I enjoyed this book by Dr. Peter Attia. Much of it is common sense, but there are many suggestions that are quite surprising. The book is not very tecI enjoyed this book by Dr. Peter Attia. Much of it is common sense, but there are many suggestions that are quite surprising. The book is not very technical, and all concepts are explained well. The emphasis on prevention, rather that overcoming disease and health problems, is right on the mark.
His best section is on exercise. Dr. Attia prescribes the importance of cardio, strength, and balance. The weakest section is about mental health. He describes his own history of addiction, but that did not help me. The section on diets seems to be very well balanced.
I really appreciate his comment, "The most likely sign of a heart attack is a dead body in front of you." That is because for most people, there are few warning signs of an impending heart attack....more
This is not a typical self-help book. It is not really a prescriptive book -- it is about the science of aging, and the scientifically-proven methods This is not a typical self-help book. It is not really a prescriptive book -- it is about the science of aging, and the scientifically-proven methods to increase one's healthy span of life. The author, Daniel Levitin, is a neuroscientist and a cognitive psychologist. His book contains an appendix with 70 pages of scientific references.
But this is not dry-reading. It is filled to the brim with anecdotes, especially stories about people who lived well into their 80's, 90's, and even beyond with healthy, fulfilling lives. And the book is spiced with humor. For example, "If I livve to one thousand and have more than ten generations of offspring, I'm going to need to get a bigger table for Thanksgiving dinners."
Levitin is also a musician; he also wrote the book This Is Your Brain on Music. So many of his anecdotes are about musicians who lived long, healthy lives. Levitin talks about an 87-year-old consultant audio engineer who came into his home recording studio, studied the acoustics for an hour, then suggested a few minor changes that totally transformed the acoustics!
This is a comprehensive book; it covers a lot of areas in all aspects of life. Levitin talks about areas where older people get better with age, life self-control and self-discipline, agreeableness, and emotional stability. Other areas like conscientiousness, openness and extraversion decrease with old age. Besides IQ and EQ, a big deal is made of CQ--"Curiosity Quotient", because it is the best measure for predicting life success. Older people have more wisdom, because they can see patterns that others do not see. They are not as fast at mental calculations and retrieving names, but they are better and faster at seeing the big picture. This comes from decades of generalization and abstraction.
There is a lot of discussion of memory, and an interesting idea called "Multiple Trace Theory". Every experience lays down a unique trace in the brain. Repetitions don't overwrite earlier traces; they simply lay down more, near-identical but unique traces of their own. The more traces there are for an event, the more likely you will recall it rapidly and accurately. Levitin claims that memory doesn't truly decline with age. But memory tests case stress that affect older people more than young.
While some historians say that the purpose of the brain was discovered only recently, this is not true. There are two references in the Bible, showing that the authors of the Old Testament knew that the brain is the seat of thought.
Levitin talks a lot about healthy emotions and social engagement. He writes that loneliness is worse for your health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The book has lots lf suggestions for activities that can reduce loneliness.
There is a chapter in the book on nutrition, on exercise, and sleep. Of course, these three topics are central to health. Levitin writes, "Even the teensiest, tiniest, barely measurable amount of physical activity improves brain functions." The book discusses various marketed interventions that are claimed to reverse human aging--but none have been proven, and some are dangerous.
We are all getting older, and this book just might spark you to change some aspect of life, some idea or activity that will increase your healthy life span....more
This is a fantastic book about exercise! It is not a self-help book that encourages you to exercise daily; it is a dive into the biology, psychology, This is a fantastic book about exercise! It is not a self-help book that encourages you to exercise daily; it is a dive into the biology, psychology, anthropology, and scientific research into the why's and wherefore's of exercise. The book is filled with fun facts and myth-busting research into what exercise can and cannot do to improve one's fitness, well-being, health, and longevity.
Did you know that in ancient times, and in today's isolated tribes, people sit just as much as people in modern society? Primates like chimpanzees are no more active than humans (though they do tend to walk further). Did you know that people can outrun horses--not in short sprints, but in long, drawn-out races? (The author participated in one such race and in fact did outrun some horseback riders.) People in hunter-gathering tribes do not exercise; they look at purposeful exercise as something that crazy people do! But they do get plenty of exercise by walking, and their daily activities. And, ancient people were not stronger than today's modern society; in a society where food is not abundant, excessive muscles that require a lot of energy to maintain are more of a burden than an aid.
Exercise is something that most people dislike. Humans have evolved to run, but we have also evolved to sit! Research has found that exercise will not help you to live longer, but it will help you to live a healthier, more active life.
This book is filled with the results of scientific research, and helped me to understand better how evolution has shaped our active--and inactive--lives. The book's conclusion is concise:
"Make exercise necessary and fun. Do mostly cardio, but also some weights. Some is good, but more is better. Keep it up as you age."
The human immune system is very complex. So complex, that the author starts out by writing, "The immune system is too complicated for you to understanThe human immune system is very complex. So complex, that the author starts out by writing, "The immune system is too complicated for you to understand so I'm going to talk down to you." What a statement! And it's true--the writing is definitely easy to understand, because all of the interactions and components are spelled out in metaphors. This puts the concepts in human terms, ones that we all can understand. Just as a couple of examples:
"... the killer T cell is a dude with a hammer that bashes heads in while laughing maniacally."
or this quote:
"The awakening of the adaptive immune system usually begins in the lymph node dating pools, where dendritic cells covered in hot dog buns filled with antigens try to find the right T cells.
