Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar--Your Brain's Silent Killers

I highly recommend this book not only to people who are at the risk of getting brain disorders but also to the young generations. This book contains all the information that we have to know whenever we eat something. Readers can get advices on diet/food intake from this book without going to doctors. And those advices are not only linked to getting healthy but also to preventing the dementia or any other brain disorders. Dr. David Perlmutter does not just throw some ideas to the readers; rather he explains why it happens or how to stop it. He also explains the relation between the nutrient and brain disorder that what chemical and biological factors of nutrient are actually causing the illness. I think everyone should read this book at least once because we all depend on the food intake. The earlier you know, the more you can prevent the brain diseases. In the introduction of this book, Dr. Perlmutter includes self-assessment page where the readers can define what are their risk factors for getting brain disorders. He also explains that he would provide information useful for the following brain illness: ADHD, anxiety, depression, diabetes, epilepsy, dementia, etc. He states that he would prove to the readers about how daily habit affects the function and long-term health of brain. Part 1, "The Whole Grain Truth", discusses about the common ingredients such as wheat and fats that are both friends and enemies of the brain. It is divided into six chapters, the first three chapters discusses about the inflammation process, the role of gluten, carbohydrates and fats in inflammation, and the inflammation as the heart of brain disease. He also covers psychological and behavioral disorders that food choices can change an individual genetic characteristic and eventually leads to the brain illness. In the last chapter of part 1, the author focuses on how the gluten can impinge the long-term health and functions of the brain; people should keep breads away from them. Part 2, "The Grain Brain Rehab", mainly discusses about the science beyond the habits that support a healthy brain. Divided into three chapters, he explores the relationship of nutrition and supplements, exercise, and sleep to brain disorders individually. He recommends the dietary habits that people should follow for healthy brain: the daily exercise routine to have better genes in the brain: the sleep routine to maintain stable hormone levels. In the part 3, "Say Good-Bye to Grain Brain", the author actually recommends a month-long program with the meal plan, recipes, and weekly goal. He, in details, provides what should be taken everyday, and what must be forbidden for intake during lifetime. This recipe and diet plan would lead people to change their diet habits and help keep healthy brain consistently. In this book, the style and structure is simple and easy to follow. First, Dr. Perlmutter follows the structure of having a proposal, evidences and recommendations. He first proposes how each nutrient and daily habits can affect the health of brain. Then, he provides evidence to support his thesis by explaining the chemical and biological mechanism of each food intake and the effect of sleep and exercise. Finally, he gives a recommendation on how to avoid brain illness in the future with his own version of meal plan, recipe, and weekly goals. Therefore, people with no scientific background can all understand what the author is trying to explain. Also, whenever he introduces new biochemical concepts, he explains in-depth so that readers will not get lost. In the beginning of each chapter, he gives an overview of what will be in there. For example, in chapter 6, he gives all the list of changes that sugars can trigger in the short-term basis: behavior, seize control of focus and concentration, tic disorders and mood conditions such as depression. In terms of the style, I was able to observe the author's effort of trying to make a connection with the readers by questioning and stating his past daily habits. The readers would fully respond only if they have the same experience as the discussion topic of the author. However, there were not enough pictures or graphs that could assist the readers to understand the context. The font size and spacing was viewable. The headings were appropriately positioned and fully caught the attention of readers. I read this book to find out the relationship between diet and Alzheimer's disease. The book covered this topic with appropriate volume but the book itself actually gave full information about the effect of each nutrient and supplements on the health of brain. First, he proved that the inflammation would lead to the cause of Alzheimer's disease because of "toxic sugar inflicts"(pg. 29). The insulin resistance from sugar, "sparks the formation of those infamous plaques that are present in diseased brains", especially in Alzheimer's disease (pg. 30). Because these plaques would buildup and take place of normal brain cells, the diabetes patient will have higher chance of getting Alzheimer's disease. It was interesting to see how diabetes and Alzheimer's disease was related together. I have read several research articles about their relationship but it was interesting to find out how food intake can be a key connector between these two diseases. In the later chapter, he also discusses about the increased risk of Alzheimer's disease due to diabetes. Since diabetes are also caused by high intake of carbs and sugars, it will definitely increase the risk of Alzheimer by increasing the inflammation and triggering the formation of insoluble protein plaques. He also included a report, published in 2005, to indicate the relationship between the cholesterol level and cognitive ability. As Alzheimer's diseased patients have very low cognitive ability, I believed that high cholesterol level would actually decrease the cognition. However, he stated "people who had the highest cholesterol levels scored higher on cognitive tests than those with lower levels"(pg. 34). It was interesting to find out that there has to be a "protective factor" from cholesterol that can maintain the cognitive skills. He then defines the elevations of cytokine as the hallmarks of the Alzheimer's disease. Gluten "increases the production of inflammatory cytokines" and such inflammation can actually prevent the production of soluble proteins and deposition of unnecessary cells in the brain, increasing the formation of insoluble plaques. This book is definitely giving an advice to lose wheat and maintain low sugar level in our body. The intake of grain is actually increasing the risk of many brain disorders including ADHD, severe depression, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, etc. I would recommend this book even to the patient so that they do not have to solely depend on the medication, rather they should try a new lifestyle as Dr. Perlmutter recommends in the last chapter. This book is also recommended for young generation who has enough time to prevent the brain illness by reading this book and altering their diet plan. For potential readers, I would recommend to write current daily food intake before reading this book. By analyzing what you have eaten everyday based on this book, you would be able to find out your own risk factors to brain disorders. Also, try to read this book with whole family. Your daily food intake highly depends on family members, thus to get altered in a short term you must change your family's lifestyle.

