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She's had APOE4/4 for 10 years. She's still sharp at 72.

"I found my people" — Donna's APOE4 story

T
· Reviewed by Dr. Kevin Tran, PharmD

Key takeaways · TL;DR

Phoenix member Donna Dorans discovered her APOE4/4 status at 62 during a Yale research study, spent years figuring out a protocol alone, and at 72 remains cognitively intact. Her current stack costs over $400 per month and includes curcumin (which eliminated her word-finding problems), MitoCU, NAC, sulforaphane, and daily caviar for DHA/EPA. Things she dropped: strict keto (she's a lean-mass hyper-responder), lithium orotate, citicoline, and L-theanine.

Definition

Someone whose LDL cholesterol rises dramatically on low-carb or keto diets, particularly if they are lean and insulin-sensitive.

Lean mass hyper-responders are lean, active, metabolically healthy individuals whose LDL cholesterol can spike to very high levels on ketogenic or low-carb diets. The phenomenon is especially relevant for APOE4 carriers considering keto because APOE4 already affects lipid handling. Carriers who discover they are lean mass hyper-responders typically need to modify or abandon strict keto in favor of Mediterranean-style approaches that protect both ketone access and lipid profiles.

Hi Phoenix friend,

Something new today.

I've been wanting to do this for a while. Share real stories from real Phoenix members. Not theory. Not research papers. Just people like you, doing the work, figuring it out.

This is the first of many.

Meet Donna.

The moment everything changed

Donna found out she was APOE4/4 almost 10 years ago. She was 62.

It happened by accident. A Yale research study asked for saliva samples. She said sure. Nobody explained what they were looking for.

Then they called her back in.

"At first I was just numb," she told me. "And then of course I went home and went on the internet. And started really freaking out."

Sound familiar?

Back then, nobody was talking about this. No communities. No protocols. No one to turn to. She mentioned it to her doctor. They looked at her "like she had two heads."

So she figured it out alone.

What she does now (at 72, cognitively intact)

Donna has spent a decade refining her protocol. Here's what's currently in her stack:

Supplements:

  • MitoCU (mitochondrial support)

  • Curcumin (this one's her favorite — she had word-finding problems, started curcumin, and "boom, gone")

  • N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)

  • Sulforaphane (broccoli extract, just added)

  • Magnesium glycinate (sleep)

  • Melatonin (low dose, sleep)

  • Zinc and thiamine (based on her genetics)

  • Pendulum Akkermansia (probiotic for blood sugar)

Hormones:

  • HRT (hormone replacement therapy — she knows it's controversial, made a personal choice to stay on it)

  • Thyroid medication

Food-as-medicine:

  • Caviar daily (yes, really — high in DHA and EPA, her omega-3 source)

  • Salmon, sardines, fatty fish regularly

  • One egg a day for choline

What she dropped:

  • Liposomal glutathione (redundant)

  • L-theanine (did nothing for her)

  • Lithium orotate (caused insomnia — out the door)

  • Citicoline (also caused insomnia)

  • Strict keto (she's a lean mass hyper-responder — her cholesterol shot up and she couldn't sleep)

Total monthly cost? Over $400.

"You can't put a price on your cognition," she said.

I agree.

The part that surprised me

Donna's sharp. Like, really sharp. At 72, after 10 years of carrying two copies of the highest-risk Alzheimer's gene.

But here's what stuck with me most.

When I asked what finding Phoenix meant to her, she paused. Then said:

"It's like I found my people."

She talked about the lonely years. Friends who meant well but didn't understand. Facebook groups full of fear and noise. Functional medicine doctors charging $700/hour.

Then she found a community of people fighting the same fight. Running real experiments. Sharing what works. Holding each other accountable.

"There are times you just want to sit down with a chocolate candy bar and give up," she said. "But you realize there's support behind you."

Watch the full conversation

I sat down with Donna for almost an hour. We covered everything. How she told her kids. What she'd say to someone who just got diagnosed. Why she thinks it's never too late (she met 80-year-olds in Bredesen's program who were just starting out and seeing results).

It's raw. It's real. And I think it'll help.

