APO E gene/ The Perfect Gene Diet program

If the answer is YES you may want to consider finding out if your elevated levels are related to a genetic inability to clear cholesterol or just a dietary and exercise mismatch along with your level of stress.

 

If the answer is NO then you should understand that not having high cholesterol levels in routine screening may be misleading. The most common genetic causes of heart and vascular disease are not detected by routine cholesterol screenings and 80% of people who have coronary artery disease have normal cholesterol levels. In fact, you can have a very low screening cholesterol level concurrent with very aggressive heart or vascular disease and not be aware of it.

 

With any of the above answers or if you DON’T KNOW then you should consider being screened for a possible inherited trait for heart and chronic disease by testing your APO E gene along with an advanced cholesterol screening test to determine all 13 different types of cholesterol.

 

APO E Gene (pronounced by saying each letter, A - P - O - E)

 

The APO E gene plays a key role in our body's internal environment and is a determining factor in the development of chronic disease, especially heart and Alzheimer’s disease.

 

The APO E gene program, designed by Pamela McDonald, NP, is a personalized integrative approach focusing on diet, exercise and stress reduction based on your APO E gene results. For your peace of mind, the APO E gene program provides anonymous genetic testing. We are not all the same and One diet does not fit all. Therefore, the nutritional focus is based on eating the optimal balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats for each of the six APO E genotypes.

 

The APO E gene occurs as three variations, or alleles, in humans: Apo E 2, Apo E 3, and Apo E 4. Since genes come in matching pairs, we each have two alleles on every gene, one from each parent.  If you received an Apo E 2 from one parent and an Apo E 3 from the other parent, your genotype would be E 2/3. The six possible combinations of Apo E gene pairs are E 2/2, E 2/3, E 3/3, E 4/2, E 4/3, and E 4/4.

 

The specific pair of Apo E genes you inherited from your parents greatly influences your predisposition to certain illnesses, including heart disease, vascular dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and cancer.  Maintaining an optimal diet and lifestyle for your particular Apo E genotype is known as maintaining a "gene-supportive environment" (GSE), and doing so can dramatically reduce your risk of developing these chronic illnesses.  That's why the Apo E Gene Diet was created.

 

 

I encourage you to read, The Perfect Gene Diet by Pamela McDonald, NP. If you are interested in more information about obtaining testing or individual consultation contact Mary Ann Osborne, DNP, FNP.