This is one of the most important book I have ever read on nutrition. You've known me over the years talk about nutrition and how important it is to our health but it seems that in all of my reading over the years I've only gotten a portion of the story. This book is very important because it points up the latest research connected with empirical evidence that our dependence on carbohyrates for fuel is very misguided, dangerouosly so. If you think that just by laying off the fat and sugar will do it for you, this will completely turn all of that on its head. The two main culprits to why people are so sick, overweight and full of chronic problems and diseases can be traced to our eating of gluten which all wheat products contain as do many of the other products that we eat that are processed by the food industry. The pharmaceutical and food industry does not want you to know this information because it would drastically cut into their profits. When we talk about diseases we also must talk about Alzheimer's and heart disease and cancer, migraines, digestive problems and diabetes. All of these are preventable diseases and this doctor, and MD who has been in the forefront of research, spells out and explains in detail why if you don't know this information and change your diet you are not only susceptible to heart disease cancer and a host of other problems including ALS and parkinson's, but dementia. The standard American diet (SAD) of low fat and high carbs is causing not only the obesity epidemic, but our skyrocketing rates of cancer and heart disease. He goes into statin drugs and what you need to know if you are taking them and how you are at an increased risk of dying of a heart attack and also a host of other problems. You need to read this and know this information so you can make educated decisions about your health. The majority of doctors do not know this information which has been highly researched and reported not only by the NIH but slews of medical journals. By making adjustments in your diet you can get yourself off of statins and other heart medications as well as tons of other drugs that people take to mask symptoms and not get at the root cause of the problems, many mainly of which are dietary. You need to know how gluten affects you, and you need to know how sugar and carbohydrates that turn into sugar your body affects you. Yes even too much fruit, let alone sugary soft drinks, ice cream and the like, can have deleterious effects on your entire system which can contribute to poor brain performance and even dementia. This is really a book about your brain because all of these processes and problems attributed to improper nutrition which affect your heart and other body processes ultimately affect how you think, your personality and who you are in the world. For instance, and I've never read this anywhere before if you are overweight you have a smaller brain size and each additional pound contributes to your brain shrinking. He goes into detail about why this happens and the research that proves it. The good news is that this can be reversed. The thing about this book is that it is not based on opinion but on solid scientific investigation back by years of dealing with patients who come to his office with all kinds of maladies and he is able to turn these people's lives around simply by educating them and changing their diet. So as I said I highly recommend getting this book, sitting down and reading this is quickly as you can with a highliter. You will want to know this information so you can help yourself, your family and friends for if anyone is eating the SAD which is full of wheat, high carbs and low fat if they are not suffering now then they will be. Inflammation happens in the brain anyway, and the thing is we can't feel it so we are now aware of it. But almost everyone deals in some degree with headaches, depression, sleep problems, weight problems, circulatory problems. Do yourself and favor and get this book now. It will be the best 10 bucks you spend all year. This is a game changer and should be read by everyone. It is that important. Having this knowledge and adjusting the diet accordingly will assure that you will continue in your life to be in optimal without fear of heart disease, cancer or dementia. You will have it figured out. No more secrets and you will see how the pharmaceutical industry and the food industry will lose vast amounts of money if the general population knew this information and started living accordingly. You will no longer be living in the dark. You will know that if you choose to continue to eat in a manner that does not support your overall health you have no one to blame but yourself.

I first heard of Dr. Perlmutter when he was interviewed on the podcast of Paleo diet exponent Robb Wolf. Intrigued, I wanted to know more about Dr. P's experiences in working with neurologically-challenged individuals. What impressed me first off was the fact that he is credentialed in two distinct medical specialties, neurology and nutrition. This lends great weight to his ideas, although his three decades of clinical and research-based experience lend even more. Grain Brain is written in a popular science style that is somewhat repetitive and simplistic. However, given that Dr. P's aim is to reach the widest possible audience, this shortcoming can be forgiven. On the plus side, the writing style makes his message and purpose very accessible. (It is because of the writing style that I've given the book 4 stars instead of 5.) A couple of important points stand out. First, some form of gluten intolerance, sensitivity or allergy, either celiac or otherwise, exists in a huge number of people who are currently undiagnosed and who may not be experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms. Instead, their symptoms may be neurological, including everything from ADHD to Alzheimer's and Tourette's. So, the first thing Dr. P. does for a new patient is look for gluten intolerance, using bloodwork that tests for many biochemical markers in addition to the one we all know about, celiac disease. So here's the first useful takeaway: one can be sensitive to wheat without having celiac disease, and this sensitivity will reveal itself in a blood test. Once the sensitivity is confirmed, eliminating gluten from the diet is often the only treatment required to resolve formerly intractable problems like chronic migraine. Second, Dr. P. tackles the issues of cholesterol and carbohydrates and their relationship to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity as well as rising rates of dementia in the elderly. Here he wades into the major bugaboo of current nutritional debate, the role of fats in the diet. He provides a fairly good scientific analysis