You get the picture. He compares bacteria with viruses using a simile; bacteria are like soldiers fighting in open battles at Troy, while viruses are hiding in a Trojan horse. But, to his credit, the author admits when the metaphors start to break down.
The book talks a great deal about immune cells killing themselves. For example, a dendritic cell spends a week or so in a lymph node to activate a helper T cell, before it kills itself.
The end of the book discusses the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a discussion about why some people died from the disease, others recovered with complications, most people had mild symptoms, and some had no symptoms at all. The reason seems to be that people's MHC II molecules are diverse, and they react to diseases differently. This gives the human species a better chance at survival when a terrible plague arrives.
Moreover, when you are looking for a partner, you use your sense of smell to ensure that he or she has MHC II molecules that are different from your own! This also helps to avoid inbreeding. Your partner's immune system is one of the factors that makes him or her attractive to you!
There is some good advice here about how to react to people who claim that they never get sick. Just nod politely and change the subject.
There is some really important information that should make anti-vaxxers think twice about their attitudes. It has to do with the pernicious side of measles. The number of deaths due to measles is increasing rapidly, due to anti-vaxxers. Children who get measles and recover have a greater chance of getting other diseases afterwards. That is because the measles virus kills memory cells. It deletes your acquired immunity. Measles is more highly contagious than the novel coronavirus. Measles also deletes the memories you gained from other vaccines. When it comes to measles, "what does not kill you makes you weaker, not stronger. Measles causes irreversible, long-term harm and it maims and kills children."
There is a discussion about why the immune system sometimes seems to act against your best interests. That is because humans evolved when today's big diseases did not exist. Instead, humans evolved when our worst problems were caused by parasitic worms. The author suggests that "One of the worst things to do late at night is to google infections by parasitic worms. You can ruin your life even more if you click on image search."
There are things you can do to improve your immune system. Stop smoking is number one. If you are obese, lose weight so your internal inflammation is reduced. Reduce your chronic stress, which is a big factor in weakening your immune system. When it comes to "boosting" your immune system, the author writes, "Boosting the immune system is a horrible idea that is used by people trying to make you buy useless stuff!" Luckily the danger is mild because nothing you can legally buy can boost the immune system. What you really want is a balanced immune system. Auto-immune diseases that are so prevalent now, and cancer, have to do with immune systems going out of balance. This book describes how and why. It also describes why allergies seem to be so prevalent in many areas, these days.
I highly recommend this book to all who care about their immune system. It gets rather technical at times, but it doesn't swarm in complexity....more
According to the CDC, 42.5% of Americans are obese, and an additional 30% are overweight. Being overweight has some really bad effects on one's healthAccording to the CDC, 42.5% of Americans are obese, and an additional 30% are overweight. Being overweight has some really bad effects on one's health in a number of ways; some consequences are obvious, like energy level, stamina, and attractiveness. Other consequences are not so obvious, until they pop up; high blood pressure, some forms of cancer, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, and a host of other issues.
My wife is a health coach, and she began treating people with a system that is guided by this book. I was overweight, and I must say--the program really works! There are hundreds of diets on the market, but this program is known to work--to help one lose weight--and more importantly, to keep the weight off, over the long haul. That's where this book comes in; it helps teach you new habits that can sustain your weight loss without being a "dieting yo-yo".
This just has to be repeated from the book: Lifestyle is more important to health than medicine. We tend to use medicine to treat symptoms that result from poor lifestyle choices.
This book describes the motivation behind the typical dieting yo-yo pattern. The book retrains your thinking. Instead of thinking about the threatening consequences of being overweight, a more effective mindset is to think about what you gain by choosing health. "Lasting motivation comes from focusing on what you want to gain and not what you want to lose." It is the "difference between a problem-oriented motivation and an outcome-oriented motivation."
Recent research shows that most new habits take an average of 66 days to install. These habits are gained by (1) installation of microhabits, and (2) getting help from a coach.
One of the foundations of this program is to spread one's meals throughout the day. The program requires spreading calories out in small meals throughout the day. Experiments show that by doing this, you can lose more weight, because blood sugar doesn't go on a roller coaster ride. Experiments also show that after a couple of weeks on this program, people who eat every few hours reduced their blood cholesterol by 15% and blood insuin by about 28%. This is important because insulin plays a key role in fat metabolism, inflammation, and progression to metabolic syndrome. Small amounts of food spread throughout the day is better than the same amount concentrated in three meals. Eating smaller, low-glycemic meals helps turn off insulin, and promotes weight loss.
The program emphasizes low-glycemic foods. Modern wheat contains a protein found in wheat gluten called gliaden. It binds into the brain's opiate receptors and increases the appetite. So, avoiding wheat is a key element of this program.
After losing weight, one progresses through a 4-week transition program, followed by a carefully-balanced maintenance. There is plenty of advice about sleep, exercise, nutrition supplements, stress, and life fulfillment. The last stage of the program deals with longevity, and how to live longer, healthier.
I personally have been following this program with great success. I have lost a lot of weight, and I don't get hungry. I have more energy, my snoring has subsided, and I am lighter on my feet. Best of all; I am no longer getting ravenously hungry between meals. I can feel that my blood sugar stays on a more even keel.
