focus for you that could positively impact the other symptoms you list. Carefully documenting what I ate and any symptoms that popped up, helped me tease out and eliminate the foods that caused the most trouble. Then some additional work using Ben Lynch's approach in his Dirty Genes book (including using some ox bile and oil of oregano for a short time), made the difference for me. My gut is in pretty decent shape right now and my joint pain and swelling has reduced.
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Re: Just got results, I carry 2 E4 genes, I have questions!

Post by NF52 »

SZ2980 wrote:I just got results from 23 and me, I carry 2 APOE e4 genes, but my questions are, what if any symptoms have people had throughout their lives? I'm just trying to see if there is a correlation between these genes and my symptoms. I will list symptoms I've had/have, please let me know. I am just about 40 years old,Thanks.
IBS (19 years)
Fibromyalgia (11 years)
Chronic inflammation (2 years)
Tinnitus (11 years)
Hand swelling (1 year)
Hand numbness/tingling (9 months)
Chronic pain (12 years)
Please let me know if anyone else has similar issues.
Welcome SZ2980,

We're so glad you found this site and are asking such a smart question! Looking for correlations and associations among the 2% or so of people like you and me who have ApoE 4/4 makes sense, although it is still an effort in its infancy. It's only since companies like 23&me became popular that more of us have discovered our 4/4 gift. Note: It's not all bad; 4/4 is a gift because some studies suggest we might share a far lower chance of cancer than others, and have higher verbal intelligence.

Because chronic pain, for example, can be caused by auto-immune issues like rheumatoid arthritis, or by sports injuries, or by fibromyalgia (which in your case has co-existed with the chronic pain), it's hard to sort out what might be due to a common cause, and what might be due to a mix of genetic and epigenetic (what genes get turned on and off) and lifestyle/environment/personal health history.

The good news is that we can take the approach of trying to figure out our own "triggers" and work on those. I'm guessing you have a doctor whose been seeing you for some of your issues, who may be willing to order some tests to find give you more info. Here's a specific section on inflammation from the Primer that Lisa G recommended:
Primer:Inflammation. Dr. Stavia suggests multiple strategies that may reduce your inflammation, which is good for your pain and your brain!

Here's a link to biomarkers that Dr. Stavia, who also ApoE 4/4 recommends: Primer: Biomarkers/Tests. You'll notice that one of them, CRP or C-reactive Protein, is a measure of inflammation. It might help to talk to your doctor about what your insurance would cover to look at systemic inflammation. If your insurance won't cover some of the tests, you may be able to find an online source that is within your budget for testing here: Direct to Consumer Lab Testing Options

At 40, even with the struggles you've had for years, you have time on your side. I am almost 68, and have had multiple risk factors, including tinnitus and hand tingling, both starting at age 55. The hand problems may have been caused by inflammation and worsened by stress and a naughty beagle. but PT was my saving grace, along with learning to de-stress about problems I couldn't fix.
I like the Stoics for that: they advocate for doing as much as we can to make our journey and each day a good one, and then accepting that we cannot control the outcome even as we live a life with purpose, joy and meaning.

Give yourself time to adjust to this news, and start with the low-hanging fruit--small changes in diet, exercise, mindfulness or meditation, sleep priority--that help you feel better and ready to tackle more. And enjoy that 40th birthday coming up--it will be about the same time I celebrate my 40th wedding anniversary. 1980 was a good year; 2020 can be the start of many good years!
4/4 and still an optimist!
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