Age 67 - My plan to avoid Alzheimer's

razztazz said:
None of those things have anything to do with Alzheimer's anyway.

You're engaging in hand-wringing. If "Stress kills" the best thing you can do is stop stressing over it. Your list sounds like an episode of Dr Oz.
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+100
 
vchan2177 said:
Retirement has many challenges.

I recently took a DNA test by "23 and me" and my DNA indicates I have the Apoe4 gene which put me at a higher risk of late onset Alzheimer's disease.

My increased risk at age 85 is about "1 in 2" versus "1 in 8" without this gene. However, the above risk numbers does not account for better diet and exercise. This "may" explain why 1 in 2 did NOT develop Alzheimer at age 85 even though they had the same Apoe4 gene...

My quality of life has improved and money has become less important to me. I am actually glad to discover that I have the APO4 gene because I avoided becoming complacent in my retirement.
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I feel compelled to point out that you need TWO copies of APOE-4 (one from each parent) to face the risk level you indicate.

Do you actually have both?

That's rare enough that I've seen clinicians complain they often can't find enough people (with both copies) on whom to conduct clinical studies.

Also, IIRC, having two copies puts you at significantly increased risk of suffering a whole host of nasty diseases, not just dementia.

-ncbill

(lived in the local medical school's library 10+ years ago when my mother was dying from a non-alzheimer's form of dementia that strikes mid 40s-mid 50s)
 
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Ignore the nay-sayers. If it works for you do it. Just make sure you keep up with the current understanding of the disease.

Me? Ti piacerebbe imparare l'italiano? It beats watching reality TV shows.
 
This isn't a diet per se, but when I looked at the drawings of a clock done by a man with early-onset Alzheimers after starting to consume coconut oil (Day 1 before coconut oil, Day 14, and Day 37), I was shocked! (Scroll down to see the clock drawings)


https://coconutketones.com/
 

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I do have 2 copies of the Apoe4 gene

Yes..I do have 2 copies of the Apoe4 gene which puts me in the higher risk category. I will be glad to volunteer for any medical studies so that future retirees can benefit. I intend to comply with all the medical recommendations and see how long I can live without getting Alzheimer's. I read about the "Nigerian Paradox" which Nigerians have highest rate of the Apoe4 gene but these same people have the lowest rate of Alzheimer's.

I have seen my father passes away at an early age at 72 but he did not exercise, had Alzheimer's and he gave up living. I have seen my mother passed away at 89 but she was a fighter and she refused to quit until she fell and had internal bleeding. Two different mindsets with two different outcomes.

I firmly believe there is a connection between your heart and your brain. If you take care of your heart, then your heart will take care of your brain. When you age, people naturally slow down and become sedentary. Without exercise, your heart weakens. When your heart weakens, less blood flows to your brain to carry oxygen and nutrients and remove waste and proteins that does not belong in your brain.

A good diet provide the proper nutrients to your brain. I do not expect a magic medical pill will save people from Alzheimer's disease. "Diet and exercise" seems to be the best course of action. My goal is to avoid Alzheimer's like the Nigerians have successfully done. BTW Nigerian's diet does not involve American fast food such as MacDonalds.

Victor
"There can be no victory without sacrifice"
 
I think most of the things on the OP's list may help overall quality of life, but I'm not exactly sure they will stave off potential Alziemers. I say go for it...they will likely improve her quality of life, happiness, and balance, regardless of their affect on the brain!
 
I feel that everyone here would be well served to understand the numbers behind Alzheimers.

From the Alzheimers Association. Not a long read.

Or perhaps you already knew. Here's one of the facts...
Think you may know the answer?

BETWEEN 2000 AND 2015 DEATHS FROM HEART DISEASE HAVE DECREASED 11% WHILE DEATHS FROM ALZHEIMER'S HAVE INCREASED by :confused: percent.
Click to expand...

https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures

And... did you know that more people die from Alzheimers disease than from breast cancer and prostate cancer combined? ... And that one in three seniors die with Alzheimers. And someone develops the disease every 65 seconds.