If you would like more information about getting onto this very special program, please contact me; I know a fantastic health coach!...more
This is a fascinating book about the science behind ageing. The book takes a comprehensive look at research into the reasons why we age. I was particuThis is a fascinating book about the science behind ageing. The book takes a comprehensive look at research into the reasons why we age. I was particularly struck by how optimistic the author is, that some day the secrets of anti-ageing will be understood and ageing will be a thing of the past. It won't happen overnight. Right now, science is finding certain approaches to extend life--and more importantly, to extend healthy life. As each year passes, perhaps a few hours or days can be added to the average extent of life. At some point, each year will be accompanied by enough scientific advances to advance the average extent of life by a year--and the people alive at that time will essentially become ageless.
But this won't happen anytime soon. The reason is that ageing is a complex process. If one cause of ageing is discovered and bypassed, then a new cause will crop up. For example, in prehistorical times, cancer was rare--people did not live long enough for cancer to develop. The DNA in every cell incurs hundreds or thousands of mutations. Most of these mutations are not problematic. But those mutations that are a problem accumulate over the years, and eventually can contribute to cancer.
One way to fight cancer is to shorten the affected telomeres in the cells' DNA. But this is exactly what would be detrimental to the extent of life. There seems to be a delicate balance between long telomeres contributing to old age, and short telomeres which help to combat cancer.
Only a single chapter at the end of the book describes concrete measures we can take to extend our lives. And--you can guess what those measures are. They are not secrets. And, from my other reading about the so-called "blue zones", I wonder why the social connections are not highlighted among those measures.
I did not read this book--I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author. This was a mistake. The author's voice is pleasant, with a British accent. But his diction is unclear, and the audio engineering is not up to par. I found it difficult to understand some sentences. I found myself rewinding a bit from time to time, to try to understand some of the words. (English is my native language.) So while I definitely recommend this book, I would not recommend the audiobook....more
As the Greek physician Hippocrates said, "Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food." Dr. William Li argues much the same, in a well-reseAs the Greek physician Hippocrates said, "Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food." Dr. William Li argues much the same, in a well-researched and well-written book about how foods can prevent and sometimes cure disease. All of Dr. Li's recommendations are backed by scientific studies. What is different about this book, than others, is how he introduces the body's five disease defense systems; then he goes through each system, and recounts the research that shows which foods are specifically helpful. Then he lists all of the foods that help each defense system.
The five disease defense systems are: 1) Angiogenesis; the process that forms blood vessels. It is a balancing act, as you need blood vessels to grow, especially in damaged areas. But too much blood vessel growth can contribute to cancer. 2) Regeneration; stem cells are needed to maintain, repair, and regenerate our bodies. 3) Microbiome; Bacteria in our bodies control the immune system, produce hormones, and influence angiogenesis. 4) DNA protection; defense against solar radiation, chemicals, stress, poor diet, and lack of sleep. 5) Immunity; Influenced by our guts, and helps to wipe out cancer.
Drugs can target specific diseases, but always come with potential side effects; drugs are never about balance. However, dietary factors lack destructive power. Foods can help keep the body's angiogenesis in balance. As an example, the book lists anti-angiogenic foods that help keep blood vessels from over-growing, thus helping to keep cancer in check: Broccoli, kale, fruits with pits, apples, berries, tea, red wine, tree nuts and beans, barley and seeds. Dr. Li writes that soy is also helpful. He writes that it is an urban legend that women should avoid soy. Studies show that soy helps protect against cancer, regardless of whether a woman's estrogen receptor is positive or negative. Tomatoes contain useful bioactives, and are better after cooking, which makes the lycopene easier to absorb.
Dr. Li also lists foods that can be harmful. Diets that impair the growth of stem cells include high-fat diets, high-salt diets, and high-sugar diets. On the other hand, cancer stem cells can be killed with green tea, purple potatoes, walnuts, and extra-virgin olive oil. Cancer stem cells can also be suppressed by bioactives found in celery, oregano, thyme, capers, apples, peppers, red wine, grapes, peanuts, pistachios, dark chocolate, and cranberries.
Dr. Li also describes how many fermented food help to increase the diversity of your gut microbiome. He argues that the guiding principles for keeping your gut microbiome healthy are: 1) dietary fiber from whole food, 2) less animal protein, 3) fresh whole foods, less processed foods. But I don't quite understand this; if less animal protein is good for you gut, then why eat any animal protein at all? In fact, he argues that seafood and Pacific oysters are helpful for triggering epigenetic changes that help repair damaged DNA.
The last portion of the book describes what Dr. Li calls a 5x5x5 framework for eating to beat disease. It is primarily a plant-based diet, but includes certain seafood, dark chicken meat, cheeses and yogurt. Hmmm... I am not quite in agreement here. I this this topic is better researched by Dr. Greger's How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease. I think that Dr. Greger's approach to interpreting scientific research is better, as he looks at the research more critically and carefully.
Nevertheless, this is a good book that describes in some detail, the research that describes the link between foods and the disease defense mechanisms. He summarizes the research for each food-defense mechanism. So, if you like reading about this research, then this is the book for you....more
This book emphasizes a few very important points, about the importance of our microbiome to our health. The book presents lots of evidence that our miThis book emphasizes a few very important points, about the importance of our microbiome to our health. The book presents lots of evidence that our microbiome--the microbes in our gut--serve important roles in our overall health and also to our brain health. Some brain dysfunctions may be due to problems with the microbes in our gut. So, the book has some good recommendations for improving our microbiome. Pre-biotics, probiotics, and fermented foods might all useful for this purpose. Even better, the book also has some good advice about avoiding sugars and bread, and the benefits from intermittent fasting.