of the issue with some clinical and research references, although I wish he had been more thorough in this aspect of his work, because it is so important. (See my comment above about the "popular science" tone of the book.) Nevertheless, he makes a very strong case for why we've had it all wrong with respect to fats and cholesterol for a good half-century. As a neurologist, the brain is his domain, and as an expert in nutrition as well, he's in an excellent position to explain what the brain is made of (fat and cholesterol) and what the brain needs to function properly (more of same). When we deprive our bodies of good fats, such as those found in coconut, avocado, walnuts, fish and grass-fed beef, we deprive ourselves of the fuel we need to think, and literally, live. Conversely, Dr. P. demonstrates the problem with a high-carbohydrate diet and its pernicious effect on the brain, endocrine system and cell structure. Want to lose weight or heal type 2 diabetes? Look at your carbohydrate intake. Generally speaking, Dr. P.'s aim is to educate us regarding the correlation between diet and such conditions as Alzheimer's disease, senile dementia, type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease. He has a lot to say about physiology and nutrition, about the way our bodies process fats, carbs and protein. You will be a much better informed consumer for reading Grain Brain. Dr. P. is not an absolutist. He explains that it is still possible to be vegetarian or vegan and eat in a way that supplies the brain and body with all the nutrition it needs. Given his fairly broad condemnation of carbohydrates, I don't totally understand this equivocation. But I believe that Dr. P. is trying to reach the widest possible audience, and he's a realist. Not everybody wants to eat meat, and this fact cannot and should not exclude them from this discussion. (Vegetarians and vegans suffer from obesity and have heart attacks too.) There has to be wiggle-room in a dietary protocol, because in truth, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to diet. In this regard, Dr. P. is not rigid or dogmatic, and this speaks favorably of him. As part of his holistic approach, Dr. P. devotes considerable space to the importance of sleep, exercise and occasional, controlled fasting, backed up by statistics and research. Finally, Dr. P. provides a concrete program on how to transform your diet. Although he is not a huge fan of supplementation, he provides a short list of supplements that he feels are essential to brain health. His advice is specific enough that you can start tomorrow, follow his guidelines, and experiment with his suggestions on your own. Unlike many so-called nutrition experts, Dr. Perlmutter is a Board-certified Neurologist and a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition who has utilized his protocol to heal very sick people for decades. His viewpoint is science-based and backed up by experience. There is a lot of terrific information in this book. It's a great place to start if you're suffering from chronic conditions, want to lose weight, are concerned about your mental status, or simply want to set yourself up for a lifetime of good health.

This review it about how the application of Grain Brain is affecting my health. I began the Grain Brain program 2 weeks ago, eliminating gluten. Old habits die hard and I did not immediately eliminate carbs. We found a really tasty gluten-free bread on Amazon called Pamela's. (A sweet bread mix that tastes fantastic.) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001L4JH5I/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 However, true to all breads, it has carbs. Also, I was still eating rice or half a potato in my lunch meal. A week ago I removed the potatoes, rice and all breads from of my diet to test empirically what it would do to my weight. Wow! I have been dropping 1 pound a day, just eating meat, eggs and veggies. (My wife is an incredible cook who, among many other things, makes stir-fried veggies that are delicious.) After each meal I am completely full and satisfied. In applying Grain Brain program to my daily life, the most difficult meal for me to change was breakfast. Previously I would have a mix of Vanilla flavored Gluten-Free Rice Chex, Cafe Gluten-Free Maple Buckwheat flakes, a tablespoon of flax seed meal and frozen blueberries. I topped this off with one slice of Pamela's Gluten-free bread (toasted), covered with a tad of healthy peanut butter and sprinkled with various nuts. Although this is (on the surface) a very healthy breakfast) it has a whopping 50 grams of carbs! Applying Grain Brain, this is an example of what I have for breakfast now: 1-scrambled egg (cooked with coconut oil and sprinkled with 1 tablespoon of Bob's Red Mill ground flaxseed meal), several slices of bacon, a fresh avocado half and stir-fried broccoli (also with coconut oil and butter). The meal is delicious, healthy and filling. A secondary benefit of Grain Brain is losing weight. What is surprising to me is usually those who drop weight fast are those who are 30 pounds (or more) over-weight. In my case, at age 67, a height of 5' 10", weight of 168-pounds and a BMI of 23.0, I am not very much overweight - just 13 pounds over my weight at age 45 when jogging 3-miles a day. As has been my custom, each night and each morning, I weigh, and write it in a log. (I have found that this keeps me informed, rather than realizing one day I am 10-pounds over.) Until recently the weight difference between night and morning has been to drop 1.2 pounds while sleeping. Since moving off gluten and carbs my weight has been dropping over 2 pounds overnight, as my body burns my excess body fat instead of the carbs I was eating before. My net weight is dropping! For one month I am trying to keep total carbs from all sources below 40 a day, as per Dr. Perlmutter's recommendations. Once at my ideal weight I will remain gluten-free and add occasional rice, potato and Pamela's gluten-free bread back into my diet to the extent I can maintain my ideal weight. Empirically, this is an efficacious program. Dr Perlmutter, (Dr. Oz and others) are correct when they say our bodies consume calories from the carbs first, and afterward from fat . If we proactively remove the carbs from our intake, our bodies naturally begin consuming the fat - first the fat from our diet and then from body storage. Clayton Morris on Fox & Friends recently said the book Grain Brain will change your life. That is certainly true in our case. Also (more importantly, and the main reason I read the book) my wife and I expect to maintain our brain health as we move into our 70's and onward, as we apply Grain Brain to our lives by removing gluten and reducing sugar in our daily intakes.

