The APO-E4 gene is highly associated with Alzheimer's disease, but as I've stated many times before, this is not a deterministic gene. 99% of patients who go on to develop Alzheimer's disease do not have one of the quote unquote determable genes. There are other genes at play, and some of those genes amplify, and someof those genes attenuate risk. Tom40 would be another one that amplifies risk, although it's not clear how much so.
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In this “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) episode, Peter goes into depth on the topic of brain health, starting with how Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed, the significance of blood-based biomarkers in diagnosis, and what the various APOE gene variants mean in terms of a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Next, Peter discusses the various strategies for preventing Alzheimer's disease and neurodegeneration. He touches briefly on exercise as a potent tool, but focuses more on lesser-known factors that could impact brain health, such as nutrition supplementation, lipid management, brain games, sauna, oral health, hearing loss, and more.
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We discuss:
- Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease [2:45];
- Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, the C2N test, and other tools for diagnosis [7:30];
- Genetic component of Alzheimer’s disease: genes that confer risk [12:45];
- Understanding your APOE status and why it’s important to know [17:15];
- The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, and who is at higher risk [21:15];
- Can the risk of Alzheimer’s disease be decreased with behavioral changes? [24:15];
- Overview of modifiable behaviors that potentially play a role in risk reduction of neurodegeneration [30:15];
- Things that clearly impact brain health: smoking, alcohol, sleep, head injuries, blood pressure, and more [34:15];
- How nutrition impacts brain health: common diets, metabolic health, energy balance, and more [46:15];
- Comparing common diets: data showing the association between the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and specific diets [59:45];
- Supplements: EPA and DHA, vitamin D, and B vitamins [1:13:00];
- Supplements: theracurmin, cocoa flavonols, and magnesium L-threonate [1:25:15];
- Impact of exercise on brain health, minimum effective dose, and the most important types of exercise [1:33:00];
- Challenging the mind with brain games—does it impact neurodegeneration? [1:43:00];
- The data on sauna and brain health [1:49:45];
- Oral health and its association with brain health [1:52:45];
- How reducing lipids can improve brain health and prevent neurodegeneration [1:55:30];
- The potential impact of hearing loss on brain health and neurodegeneration [2:04:30]; and
- More.
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