It's the last part of the book that completely floored me. Dr. Perlmutter gives lots of ideas about healthy foods. These include steak, corned beef, eggs, butter, salmon, wine, "good fats", ... the list goes on. I am sickened that people believe that this is good nutritional advice. Dr. Perlmutter may be a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition, but this book shows how utterly useless that organization must be. Stay away from this book. There are much better sources of information out there....more
I love reading science books that are well-written by an author who is really an expert in the field. And, in this case, Dr. Satchin Panda definitely I love reading science books that are well-written by an author who is really an expert in the field. And, in this case, Dr. Satchin Panda definitely fits the bill. He is a professor at the Salk Institute of Biological Studies. His specialty is the molecular mechanism of the biological clock and the part it plays in overall health. On the other hand, I do not care for self-help books written by scientists, and while there is some excellent advice here, there is also some bad advice.
The basic idea here is TRE--Time Restricted Eating. Dr. Panda's excellent advice is to restrict your eating to a 12-hour window. In fact, 10 hours is better, and 8 or 9 hours is optimal. When you are eating, your body is in a fat-making mode. Your body cannot burn fat at the same time as it makes fat. So, in order to burn fat, you should open up your window of abstaining from eating to as long a period as possible. Even a tiny snack in the evening will cause a delay in the fat-burning process. And, if you eat at random times throughout the day and night, then the fat-making process stays on all the time.
So, this advice seems very worthwhile, and Dr. Panda relates research that helps to back up his claims. Where he diverges from common sense, is when he suggests that you can eat any type of food you want; the time windows when you eat and don't eat are most important to weight loss. Hmm ... seems like if your concern is to reduce the fat in your body, then restricting fat intake should also be a consideration. Or am I missing something here?
Nevertheless, the author has a lot of very good advice, especially for getting a good night's sleep. He suggests eating a last meal of the day at least two to four hours prior to going to bed. This allows your body temperature to go down about one degree Fahrenheit, which is necessary for sleeping. He also suggests reducing blue light from computers, tablets and smartphones as night approaches.
Dr. Panda also dispels a few myths about circadian rhythms. For example, the belief that people are inherently morning larks or night owls is a myth. There is no genetic connection; it is simply a matter of bad habits that are learned. He describes an anecdotal experiment about camping, when melatonin rose earlier in the evening, without bright lights, allowing a longer and more restful sleep. Another myth is the idea about sleep debt as the reason why we often sleep late on weekends, in order to make up for lack of sleep during weekdays.
Another interesting aspect of the book, is the description of circadian rhythms at the cellular level. You body's cells do not all operate on the same cycle. Cells in different organs of the body each have their own circadian rhythms. They are not equally active throughout the day. They become active sequentially, and it is here where the author's research is particularly insightful.
It was interesting for me to read this book at the same time I was listening to the audiobook, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink. These two books overlap a great deal. But while Pink's book is about more than circadian rhythms, I much prefer Dr. Panda's book; it is much better researched. Despite this book's shortcomings in the "what to eat" department, the advice about "when to eat" should be taken to heart....more
The new field of telomere research is fascinating. Telomeres obviously have a big effect on our lives and on our aging. Elizabeth Blackburn is a co-diThe new field of telomere research is fascinating. Telomeres obviously have a big effect on our lives and on our aging. Elizabeth Blackburn is a co-discoverer of telomerase, an enzyme that helps to replenish telomeres. For this discovery, she won the Nobel Prize in physiology. She well deserves that prize.
I generally enjoy reading science books when the author is a researcher in the field. And, since Elizabeth Blackburn is a leading scientist in the field of telomeres, I thought this would be a superb book. It is a very good book, but I did not care much for its self-help aspects. Some research has shown that chronic stress helps to decrease the length of telomeres, leading to more rapid aging. This book makes a big, big deal out of this finding. The book presents quizzes to the reader, to help determine the role of stress in one's life. There is lots of advice given, about how to cope and manage stress.
Nevertheless, this is a very controversial area. For example, the metastudy about perceived stress and telomere length found that the correlation, while statistically significant, is very small. So, one of the major themes in the book is very much a questionable hypothesis. The book comes off feeling more like a self-help book--recommending all the lifestyle changes that you can read about in many other places--instead of a comprehensive look at the scientific field of telomere and telomerase research. Frankly, much of the book bored me....more
This is such an excellent book, mainly because I had never thought very much about the need for a good night's rest. The first part of this book does This is such an excellent book, mainly because I had never thought very much about the need for a good night's rest. The first part of this book does not really address "why we sleep". Instead, the book describes "what happens if we do not get enough sleep." Not until about halfway through the book, does the question "why we sleep" really get answered.
The author, Matthew Walker, is a professor of neuroscience and psychology. I always prefer to read science-related books that are written by scientists who are actively doing research in the field. They are the most authoritative, and they best understand all of the nuances involved in the interpretation of experimental results. As long as the science book is well written--and this book is definitely written in an engaging style--I always prefer to read a book written by an active researcher.
The author divides a night's sleep into two primary portions; the early portion is characterized mostly by NREM (non-REM) sleep, while the later portion is mostly REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movements). Both portions are essential. NREM sleep helps one to cement memories into permanent storage, while REM sleep helps one to apply past experiences to solve problems. If you skimp on either portion, then your brain has a very difficult time recuperating. The book describes, in just the right amount of detail, a host of experiments that have shown the deleterious consequences of insufficient sleep. And, I was really surprised by the range of consequences, and their seriousness. This book has thoroughly convinced me to make every effort to get a full night's sleep; at least 7 hours, and preferably 8 hours.
I am not going to try to recap the myriad consequences of insufficient sleep. Suffice it to say, they are truly scary. This is a fascinating book, and I highly recommend it to everyone who sleeps.
