30 years in dementia care means I have read a lot of books. These are the ones I actually recommend — with honest notes on what each one gets right, and where to read critically.
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If you are new to APOE4 and want to understand the landscape, start here.
by Dr. Dale Bredesen
The book that changed how I think about Alzheimer's prevention. Bredesen's ReCODE protocol is the most comprehensive clinical framework available for APOE4 carriers — covering nutrition, sleep, exercise, stress, and metabolic health as an integrated system. This is not a diet book. It is a precision medicine protocol written for people who want to understand the mechanism, not just follow a checklist. If you read only one book on this list, make it this one.
I have recommended this book to more clients than any other. The second edition includes updated protocols and more specific guidance for APOE4 carriers.
by Dr. Dale Bredesen
The practical implementation guide to the ReCODE protocol. Where the first book explains the science, this one gives you the week-by-week plan. Includes meal plans, supplement protocols, lab test guidance, and lifestyle prescriptions. If you have already read The End of Alzheimer's, this is the next step.
Buy both. The first book gives you the why. This one gives you the what to do on Monday morning.
The research on what APOE4 carriers should actually eat — and why it differs from standard advice.
by Amy Berger
The most practical, readable book available on low-carb and high-fat nutrition specifically for cognitive health. Berger is a nutritionist who writes without jargon, and she explains the glucose hypometabolism mechanism — the broken fuel system at the core of APOE4 risk — better than almost anyone writing for a general audience. She also addresses the "but I thought fat was bad" question directly and with evidence.
This is the book I recommend when clients ask me what to eat. Clear, practical, and backed by real science.
by Dr. David Perlmutter
The book that brought the carbohydrate-brain connection to mainstream awareness. Perlmutter makes the case that gluten and high-glycemic carbohydrates are primary drivers of neurological disease — a position that was controversial when this was published and is increasingly supported by the research. For APOE4 carriers dealing with glucose hypometabolism, this is essential context.
Some of Perlmutter's positions are more aggressive than the current evidence supports, but the core argument about carbohydrates and brain inflammation is sound.
by Diana Rodgers & Robb Wolf
A rigorous, evidence-based defense of animal protein that covers the nutritional science, the environmental arguments, and the critical distinction between industrial and regenerative meat. If you have been told that red meat causes Alzheimer's and you want to understand why the APOE4 research says something more nuanced, this book provides the framework.
Good ammunition for the family dinner table debates. The chapter on the difference between processed and unprocessed meat is directly relevant to APOE4 carriers.
by Dr. Mary Newport
Dr. Newport is a physician whose husband developed early-onset Alzheimer's. Her investigation into ketones as an alternative brain fuel — and her husband's documented improvement on coconut oil and MCT oil — is one of the most compelling personal accounts of the ketone-brain connection. The science has advanced significantly since this was published, but the story remains powerful.
This is the book that got a lot of families asking their doctors about ketones. The mechanism it describes is directly relevant to APOE4 carriers.
The science of aging at the cellular level — and what you can actually do about it.
by Dr. David Sinclair
Sinclair is one of the world's leading researchers on NAD+ and sirtuins — the cellular machinery that governs aging. This book brought the science of cellular aging to a mainstream audience and explains why NAD+ depletion matters, what the research on resveratrol and NMN actually says, and how the information theory of aging reframes everything we thought we knew about getting old.
Read this alongside the biomarker article. Understanding why the markers change with age makes the intervention logic much clearer.
by Dr. Sandra Kaufmann
A systematic, scientist's approach to anti-aging interventions including NAD+ precursors, with rigorous evaluation of which supplements actually work and why. Kaufmann organizes the aging process into seven categories and maps specific interventions to each. One of the most organized frameworks I have seen for thinking about cellular longevity.
More technical than most books on this list, but worth the effort. The supplement evaluation framework is genuinely useful.
The science behind the interventions — cold, oxygen, light, and movement.
by Wim Hof
Cold exposure, breathwork, and the science of activating your body's own stress-resilience systems. Wim Hof's approach is the extreme end of what cryotherapy taps into — and understanding the mechanism makes the three minutes at -200°F make a lot more sense. The vagal activation, norepinephrine release, and anti-inflammatory cascade are all documented here.
I am not suggesting you stand in an ice bath. But understanding why cold stress is beneficial helps you commit to the cryo sessions when minute three arrives.
by Dr. Paul Harch
The definitive clinical guide to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy from one of the physicians who pioneered its use for brain injury and neurological conditions. If you want to understand the mechanism before you climb into a chamber — or if you want to have an informed conversation with a clinic about whether HBOT is appropriate for your situation — start here.
Required reading before your first HBOT consultation. The chapter on patient selection criteria alone is worth the price.
by Dr. Paul Saladino
Saladino goes further than I do on the animal-based eating spectrum, but his explanation of why ancestral humans thrived on animal protein and fat is directly relevant to the Version 1.0 hardware concept. The APOE4 allele evolved in a hypercarnivore era — this book explores what that means for how we should eat now.
Read with your own judgment intact. Saladino's position is more extreme than the current evidence requires, but the ancestral framework is valuable context.
Multi-domain frameworks that address brain health from multiple angles simultaneously.
by Drs. Dean & Ayesha Sherzai
The Sherzais are neurologists who run a brain health program and have developed a comprehensive lifestyle approach to Alzheimer's prevention. Their NEURO framework (Nutrition, Exercise, Unwind, Restore, Optimize) is well-organized and evidence-based. The book is particularly strong on the cognitive training and stress management components.
One honest caveat: the Sherzais favor a plant-based approach that is not optimized for APOE4 carriers. The framework is excellent; the specific nutritional recommendations need to be adapted for your genotype. Read it for the structure, then layer in the APOE4-specific nutrition research.
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