I bought this book about Grain after during more than one year at different places having read small writings telling that the Grain should be bad. I come from Denmark and thereby each day have been used in eating corn bread, so it was hard for me to believe that there should be anything is so doing, but finally I had to buy a book which in details would explain me why. And I must admit that I found a good book, but still it’s hard to totally change my life. But first of all, for me the book highly is missing a drawing showing the actual Food Pyramid which is connected to what we learn in the book. In the book David one time writes that the standard Food Pyramid now is turned upside down, which is correct, as among other the corn bread are moved from the bottom to the top. But for example I in vain, in Amazon have been searching after big papers showing such a Food Pyramid, but have found none, only with the previous Food Pyramid, they there are sold. I would like to get a couple of these with the new Food Pyramid for giving away to different persons and places here in Chiang Mai, as persons there, by my talking, don’t understand what is good and what bad to eat. And drawings are the fastest way in understanding. And actual, after an accident 6 years ago I can’t use my right hand and thereby no longer by myself make a good drawing of such a Food Pyramid. When ordering the book and especially reading its title I hadn’t the slightest idea that there in the book would be writings about the Cholesterol, but delightful to me, I in the book found many new results concerning this. Results which I will connect to my precious evidences, which I uses against the doctors, in my continuing fighting against them concerning the Cholesterols, a fighting which now has lasted 6 years. Besides my previous readings, after reading hundreds of books, I knew that neither a low or a high Cholesterols number tells anything about our chance in being hit by a hearth attach, but in this but I then learn that the higher the total Cholesterol the bigger the change of having a higher IQ, and also the change of a longer living. And concerning the Brain, we also read some rather strange results, as the more overweight persons are statistically the less Brain weight is contained. But for me the Cholesterol problem, resulting in much reading about this, the fighting against the doctors, and also most of the persons whom I know, as they blindly trusting their doctors, actually started 6 years ago. Because then I together with my wife had been in a hospital for having taking the blood for the blood measures. This was for the first time in Thailand, where we then had been staying for 6 years, after previously living in Denmark, were I, 2 years before, met my Thai wife. We went to the RAM hospital, the hospital which is the one preferred by foreigners being Chiang Mai. Our measuring results showed that my total Cholesterol was 196, while my wife had 267, and with her HDL on 114. So according to the 2 doctors, my health was perfect but very bad for my wife, as the Cholesterol not was allowed being higher than 200, and neither the HDL being higher than 60. So she had to take a drug like the Zocor, or ells she soon would die as the result of hearth attach. I then showed them that by using the calculating, in a book from Harvard Medical School, for finding the chance in getting a hearth attach during the following 10 years, my change showed up to be 8 %, and for my wife only 2 %, and furthermore the higher the HDL the better. But the doctors said that as the RAM hospital is an International hospital then their data are correct, while the data from the Harvard Medical School had to be wrong! My wife of course trusted the doctors, and not me, but fortunately in less than a week she got so sick by the drug that she stopped taking it; else she would have continued year after year. But this year, only few weeks ago, I was in another hospital, the Lanna hospital, only for the measure of part of the contents in my blood, nearly only Homocysteine, Ion, D, and the Cholesterol, as it showed up that they did not have a program for just a simple standard blood measure! And I then only ordered the Cholesterol numbers to find out if the Lanna hospital was better, more correct, than the RAM hospital, that is if they allowed the total Cholesterol being higher than 200. But it showed up, when I got the results, that the Cholesterol, again, only was allowed in being 0.000 – 199.000, to which I said “This is wrong. Go to Dr. Mercola on the Internet, and you will see that 333 are fine”. Whereby the doctor answered that the Lanna hospital is an International hospital so that their statements are the correct one. Besides I didn’t get a reason for how the Cholesterol number could be allowed going all the way down to 0.000? I would like to meet a person only having 0.000 in Cholesterol. My Homocysteine showed up to be 11.98, which I told her was too high according to McCully, and showed the book. She denied to see the book and told that the number was fine as according to the hospital paper it was allowed to be up to 16.2, and again she told me that the Lanna hospital is an International hospital and thereby correct. There was no measure of my sun vitamin/hormone, the D, for which I also had paid, and it showed up that the doctor did not understand what I had written on my paper concerning what I wanted to have measured in my blood. On one line I had written: D, D3 37 – 65 ng/ml. And the doctor asked what was meant by the D3; the D hormone consists of the D2, D3 and Calcitriol, and doctor that works in a department concerning blood test ought to know this. Concerning my interest in measuring of the K2, of which the nurse didn’t know anything, and neither did the doctor. She just wanted me to leave, as I then did, and then trying in the hospital to meet a doctor whit whom I could have a talk with concerning vitamins blood and so on, but in vain. I left the hospital highly chocked about the doctors missing knowledge concerning what they are working with. According to our health which we in the book are reading about, we actual here in Thailand are have other problems beside the doctors who only are doing what the drug producers are wanting then to do, because the laws don’t allow private persons from other countries, in connection to their health, just to buy even vitamin pills. And for example when the Homocysteine is higher than 10 we are told to start taking the vitamins Folic acid (B9), B6 and B12, but in Thailand the B9 doesn’t exist, except as a small part in a strange pill which I don’t buy. And as my Homocysteine showed up to be 11.98 is and probably would be perfect if I got the missing B9, besides the B6 and the B12 which I daily is taking. And as a remark, besides we among other also are missing the B3 as Niacin, as we only can get it as Niacinamid, and the K only exist for pregnant woman in some hospitals, and the important K2 (and K3) don’t exist in Thailand, and also missing is Progesterone, and much more. I during years have explained the problem to doctors and pharmacies, but in vain. They don’t know about the importance concerning our food and the vitamins, so instead we are put on for surgeries and drugs. A god book, but again it’s missing the Food Pyramid, by which I especially would could be using it in the trying in getting my friends around here, and the doctors, easier to start speculating about that the corn bread not is the best thing to eat. The book helps in cutting more away of the pillar on which most of the doctors still are resting and blindly telling how bad the Cholesterol is, and then are turning their patients into sicknesses by the bad drugs.