I didn't read this book; I listened to the audiobook version, as narrated by Steve West. He does a very good job keeping my interest throughout his narration....more
Dean Burnett is a neuroscientist. He writes a regular blog for The Guardian, called Brain Flapping. And his writing style is not just entertaining, itDean Burnett is a neuroscientist. He writes a regular blog for The Guardian, called Brain Flapping. And his writing style is not just entertaining, it is spirited and humorous and faithful to the science as well. Oh, and did I mention that he is a stand-up comedian? He signs his name "Dean Burnett, Ph.D. (no, really)" [image] While most of this book is about psychology, he grounds quite a lot of his discussions in descriptions of the parts of the brain that are responsible for different actions. And, I learned a lot from this book, and actually, a lot of very useful things. Here I just scratch the surface of what I learned.
Short-term memory can hold only up to four items, and lasts less than a minute. Anything more than this is actually part of long-term memory. When trying to remember things, context is very helpful--both internal as well as external context. For example, if you are on a drug (even alcohol) when learning something, recalling it at a later time is easier if you on the same drug. The brain encodes memories slightly differently if you are slightly intoxicated.
Burnett does scatter sarcasm throughout the book, but it is in good fun. For example, at the end of the section about the ego bias of memory, he writes, "The upside of this is, even if you don't quite understand what's been written here, you'll probably remember that you did, so it all ends up the same regardless. Good work."
And here is one of my favorite quotes of all time: "I'm also part of the great conspiracy of global scientists to promote the myths of climate change, evolution, vaccination, and a spherical earth. After all, there's nobody on earth wealthier and more powerful than scientists, and they can't risk losing this exalted position by people finding out how the world really works."
It is so interesting how Burnett explains why know-nothings often win arguments and are believed. He writes that empty vessels make the most noise. People who are self-confident are most believed. Politicians are great at this. The smarter a person is, the less confident in their views, and the less they are trusted. Anti-intellectualism is due to the brain's egocentric bias or "self-serving" bias and the tendency to fear things. Someone who seems more intelligent is perceived as a threat. A physically fit person is easy to understand--they just go to the gym more. But someone who is more intelligent is an unknowable quantity, and the "better safe than sorry" instinct triggers suspicion and hostility. People with low intellectual abilities lack the ability to recognize that they are bad at something, so they are unjustifiably high in self-confidence. They have only their own experiences to go from, and cannot perceive what it is to be considerably more intelligent. It works the other way, too. Intelligent are more aware that they don't know everything, so that undercuts their self confident. The general consensus is that by the mid-20's, our brains are fully developed. Brain training games do not boost general intelligence. If you play them enough you can get better at them--but not better at anything else.
I was amazed by the description of patients with aphasia, who cannot understand language. Nevertheless, in an experiment they found humor in a president's speech. Robbed of the ability to understand language, they develop their ability to decipher nonverbal cues. They can recognize from numerous facial tics, body language, rhythm of speech, and elaborate gestures, exactly when the president is lying!
And here is another fascinating tidbit, having to do with the "Social Brain Hypothesis". We evolved big, complex brains as a result of human friendliness and complicated relationships. We want to believe that the world is fair. When we see a victim of something terrible, the brain doesn't like dissonance, so we have two options: conclude that the world is cruel and random, or that the victim did something to deserve it. While believing the victim is responsible is crueler, it allows us to keep our nice cozy assumptions about the world, and we blame victims for their misfortune. "Our brain is so concerned with preserving a sense of identity and peace of mind that it makes us willing to screw over anyone and anything that could endanger this. Charming."
Again, I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to read a serious book about psychology and the brain, but with more than just a dash of humor....more
This is a wonderful book about how to help your brain. These are the concrete steps that will help improve the health of your brain, and reduce the riThis is a wonderful book about how to help your brain. These are the concrete steps that will help improve the health of your brain, and reduce the risk of certain debilitating diseases. Most notably, Alzheimer's disease is the most dreadful. Dr. Neal Barnard goes through all of the ideas that people have advanced for avoiding Alzheimer's disease. He focuses on the lifestyle approaches that might really help. Some commonly held ideas have no scientific evidence, but do have some anecdotal support. Barnard clearly states which ideas are speculative, and which are backed by hard evidence.
For example, dairy products and meats can have deleterious effects on memory, and the effects of saturated fats on the risk of developing dementia. Omega-3 fat supplements have been shown to be no better than a placebo in forestalling memory loss. Fish oil also has no benefit. In the so-called blue zones, even in Okinawa and Sardinia where people commonly live to 100, fish is not a big part of the diet. The Mediterranean diet is better than the Standard American Diet (SAD), but its helpfulness in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's is not conclusive.
Some metals, when ingested in excess, can also lead to brain issues. Metals like copper, iron, and zinc are all needed in small quantities. They are absorbed from both plant food and animal food. But when absorbed from plants the absorption is self-regulating, unlike animal sources. Too much absorbed metals are harmful to the brain. People following plant-based diets keep their iron levels in a healthy range. They don't experience anemia, but unlike meat-eaters, they do not accumulate excess iron.
The role of aluminum in Alzheimer's is controversial. But, Dr. Barnard maintains that it is best to play it safe. He advances a number of recommendations on how to minimize aluminum intake. Interestingly, donating blood is the fastest way to remove excessive iron from one's body.
The book goes into some detail about how exercise can help your brain. Dr. Barnard not only recounts some of the research into the benefits of exercise, but also describes the mechanisms of how exercise works to improve brain function, from a chemical and genetic point of view.
