By Dan Koday, Prevention
I never really considered my brain health until I was in my early 30s. I
had always been pretty sharp when it came to memory, and most people in
my life—friends, family, and colleagues—were always impressed by how I
could recall remarkably specific details of certain stories.But around
that lovely age when your metabolism slows down and your first gray
hairs start to appear—aka your early 30s—something changed with my
memory.
[post_ads]I started having a harder time recalling the names of places I
had very distinctly been. I noticed that I was struggling at work to
keep my to-do list straight and forgetting to add things to it. I
couldn't remember to follow up on things I had meant to be following up
on. Most worrisome of all, I noticed a weird little habit any time I was
in the kitchen: I started to put things back in the wrong places.
Hummus, which normally belongs in the fridge, would somehow end up in a
cabinet; meanwhile, a roll of paper towels would end up in the fridge.
Sure,
everyone's brains seem to short circuit from time to time, especially
when the pressures of a 50-plus hour work week is your reality. But the
more it happened, the more I started to get worried. I mentioned the
onset of these symptoms to a friend who introduced me to Tammy Motola,
co-founder of Rezilir Health, a primary care clinical group in Hollywood, Florida.
I told Tammy how I was worried about the fact that my brain health
was a little, well, off, and that I was considering seeing a neurologist
or other doctor to find out what was going on. I even mentioned (and I
recognize how flippant this could sound, but I truly was concerned) that
I might be showing signs of early-onset Alzheimer's.
Upon hearing all this, she reassured me that I could have a test done
that would give me an early clue as to whether or not I was at a
greater risk for the disease. While Alzheimer's doesn't run in my family
(being related to someone who suffers from Alzheimer's makes you more likely to develop the disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association), I was instantly intrigued.
The
test she was referring to would look for the APOE-4 gene, which is
"present in approximately 20% of people, increases the risk for
Alzheimer's, and lowers the age of onset," says Penny Dacks, Ph.D., the
former director of aging and Alzheimer's disease prevention at the
Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation.
The reason why this is important for women in particular: Tania
Dempsey, M.D., who specializes in treating chronic diseases, including
Alzheimer's, says women who carry the APOE-4 gene are at an even greater
risk than their male counterparts. "Women seem to be more affected by
this gene, and it is believed to be through its interaction with
estrogen," she says.
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In my case, getting the test—which costs about $150—to see if I had
the APOE-4 gene was pretty simple. I met Motola's partner, Craig P.
Tanio, M.D., co-founder of Rezilir Health, where we discussed the test
and a nurse took my blood work. My blood sample was sent to a lab, where
Tanio says the blood is examined to see if I have the gene. The test
went out on a Thursday, and my results were in the following Tuesday.
The test came back negative for APOE-4. Still, that doesn't mean I definitively won't get Alzheimer's.
"It is important to note that while having the APOE-4 gene increases
the risk of Alzheimer's, it is not a guarantee for getting the disease,"
says Dempsey. Likewise, not having the gene doesn't mean you won't get Alzheimer's. "There are many possible imbalances that are involved in the development of Alzheimer's," she adds.
Little
is known about Alzheimer's, but what we do know is that proteins called
beta-amyloid and tao build up in the brain, tangling around its cells
and essentially killing each cell. Those with it can lose fine motor
skills, memory, and the ability to speak, drive, write, or even
recognize their own family.
There is good news, though. Had my test come back positive, Tanio
says he would have recommended following a treatment program to manage
my health and the potential development of Alzheimer's.
"There is good randomized clinical trial data—a recent example is the FINGER study—suggesting that aggressive lifestyle changes can positively affect disease progression in Alzheimer's," Tanio says.
[post_ads]The
FINGER study found that people with early cognitive decline could
change their diet (e.g., limiting sugar, avoiding saturated fats, eating
fish twice a week); engage in more social interaction (through group
and individual therapy); control their blood pressure (evidence links
brain and heart health); and exercise (through strength training and
cardio) and see better cognitive function than people who didn't make
the changes.
The best part about these types of preventative measures, Dempsey
says, are that they may help improve outcomes with other chronic
diseases, too, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Even though I didn't have the APOE-4 gene and there's no guarantee I
won't develop Alzheimer's later in life, going through the process
helped to educate me on some of the preventative measures I can be
taking right now—in good health—to reduce the chances that I'll ever
show symptoms.
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