The truth about carbohydrates is finally starting to get some traction, and I cannot imagine anyone more uniquely qualified to explain it to the masses than Dr. Perlmutter. He does a brilliant job of detailing how our bodies process the foods we eat and how our diet contributes to a variety of neurological conditions and our overall health- and he backs up his conclusions with more than 250 references to respected scientific publications and peer-reviewed research. I get the sense from his writing that Dr. Perlmutter is genuinely passionate about our health and really wants to turn around the disturbing rise in obesity, diabetes, and dementia in this country. He provides some practical steps we can all take to improve our health and reduce our chances for a variety of conditions. He and his wife even assembled a variety of easy and delicious recipes to help with the transition. There are a lot of supplements to take, however, which can get expensive. The way I see it, it's got to be cheaper than treating diabetes. So my wife and I immediately started incorporating many of the changes to our lifestyle that he recommends, and we have never felt better. I have already lost 5 pounds in the three weeks since we started. I am sleeping better. I no longer feel bloated. My energy level is consistent all day. My hunger level has dramatically reduced and productivity has increased because I'm not getting up for snacks all the time. I no longer feel the need to nap during the afternoon. I have also noticed my focus has improved somewhat, I am definitely getting more done. The occasional numbness and tingling in my hands and feet is gone, along with the inflammation that was causing it. We did not go cold turkey on the gluten free right away, it has been a gradual process and we keep finding foods in our pantry that we overlooked. So far the gluten free substitutes we have found for our favorite products have been pretty good. The transition to gluten free / low carb is definitely a huge shift in our lifestyle and more challenging than I expected. But the potential payoff is huge, and we can already feel the benefits starting to kick in. I have to thank Dr. Perlmutter and his team for putting this out there. It is a bold move with so much of our economy dependent upon cheap processed grain products and sugary snacks/drinks. Critics, powerful agencies/organizations, and "flat-earther nutritionists" whose livelihoods depend on the products and old long-held beliefs will no doubt try to discredit the science behind this book and attack Dr. Perlmutter himself. It will be fascinating to see how this plays out. -- Update 3/6/14 -- It has been about five months now since I started this, and so I thought I would post a quick update. My wife and I have stayed on the program pretty consistently but we do indulge in carbs and wheat products every couple of weeks or so for birthdays and other special occasions. We both feel great and I have lost 33 pounds so far. I am now able to work out 6 days a week for 30-45 minutes at a time and I have plenty of energy throughout the day. I have added weight training to my routine and I am now lifting more than when I was in my twenties. In fact, I had to upgrade my Bowflex with an additional 100lbs because I have outgrown the factory set of resistance rods. We continue to enjoy the benefits I outlined in my original review, but there are a few new and unexpected effects that I have observed. First, my sleep feels very deep and when I wake up I feel much more rested and refreshed that before. Another surprise for me was a tingly toe that I've had for years now feels normal again. I think it may have been a pinched nerve somewhere caused by my excess weight or perhaps inflammation. I was convinced that was going to be with me for life, but it's completely gone now. Perhaps the most surprising thing is, at least for me, is that people are telling me how awesome my skin looks. I've noticed it too, my skin actually looks and feels younger and healthier. My wife too, she's absolutely thrilled about this unexpected benefit. I'm not sure if it's the supplements, the diet, or the exercise, but wow what a difference this had made in our overall quality of life. I highly recommend this book, it's truly a game-changer.