I have personally attended many seminars given by Dr. Barnard. He is a true authority on these subjects. He has devoted his professional life to researching the effects of lifestyle changes on health. He never comes off as preachy. He states the facts, and allows people to make up their own minds. I recommend this book to anyone who has a brain, and wishes to protect it....more
This is a brilliant book about how many chronic diseases can be treated through food, rather than through medicine. Pamela Popper is a naturalist, an This is a brilliant book about how many chronic diseases can be treated through food, rather than through medicine. Pamela Popper is a naturalist, an expert on nutrition, and founder of Wellness Forum Health. She and her coauthor, Glen Merzer, wrote a book in a conversational style. It is written like a transcript of a formal interview. This conversational style helped to engage me; instead of feeling link merely a passive reader, I felt like I was there in the room with these two very thoughtful people.
Diseases like heart disease, dementia, diabetes, and obesity are usually treated in Western medicine using pills and often with invasive procedures and surgery. The authors claim that this is rarely necessary. A truly healthy diet may not be a 100% cure-all, but it can go very far in reducing these diseases.
Popper advocates a food pyramid consisting of beans, rice, corn, and potatoes at the bottom, steamed and raw vegetables and big salads next, and fruits at the top. While a diet strictly of fruits and vegetables works for a short while, but in the long run does not supply enough calories. Starch must be a staple of the diet. This is exactly the message of the book by Dr. John McDougall, The Starch Solution: Eat the Foods You Love, Regain Your Health, and Lose the Weight for Good!. I loved this quote from Popper,
When people tell me carbohydrates are fattening, I tell them 'You know, two billion Asians never got that memo.'
The medical establishment often downplays the role of diet in maintaining health, because they don't see results from the "minimal half-assed dietary changes" they usually recommend.
The most self-destructive nutritional habit of Americans is consuming milk products. Mil increases the production of IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor) which helps a calf to grow to several hundred pounds in a short period of time. IGF-1 is a powerful promoter of cancer in humans. The single best thing you can do for your health is to cut out dairy. There is no upside in dairy. While milk contains calcium, the net result of consuming milk is to deplete, not to add, calcium to your body. Dairy is linked to asthma, allergies, chronic constipation, ear infections, MS, autoimmune diseases, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and even to osteoporosis. A genetically susceptible child consuming dairy is more likely to develop juvenile diabetes than a smoker to develop lung cancer. Popper recommends that we stop subsidizing the meat and dairy industries, allow the price of cheeseburger to skyrocket; this will improve health more than Obamacare ever could. The government cannot end the public health crisis. People have to take their health into their own hands.
And the second worst habit is drinking calories. Sodas and even fruit juice contain a lot of sugar, but little in the way of nutritional value.
About 90% of Americans think they are eating a healthy diet. They are totally wrong about this. Popper recommends a diet consisting of up to 10% protein, less than 15% fat, and the remainder should be unprocessed carbohydrates.
There is a lot of discussion about how Western medicine is often misguided. Doctors treat biomarkers instead of health. It is possible to have great blood work and poor health. Popper mentions the emphasis on high HDL/LDL cholesterol ratio, which is entirely misplaced. If LDL is low, then HDL can also be low. If a doctor tells you that your cholesterol level is 220, he may recommend Lipitor, which will decrease your risk of dying of a heart attack by 1.8%, but with lots of side effects. Instead, you could change your diet, and that will work faster than a drug. Moreover, it will almost entirely reduce the risk of dying of a heart attack. And, without side effects, it will also reduce your risk of dying from diabetes, some forms of cancer, and other diseases.
Popper challenges Michael Moore, before he makes any more misguided documentaries about health. She charges him with getting thin and healthy. She recommends going outside the traditional medical channels, as did Bill Clinton with a whole-food plant-based diet. Then Moore will produce a different kind of documentary, one with credibility.
Popper is clearly a naturalist. She maintains that annual medical checkups are useless. Most types of scans are worse than useless. The only good use of some types of scans is to scare a patient into improving his diet.
The book includes an inset with a couple dozen recipes with delicious-looking color photos. I have never seen vegan recipes presented in such a mouth-watering setting!...more
This is an amazing book. I am completely blown over by it. Let me explain.
This book is divided into three main parts. In the first part, there are 15 This is an amazing book. I am completely blown over by it. Let me explain.
This book is divided into three main parts. In the first part, there are 15 chapters, one for each of the major afflictions that cause people to die. In each of the chapters, Dr. Greger explains the disease or affliction, and then describes the foods that have been found to reduce the risk, prevent, reverse, or cure the disease.
The second part of the book devotes chapters to a number of healthy food groups. Dr. Greger explains which chemicals, elements, enzymes, or anti-oxidants are particularly useful for preventing or curing a disease.
In each of the first two parts of the book, it seems like every other sentence has a reference to a scientific paper that describes the research and evidence for Dr. Greger's statements. The last third of the book is a listing of all of the references. You cannot fault Dr. Greger for his conclusions, since they are backed up by a tremendous amount of research.
Dr. Greger's nutrition recommendation is to eat only whole, plant-based foods. It reduces the risk of all of the top 15 causes of death in the U.S. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve his/her nutrition and health. This is the best book on nutrition that I have ever read (and I have read quite a few!).
If you want to stop reading my review here, I won't blame you. I took lots of notes. Here they are.