OH... and one more: Alzheimer's disease is the only top 10 cause of death in the United States that cannot be prevented, cured or even slowed.
 
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Obviously one should do this anonymously so as to preclude being redlined for insurance etc.

RESEARCH PAPER:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28940650

Well, this entry box is to small to see exactly what's been pasted in & to properly edit out what I don't want to include. Stupid webpage design...

https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2017/09/408356/multi-gene-test-predicts-alzheimers-better-apoe-e4-alone

September 22, 2017 A new test that combines the effects of more than two dozen genetic variants, most associated by themselves with only a small risk of Alzheimer’s disease, does a better job of predicting which cognitively normal older adults will go on to develop Alzheimer’s dementia than testing only for the well-known genetic variant APOE E4, a scientific team led by researchers at UC San Francisco and UC San Diego has found
...
Multi-Gene Test Predicts Alzheimer’s Better than APOE E4 Alone

Test Acts as a Genetic ‘Risk Factor’ to Help Identify Preclinical Alzheimer’s Dementia


By Laura Kurtzman on September 22, 2017



A new test that combines the effects of more than two dozen genetic variants, most associated by themselves with only a small risk of Alzheimer’s disease, does a better job of predicting which cognitively normal older adults will go on to develop Alzheimer’s dementia than testing only for the well-known genetic variant APOE E4, a scientific team led by researchers at UC San Francisco and UC San Diego has found. APOE E4 has long been considered the strongest genetic predictor of whether someone is likely to develop Alzheimer’s, although it is only carried by 10 to 15 percent of the population and recent research suggests its effects have been overstated. The polygenic hazard score (PHS), a test developed by the research team that carried out the new study, provides risk estimates for the remaining 85 to 90 percent of people who do not carry at least one copy of APOE E4 but still have some combination of other genetic variants that put them at risk of Alzheimer’s.
“Beyond APOE E4 by itself, our polygenic hazard score can identify cognitively normal and mildly impaired older folks who are at greatest risk for developing Alzheimer’s-associated clinical decline over time,” said Chin Hong Tan, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar at UCSF and first author of the paper, published Sept. 22, 2017, in Annals of Neurology.
 
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Aerides said:
Did we read the same OP? I saw no hand-wringing.

What I read is a reasonable approach for an overall healthy-lifestyle for most anyone, but tailored to someone a bit older. They are things pretty much anyone can benefit from and zero doctors would discourage.

I doubt the OP thinks his approach is any guarantee, but maybe to tip the scales just a teeny bit, while being healthier all over no matter what the outcome, to better enjoy life.
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+1
 
Watching a good friend die from this was horrible. Thankfully her cancer came back and killed her. She was really suffering.
 
Interesting the link between cholesterol and triglyceride levels and Alzheimer's.

While it may not be a cause (or may be) it seems a good diet and exercise to reduce
cholesterol and triglyceride levels could have the benefit of delaying or preventing Alzheimer's.

Since bad levels of cholesterol and triglyceride levels are associated with Alzheimer's.
 
ncbill said:
I feel compelled to point out that you need TWO copies of APOE-4 (one from each parent) to face the risk level you indicate.

Do you actually have both?

That's rare enough that I've seen clinicians complain they often can't find enough people (with both copies) on whom to conduct clinical studies.

Also, IIRC, having two copies puts you at significantly increased risk of suffering a whole host of nasty diseases, not just dementia.

-ncbill

(lived in the local medical school's library 10+ years ago when my mother was dying from a non-alzheimer's form of dementia that strikes mid 40s-mid 50s)
Click to expand...

I would like to know of these studies as I have two copies of the gene as indicated by 23 and me.
Apparently it is not so uncommon as 2% of the population has the doulble copy.

Many people in my family have/have had and died from Alzheimers. They all get it in their 60's or 70's.
I am 45.
It is hugely frustrating knowing I will get it no matter what.
I don't believe diet helps for those of us with the double genes - too many people still get Alzheimers despite various healthy diets.
I looked and saw no studies I could be in at this point in time.