I'm 68 years old and spent most of the past 10 years (with the help of my brother) caring for our father who had Alzheimers. I don't want to end my life with that affliction if there is any way to avoid it. Dementia to any degree terrifies me and up until now I've taken steps to keep my brain active and busy hoping that would help. I've also had type II diabetes. Since diagnosed 8 yrs. ago I've kept my A1c in the 5% club all but the year dad died. Knowing I needed to get control again I read Mark Hyman's "Blood Sugar Solution" and I gave up wheat, dairy and sugar totally for 12 weeks and lost 30 lbs. and had normal blood sugars once again. I slipped back into my old habits. So my A1c climbed back up to a low 6% level. Then I read "Wheat Belly" 8 months ago. Again I followed that program. I'm still wheat free after 8 months and have felt great. Less knee pain, my arthritic hands are so much better and best of all my gut has stopped terrorizing my body. I truly believe I can live with this lifestyle change for the rest of my life. My A1c is back at 5.7% and while there's room to improve I'm so happy. When I heard about Dr. Perlmutter's "Grain Brain" I wasn't sure I needed another approach to this particular way of eating. But, I bought the book and from the first page I was thrilled to learn more about how to protect my brain. The science is easy to understand and the process to achieve good brain health is so clearly presented and so easy. I found that 5 of the 7 supplements he recommends were already in my line-up although I had to tweak the dosages. I have been so encouraged by this book I have repeatedly recommended it to friends and family. It's not an easy thing to imagine for those who are still trapped in the world of wheat and sugar. I can truly say though, that if you will simply take a blind leap of faith into this lifestyle you will be so surprised at how quickly your cravings disappear completely. If anyone had told me two years ago that I could live without bread I would have thought they were nuts! Which, by the way, is now one of my favorite snacks. :) "Grain Brain" brings peace of mind. "Grain Brain" has cheered me up. "Grain Brain" is an easy to follow program. This is my 2nd week on the initial 4 week program and I've kick started my weight loss again. I want to lose 50 lbs. and in the past 8 mos. I had lost 8 lbs. This past week I've lost 8 lbs. I go in for blood work in two weeks so I'm anxious to compare my A1c and plan to discuss the recommended tests with my doctor. I did get approval to eat this way from my Doctor. I've had good guidance and although my doc tells me of her 400+ patients who have diabetes I tend to have some of the most unorthodox ways of controlling it. Well, duh! Maybe the orthodox should consider not recommending 45 carbs per meal ..... don't get me started on that! Read the book ... avoid diabetes and Alzheimers .... It's a twofer

I had originally rated my review with a 2-star rating. I'm changing this to 3 stars. I am leaving all of my original lengthy posting as-is, which you can read below, if you choose. I am also leaving all of the extensive comment section as-is. The reason I'm changing my rating to 3 stars is this: I recently noticed a blog at Dr. Perlmutter's website where he explains that eating a vegetarian or vegan diet is not inconsistent with the diet that he recommends. I was surprised at this, since the recommendations in his book lean toward the consumption of plenty of animal products -- beef, chicken, cheese and butter. (I am not vegetarian or vegan myself, but I am close to vegan as I eat only limited amounts of fish and eggs.) I opened the blog and read it, and it still was hard for me to understand because the way I had interpreted Dr. P's book, I thought it would be nearly impossible for a vegan to adopt his recommendations regarding foods to avoid -- and still have enough to eat at all! And so I posted a question to the blog, and in response, Dr. Perlmutter agreed that eating lentils and beans in moderation (in addition to garbanzo beans, specifically, in any amount) would be healthful. Vegans could also eat, of course, vegetables, nuts and nut butters, limited amounts of fruits and whatever very small amounts of whole grains are permitted, as reflected in the book. (However, a video at Dr. Perlmutter's blog says to not eat grains ever; there is quite a bit of inconsistency in his advice, and he doesn't seem quite able to make up his mind.) Regardless of whether this new advice from Dr. P is somewhat modified from that expressed in the book or whether I had misinterpreted the book, this advice convinced me that Dr. P's "program" can be followed even by those who, for the reasons I discuss below and throughout the comment section, do not believe animal products are healthful, sustainable for the planet, and/or consistent with their feelings regarding animal rights. I still cannot give the book a 4 or 5 rating because I believe it is important for readers and potential readers of Dr. P's book to know that his advice to severely curtail carbs and eat lots of fats continues to be disputed by much of the mainstream medical community (especially by cardiologists and oncologists), including other well known doctor-authors in our popular culture. There also continues to be considerable disagreement whether animal products (even if from grass-grazed animals)are ever healthful. But I do believe that acknowledging that a vegan diet can be healthful alleviates any concern that Dr. P. may be "in bed" with the beef industry and thus lends to his credibility. I very much appreciate that. I do recommend Dr. P's book, believe it includes important information not widely disseminated to the general public elsewhere, but only caution that some of the advice remains quite controversial. My original post: I applaud Dr. David Perlmutter's effort to help conquer Alzheimer's and other neurologic disease, from autism to migraines, through the use of nutrition. Information abounds elsewhere on heart health and cancer nutrition, with little focus on diseases of the brain. Dr. Perlmutter also brings our attention to the potential dangers of taking daily pills and our nearly century-long experiment of abandoning real food for processed food. (Unfortunately, he advocates the use of pills that are supplements, which also should be unnecessary for those who have appropriate nutrition.) The gist of Dr. Perlmutter's recommendations is to eliminate sugars, gluten (wheat and barley), and processed foods, and to greatly limit whole carb foods like fruits and whole grains, and also potatoes, beans and