Doctors are not trained in nutrition, and they do not get paid for giving nutrition advice. The California Academy of Family Physicians opposed a California bill to mandate twelve hours of nutrition education for all doctors. In debate, it was whittled down to zero hours.
It is believed that the decrease in the length of telomeres in one's chromosomes causes aging. Dr. Greger presents evidence that a healthy lifestyle can increase telomerase activity, and actually grow telomeres in length. It is the quality of food that counts, not quantity. What is a healthy lifestyle? One that uses whole foods, not supplements or one that tries to emphasize a single chemical or nutrient. This book provides plenty of examples of individual nutrients that have proven health benefits--but only when eaten in a whole food, not when isolated in a pill. As an example, antioxidant supplements do not reduce the risk of cancer, but antioxidants found naturally in foods do reduce the risk.
Turmeric is an herb found in curry powder and in mustard. It may have remarkable anti-cancer properties. But double-blind studies have not been done; nobody wants to pay for something that cannot be patented. It is true, though, that India suffers much less colorectal cancer, kidney, lung, bladder, and prostate cancer, and melanoma. But the question is whether this is due to turmeric, or that only 7% of the population eats meat regularly?
I did not realize that in some respects, poultry is more unhealthy than meat. Eating poultry raises the risk of pancreatic cancer more than red meat!
Vegetarians get higher intakes of almost every nutrient calorie for calorie, than meat eaters. Also meat eaters gain more weight, even after adjusting for calories! All calories are not equal, perhaps because vegetarians have a higher resting metabolic rate.
Many diabetics can reverse their disease after eating a plant-based diet for sixteen days. They do not have to lose weight or reduce calorie consumption.
The difficile superbug infects 250,000 Americans yearly, killing thousands. It used to be thought that it was picked up in hospitals. However, only one third of cases are linked to infected patients. It might instead be due to infected meat. About 42% of meats sold in national chain grocery stores is infected. The U.S. has the highest levels in the world. It is also found in chicken, turkey, and beef, but the highest concentration is in pork. Usually, the difficile bug does not bother people; it lies in the gut without causing harm. But antibiotics can unleash it, and it is deadly. It can survive two hours of cooking at 71 degrees C (the recommended cooking temperature). Hand sanitizers do not help. Antibiotics are found in the urine of meat eaters, even when they have not been taking them. Agribusiness feeds enormous quantities of antibiotics to farm animals.
High blood pressure is one of the afflictions that Dr. Greger describes. The so-called DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) was designed specifically to lower blood pressure. It is mostly vegetarian, but allows some meat, in order to make the diet more palatable to non-vegetarians. Dr. Greger mentions that eating a few tablespoons per day of flax seeds induces a very potent blood pressure lowering effect.
While moderate drinking can reduce the risk of heart disease, it can also increase the risk of cancer!
Dr. Greger has some interesting views on reducing the risk of breast cancer. One could put curtains on your windows to sleep in a dark room. This increases the production of melatonin. Also, he recommends eating more vegetables, cutting out meat, and exercising enough to work up a sweat at least five times per week.
Depression is one of the afflictions that are discussed. Coffee reduces depression, but artificial sweeteners increase it! Exercise reduces depression about as well as Zoloft! Some anti-oxidants like lycopene (red pigment found in tomatoes) reduce depression. But they only have this effect when eaten in whole foods, not in supplements.
Anti-depressant medicines often work due to a placebo effect. Unpublished studies released by the FDA show that only half of the trials show a benefit to anti-depressants. When published and unpublished studies are combined, there was no clinically significant advantage over placebo sugar pills. The FDA knew this, but shielded the public and physicians from this information. This does not mean that medicines do not work at all. They actually do help the 10% most severely depressed patients. The problem is for the 90% of patients who take pills that don't work, but can have bad side-effects.
"Natural antioxidants in food work synergistically; it's the combination of many different compounds working together that tends to protect you, not high doses of single antioxidants found in supplements." For example, a study found that pilots taking more than 500 mg of vitamin C a day causes more oxidative DNA damage due to radiation. Pilots who consumed the most vitamin C through fruits and vegetables were protected from radiation-caused DNA damage. Supplement and drug companies fall into the same reductionist trap. They believe that you can isolate a single active ingredient to get the same effect as a whole food. But there may be multiple active ingredients.
For example, turmeric may work better than the "active ingredient" curcumin. Research suggests that turmeric works better against a number of cancers than curcumin. By the way, a little black pepper helps you to absorb turmeric tremendously. Cooked turmeric helps protect DNA, while raw turmeric may have better anti-inflammatory effects. Dr. Greger recommends 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric daily.
An over-confidence in pills and procedures for disease prevention could be the reason why doctors and patients under-value lifestyle interventions. People rely on drugs to save them. But, studies show that most people would not take these drugs if they understood how little benefit comes from them.
In transforming one's lifestyle to a whole, plant-based diet, Dr. Greger urges patients not to go cold turkey permanently. Dr. Greger suggests that patients think of a three-week lifestyle experiment. This is exactly the approach recommended by Dr. Neil Barnard, in his excellent book, 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart: Boost Metabolism, Lower Cholesterol, and Dramatically Improve Your Health. This is another book that I highly recommend.
The largest-ever analysis of death and disease was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Hundreds of scientists concluded in 2010 that the leading cause of death and disability was the American diet, followed by smoking. The worst aspect of our diet, the study found, is not enough fruit. While fruits decrease the risk of Type 2 diabetes, fruit juice increases the risk.