None of my older relatives are willing and/or able to participate in research.
 
workburnout said:
I am 45.
It is hugely frustrating knowing I will get it no matter what.
I don't believe diet helps for those of us with the double genes - too many people still get Alzheimers despite various healthy diets.
Click to expand...

There is some hope for people with 2 copies of the Apoe2 gene based on the Nigeria Paradox. In my opinion, you should consider talking to your doctor and consider changing your diet.

Please view the Nigerian Paradox on Youtube at


If the above link does not work, search on Youtube for "Nigerian Paradox"

Attitude also plays a role. If you already decided that you will get Alzheimer's "no matter what", then you already lost half the battle.

If you talk to medical nurses, they will tell you that patients who fight their disease generally have a better outcome. Patients who have a fatalistic view do not. It is true that some people will get the disease no matter what... but I feel better "going down fighting" than "surrendering without a fight".

The stats indicated that 1 out of 2 people with 2 copies of the Apoe4 will get Alzheimer's at age 85. My attitude is I can be the "other" 1 of the 2 people who will NOT get the disease by working with my doctor and listening to what the medical researchers suggest what I should do and eat. These medical suggestions are based on the data they have acquired. I called my approach "critical thinking" of a difficult problem.
 
We all will have some disease to deal with and good for you for doing all you can to prevent a disease .
 
vchan2177 said:
There is some hope for people with 2 copies of the Apoe2 gene based on the Nigeria Paradox. In my opinion, you should consider talking to your doctor and consider changing your diet.
Click to expand...

Those with two copies of the ApoE2 gene have a LOWER than average risk of Alzheimer's Disease. It's the ApoE4 gene that confers higher risk.
 
I'm coming back to make a suggestion.

i think I can speak with some authority, as I'm in stage four of Alzheimers, self diagnosed, but with some degree of surety. I would suggest that it is not quite what you think. There's a medical explanation that deals with plaque, genes, and the physical connections to the brain... the axons and dendrites, and the electrical impulses that come together to make a functioning human. The accepted implication is that Alzheimers/Dementia is a simple result of something going wrong.

And yes... that's right... but... it doesn't really work the way most people think.

You may be thinking... If he's that bad, how can he write here on ER, and even sometimes make sense?

So... instead of boring you with theory, my suggestion.

If you have Netflix, watch "Still Alice". For me, it's a reality film that shows Alzheimers' disease the way its is happening in real life. Like Alice, my own intellect was measured above average @145, and like her, the intellect has, sofar, allowed for shortcuts around failing memory.

Early onset? no... but the process/progress is the same. Likely genetic in my case, as my mom began in her early 80's. The movie explains gene tracing... family... parent to child... something that does not receive a lot of attention, but certainly, the good health suggestions mentioned in the OP and some subsequent posts cannot hurt. Further extensive medical studies studies may refine physical health and medication theories
 
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Not even medical professionals can diagnose Alzheimer's disease with certainty without doing an autopsy on the brain, but what a doctor should do if a patient is presenting with symptoms of dementia is run some screening tests that test for OTHER causes of dementia, particularly those that are treatable or even reversible. So if you think you have it or you're tempted to self-diagnose, please see a doctor! Some GPs might be able to do some of the screening, but most likely they will refer you to a neurologist, geriatric psychiatrist, or neuropsychiatrist for a full evaluation.
 
My Mom has had early onset Alz for 5 years or so, we became acutely aware of it after her husband was killed in a vehicle accident, he had been her caregiver and had kept their little secret. Even in the clutches of the illness she is the most grateful person I know. She thanks God for every little thing - a beautiful day, a visit from family or friends, a letter, read to her.
We feel blessed that Mom had assets to live in a very nice Assisted Living facility with family close by. With some awareness, that if you are blessed with a long life, you may succumb to this illness, it will be beneficial to have your affairs in order way in advance. Share your plans with the kids, or Executors so they can ask any questions now. Plan your asset spend down and living arrangements to give you the most flexibility in later years. Start spoiling the person you hope to be your caregiver :). I have often wondered if knowing something about my DNA would be a burden or a benefit.
Don't be so careful that you stop living!!!
 
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