lentils. He also advocates eating more fats from nuts, olive and coconut oil, and avocados, but also from beef, butter and cheese. I compare his book to those of other "popular" doctors who make names for themselves writing books, appearing on TV, and treating prominent personalities, doctors like Caldwell Esselstyn from the Cleveland Clinic, Dean Ornish, Neal Barnard, Susan Blum, and T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional science professor and researcher. It is noteworthy that among them, Dr. Perlmutter is the only neurologist. Eliminating sugars, refined wheat products and processed foods from the diet is agreed upon by all. Dr. Perlmutter's assertions about gluten's adverse affects on the brain are supported by Dr. Blum's warnings about its association with autoimmune disease. While Dr. Esselstyn, who focuses on heart disease, argues that only small amounts of plant-based fats are required by the body, perhaps he could be convinced to concede a bit on this point, as he seems to have done with regard to people who are not already suffering from heart disease, although the proper amount of fats needed for good health remains in dispute. But what remains most controversial are Dr. Perlmutter's contentions that food products derived from animals are healthy, that saturated fats are necessary, that whole carbs are dangerous, and that high total cholesterol and LDLs are healthy. Some of the doctors listed above might concede that a little fish and the occasional egg in the diet may be beneficial (though some would not). One or two of these doctors might sign off on a piece of chicken a couple of times a week. One or two might be okay with limited amounts of dairy products (though Dr. Perlmutter too restricts milk, for reasons he does not explain well). What I believe is unanimous among the doctors listed above, as well as cardiologists everywhere, if not oncologists, is that the excessive amounts of beef and eggs prescribed by Dr. Perlmutter, the three-times-a-day consumption of animal products, and the elimination of beans, legumes and most whole carbs, are a dangerous prescription for heart health and cancer prevention, if not also for brain health. And therein rest the holes in Dr. Perlmutter's hypotheses. I list below some obvious ones. Dr. Perlmutter overemphasizes our need to return to the diet of our hunter-gatherer "caveman" ancestors in order to stave off diseases like Alzheimer's. Let's return to the non-packaged diet of our grandparents. But to advocate the "caveman" (i.e., Paleo) diet is naïve. Members of today's rare remaining hunter-gather societies who survive infant mortality and childhood disease live on average into their early 50's. [...] While it's true that our increased life expectancy in the developed world may be nearly entirely attributed to the eradication of infectious disease with antibiotics and vaccines and certain other safety, hygiene, and medical advances, rather than to improvements in our diet, it is also true that "cavemen" did not live long enough to contract Alzheimer's in their 70's and 80's. Returning to a caveman diet may argue well for accepting that human beings were simply designed to only live to their 30's-50's and does little to convince those of us who would like to live well into our 90's. Dr. Perlmutter points out that our caveman ancestors could eat fruit only when it was in season, not every day of the year (implying that we too should not eat it year round), but says nothing of the fact that in the same geographic locations they also would not have had green vegetables all year round (but does not advise us to abstain from greens, ever). He does not talk about the fact that caveman diets differed in different parts of the world. Some ate more plant foods than animal foods. Those who ate animal foods were not "hunting" primarily for cows but for deer, rabbits, duck, mountain goats, or whatever the locale offered. The Paleo argument borders on absurdity and does not support a diet based on cows. Dr. Perlmutter points to the increased consumption of grains during the 20th century as a cause for declining health but ignores the exponential increase in the consumption of cheese and beef. [...] Moreover, Dr. Perlmutter ignores the diets of modern societies with extraordinarily long life expectancies. For example, the staple in Okinawa, which enjoys one of the world's longest life expectancies, is the sweet potato, which Dr. Perlmutter shuns. [...] The Mediterranean diet of residents in Ikaria, Greece is low in dairy and meat and emphasizes potatoes, beans and legumes. A recent study there revealed residents living 8 to 10 years longer than Americans and suffering only a quarter as much dementia. [...] In the "Comments" section following this review, I have listed a number of other societies as examples, with links to the supporting data. The bottom line is that Dr. Perlmutter's attack on potatoes, whole grains, beans and legumes is unfounded. Dr. Perlmutter cites a study (Barberger-Gateau, et al.) that he claims supports the notion that people who don't consume Omega-3 rich fish have a higher risk of dementia and Alzheimer's. The study's actual conclusion was that those who consumed Omega-6 oils without compensating with sufficient Omega-3 oils were at higher risk. In other words, as long as a person doesn't consume inappropriate Omega-6 rich oils, s/he can be amply healthy without fish. Dr. Perlmutter's assertions about cholesterol are contested by much scientific literature in addition to many or all of the doctors listed above. Moreover, Dr. Perlmutter's opinions are positively confusing for the casual reader. He acknowledges that high oxidized LDL's are unhealthful but gives no advice on how to determine one's oxidized LDL's rather than the LDL levels as presented on common blood test reports. He believes that total cholesterol should be high, but triglycerides shouldn't be. But nowhere does he give clear guidance on what ideal cholesterol levels would look like. He cites a 1994 article (Location 1230, Kindle) that demonstrates that the risk of heart attack with total cholesterol under 200 was as high as for total cholesterol over 240. In his book on heart disease, Dr. Esselstyn agrees that 200 is not safe but presents evidence instead to support the fact that total cholesterol should be even lower, 150 or less. And while improving diet before resorting to pills would always make good sense, doctors at Columbia University just this year reiterated the opinion that high LDL's are dangerous, and they continue to believe that statins have saved lives. [...]