Sulfurophane, a compound found only in fresh cruciferous vegetables, has been found to help treat autism! An eighth of a teaspoon of powdered ginger mixed with water works as well as, and as fast as sumatripan (Imitrex) for relieving migraine headaches. Ginger also beats Dramamine for relieving nausea.
Smoked, fatty foods are carcinogeric (smoked ham, turkey, BBQ chicken, smoked fish).
The book has a very interesting discussion about gluten. Dr. Greger claims that non-celiac gluten sensitivity might actually be a wheat sensitivity for some people. Only 1% of the population has celiac disease, but another 1% has wheat sensitivity. The other 98% of the population are not affected by wheat. A gluten-free diet can actually worsen gut health for people without a sensitivity, due to the overgrowth of harmful bacteria in their intestines. Gluten contains prebiotics that feed "good" bacteria, and may boost immune function.
Blueberries and cherries can reduce exercise-induced inflammation which may transfer into faster recovery time. Strenuous exercise leads to free radicals that cause DNA damage. Plant foods reduce the free radicals and counter exercise-induced oxidative stress....more
I love these annual anthologies of essays on nature and science. They are superb. The essays cover a very wide range of subjects. For example, the illI love these annual anthologies of essays on nature and science. They are superb. The essays cover a very wide range of subjects. For example, the illicit trade in human organs, the clean-up of oil spills in the ocean, fermentation, the government's poisoning of alcohol during the Prohibition, songbird trapping in the Mediterranean area, the flying fish (silver carp) in the Illinois River, and the high rates of error in much of the published body of medical research. Oh--that's just the beginning--there is so much more.
Each essay is a gem. The great thing about this book is that you can read a chapter, put it down, and come back to it later without having to familiarize yourself again with earlier chapters. Each essay stands on its own. Some of the essays are fun, some are horrifying, but all of them are fascinating.
The most unusual essay is the one by Jill Sisson Quinn, titled, "Sign Here if You Exist". The essay swings back and forth between two subjects; wasp flies and belief in God. She wraps it up with this last sentence, "We've had it backward all along: the body is immortal--it is the soul that dies."
Another fascinating essay is by the well-known author Oliver Sacks. It is about people who have difficulty recognizing faces. Sacks himself suffered from this pathology. People with this condition can learn to compensate, by recognizing people by the sound of their voice or their clothes or smell or even by their gait. Then there are people with exactly the opposite condition; they recognize people with just a fleeting glance, even if they only saw them momentarily years before.
Mary Roach was the editor of this compilation, and she did a great job in choosing the essays. ...more
I have been a vegetarian for a number of years, and leaning toward being a vegan. That is to say, I try to avoid milk, cheese, and eggs. So, most of tI have been a vegetarian for a number of years, and leaning toward being a vegan. That is to say, I try to avoid milk, cheese, and eggs. So, most of the ideas in this book are not new to me. Most animals kept in captivity for the purpose of food really do suffer. Immensely. There are no two ways about it.
Jeffrey Masson rebuts all of the sayings that meat-eaters use to rationalize their addiction to meat, poultry, and fish. And he makes a every one of the rationalizations sound truly pathetic. There are no good reasons for eating meat; just denials. Masson goes into some depth, about why meat-eaters are in denial. Basically, people just don't want to think about it; the horrendous suffering that animals undergo--all animals that are used for food--is overwhelming.
The one surprising thing that Masson writes is that if you want to do the simplest thing that will reduce animal suffering the most, it would be to avoid milk, cheese, and eggs. Masson maintains that the harvesting of dairy products actually causes more suffering than the harvesting of meat! He goes into some detail as to why this is; and after understanding the reasoning behind this claim, I would have to agree.
Of course, the reasons for being a vegan can go beyond simply the moralistic ideas of preventing suffering. The health advantages are enormous. The reduction of environmental harm is huge, too.
I strongly recommend this excellent book to all who really care about the world, about animals, and their own health. ...more
The blue zones are regions in the world where an inordinate number of people live healthy lives to very old age, often beyond 100. In this book, Dan BThe blue zones are regions in the world where an inordinate number of people live healthy lives to very old age, often beyond 100. In this book, Dan Buettner personally goes on research expeditions to various locations around the world. He sometimes goes alone, while at other times he brings along with him a team of researchers. Their goal is to determine first whether the people claiming to be very old are, in fact, as old as they claim, and second, to interview the super-seniors to determine the common factors that have contributed to their long, healthy lives.
This fascinating book is an in-depth study of the super-seniors in four locations; Sardinia, Loma Linda in southern California, Nicoya in Costa Rica, and Okinawa. Buettner uncovers a variety of factors that have contributed to their long lives. The lifestyles of the super-seniors include; near-vegetarian diets, daily exercise, social connections through extended families and neighbors, laughter and a sense of humor, and a sense of purpose in living. Reading between the lines, one of the researchers in Nicoya speculates that "sleeping around" might also be a contributing factor!
One of the most striking stories is about a 93-year old man in Loma Linda. In order to save money to construct a fence, he purchased the materials and started building it himself. It involved heavy labor, as the area was on a steep hill. The next week found him in the operating room in open-heart surgery. But he was not on the operating table; he was one of the surgeons!
This is not exactly a self-help book, but the last chapter does review the lessons learned in the blue zones. The lessons show how all of the lifestyle factors help to contribute to a long, healthy life. There are no guarantees of course--they are simply probabilistic factors that have a tendency to help longevity.
I didn't read this book; I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Michael McConnohie. The narration is very good, and the various accents are done quite well.
I definitely recommend this book to all people who would like to increase their chances of living a long, healthy life. ...more