This is just the beginning

Donna is the first. There will be more.

If you're a Phoenix member and want to share your story, reply to this email. I want to hear from you.

And if you're not a member yet?

Donna spent years doing this alone. You don't have to.

Talk soon,

Kevin

P.S. — Donna's advice for anyone who just found out they're APOE4: "If you're young, you're gonna be fine. There's so much research coming. If you're older, don't freak out. There are protocols. You have control over this." Watch the full interview to hear the rest.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Can APOE4/4 carriers stay cognitively intact into their 70s?
Yes, and Phoenix member Donna Dorans is a concrete example. She learned she was APOE4/4 at age 62 through a Yale research study, and 10 years later at 72 she remains cognitively sharp. Her approach evolved over a decade of experimentation: a daily supplement stack, hormone replacement therapy, food-as-medicine (caviar, salmon, sardines), and iterative dropping of interventions that did not work for her biology. Her key lesson for newly diagnosed carriers is that protocols are personal and require experimentation over years, not months. She also met 80-year-olds in the Bredesen program who started late and still saw results, reinforcing that it is never too late to begin.
What supplements does a 10-year APOE4/4 survivor actually take?
Donna Dorans' current stack after 10 years of refinement includes MitoCU for mitochondrial support, curcumin (her favorite, which eliminated her word-finding problems), N-acetylcysteine (NAC), sulforaphane (broccoli extract, newly added), magnesium glycinate for sleep, low-dose melatonin for sleep, zinc and thiamine based on her genetics, and Pendulum Akkermansia for blood sugar. She also uses hormone replacement therapy and thyroid medication. Food-as-medicine includes daily caviar (her DHA/EPA source), regular salmon and sardines, and one egg per day for choline. Total monthly cost is over $400. Her comment: 'You can't put a price on your cognition.'
What supplements did a 10-year APOE4/4 carrier stop taking?
Donna's drop list is instructive because it shows personalization matters. She dropped liposomal glutathione (redundant with NAC), L-theanine (did nothing for her), lithium orotate (caused insomnia), citicoline (also caused insomnia), and strict keto. She is a lean-mass hyper-responder, meaning her cholesterol shot up dramatically on keto and her sleep suffered, so she had to abandon the protocol despite its popularity among APOE4 carriers. This illustrates that APOE4 carriers need to track their individual response rather than following generic protocols, and willingness to stop things that do not work is as important as willingness to start things that might.
Is it too late to start an APOE4 prevention protocol in your 70s or 80s?
No. Donna Dorans, who started her protocol at 62 and remains sharp at 72, met participants in Dr. Dale Bredesen's ReCODE program who were 80 and older when they started and still saw measurable improvement. The underlying biology supports this: the brain retains plasticity throughout life, interventions still reduce inflammation and improve metabolic health at any age, and even if the long-term prevention window has closed, short-term cognitive gains and quality-of-life improvements are achievable. Her advice to older newly diagnosed carriers: don't freak out, there are protocols, and you have control over this.
What she does now (at 72, cognitively intact)
Donna has spent a decade refining her protocol. Here's what's currently in her stack: Supplements: MitoCU (mitochondrial support) Curcumin (this one's her favorite — she had word-finding problems, started curcumin, and "boom, gone") N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) Sulforaphane (broccoli extract, just added) Magnesium glycinate (sleep) Melatonin (low dose, sleep) Zinc and thiamine (based on her genetics) Pendulum Akkermansia (probiotic for blood sugar) Hormones: HRT (hormone replacement therapy — she knows it's controversial, made a personal choice to stay on it) Thyroid medication Food-as-medicine: Caviar daily (yes, really — high in DHA and EPA, her omega-3 source) Salmon, sardines, fatty fish regularly One egg a day for choline What she dropped: Liposomal glutathione (redundant) L-theanine (did nothing for her) Lithium orotate (caused insomnia — out the door) Citicoline (also caused insomnia) Strict keto (she's a lean mass hyper-responder — her cholesterol shot up and she couldn't sleep) Total monthly cost? Over $400. "You can't put a price on your cognition," she said. I agree.
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