. The bottom line here is that the public needs a lot more guidance, untainted by the pharmaceutical industry. And Dr. Perlmutter should remember that before people worry about getting Alzheimer's in their 70's and 80's, they must survive their 50's and 60's without heart disease and cancer. His discussions on cholesterol may have some validity, but they are are too confusing to be convincing. I found Dr. Esselstyn, who has brought heart patients back from the brink of death, to be a lot more convincing. Dr. Perlmutter advises to eat grass-grazed beef, free-range chickens and wild-caught fish, ignoring the fact that most people can't afford these products, and even if they could, the planet could not sustain a sufficient supply of them. Even the relatively affluent would be hard-pressed to be able to eat these products three times a day at home and in restaurants. They're difficult to find, and he offers no alternatives in his menu plans. It is not clear whether he would favor factory-farmed beef over plant-based proteins like beans, or vice versa, when those are the choices. Dr. Perlmutter ignores the research by T. Colin Campbell at Cornell University, which showed that the protein casein, found in dairy products including milk and cheese, promotes cancer growth. He also ignores Dr. Campbell's extensive research in rural China during the 1980's that revealed that a plant-based diet with very little animal products resulted in extremely low levels of heart disease and cancer (and total cholesterol in the 120-150 range, without dementia). A more recent study at Loma Linda University showed that vegetarian and vegan diets were protective against a large number of cancers. [...]. Dr. Neal Barnard's book Power Foods for the Brain presents ample evidence to support the benefit of a plant-based diet for brain health. Finally, Dr. Perlmutter's book does not include sufficient numbers of footnotes, and some of those that he does include reference websites without referencing specific pages, making it all but impossible to find his sources. In summary, I believe that Dr. Perlmutter offers a lot of useful information, and some good advice. But he concludes his book by saying, "It's hard to separate truth from fiction, and to know the difference between what's healthful and harmful..." He's right about that, and his book fails to end the confusion. I do believe that I learned some useful things from this book and have made slight changes to my diet (which, in my opinion, was already very healthful). But I can't give the book more than two stars because Dr. Perlmutter's opinions about eating so many cow and chicken products and saturated fats, and cutting out nearly all whole-food carbs, are too controversial to endorse. It seems that unless and until his theories are better proven, they are too potentially dangerous to follow. It is noted that wherever you see "[...]" above, I had included links to the supporting documentation for the facts cited. Apparently, Amazon has bleeped out these links. I suggest that if you google the subject matter, you will find the supporting studies.

È una lettura avvincente, non strettamente scientifico, divulgativo che apre gli occhi sul nostro stile d’almentazuone, fugando quelle speudo informazioni che ognuno ha raccimolato lungo anni di lettura frettolosa delle notizie google della salute. Good job.

Sin duda conceptos novedosos y actuales del impacto del poder de la alimentación en nuestra salud en general y cómo podemos evitar el daño "inevitable" de nuestros cerebros por la edad. Según lo presenta el autor, SI es EVITABLE el deterioro de nuestro cerebro, incluso, con la adecuada alimentación y otras medidas como el ejercicio constante y regular, no solo evitable, sino hasta lo podemos mantener y mejorar.

体の調子がいいです。おすすめします。あやまってパスタ食べたらどろ～んとして、やはりグルテンだと実感！

if you have any health issue, this book can turn your life around. So many health issues have the same underlying causes. also check out the book "drop acid" also by same author. it is excellent! Helps you understand how the human body actually works! Knowledge is power! the book "wheat belly" by william davis is also a must read for anyone who wants to enjoy good health, mentally physically and emotionally. a great book on this important subject. diseases are often not at all what they seem. Ill health is often triggered by one of two foods that are in everything we eat. Understanding the impact of this, and exactly how the body actually works, is key to curing health issues. these books are easy to read primers for understanding the complex matters of human health, physical and emotional. The more you learn about the body, the more you understand that brain and emotional or behavioural issues often have physical (food related ) causes. Also our sleep habits, which trigger our eating habits/cravings for these same foods that are so destructive. "lights out"- Sleep, sugar and survival, a book by TS Wiley and Bent Formby is excellent as well, on the subject of sleep dysfunction tr carbohydrate cravings, weight gain and disease.

This book was recommended to me by Amazon, while reading "the gut". Amazon not knowing that last month I went to the neurologist desperate that my imigran-medication did't work anymore. For about 20 years I'm suffering (period-related) two monthly *nerve-wrecking* migraine episodes of 48h. The neurologist subscribed me Eletriptan and Topiramaat, the latter an anti-epilepticum for profylaxe. I was not yet ready to take such strong medication, leaving the pills untouched when I saw this book. I quit eating carbs and gluten immediately and for the first time in ages I didn't have migraine with my period. I'm flabbergasted that my neurologist didn't mention gluten-sensitivity to me as a possible cause for my migraines and I'm very grateful to dr. Perlmutter for writing about his knowledge and saving me from having to take very strong medications. I gave this book 5 stars for changing my life from a life of being dictated by suffering to a life of freedom and feeling in control of things. His writing is not always clear in detail (eg I missed an explantion about the chemistry of soy, peanuts and legumes). I've always been a vegetarian and needed more explanation to abandon these foods just because 'they also take nutrients with them'. I can imagine that more vegetarians who read the book miss that. But it's only a detail. I would strongly recommend the book to anyone who has a neurological disease or problem. But while this book is also for preventing diseases like Alzheimer, it's good to read for everyone who wants to live a long happy healthy life!