I’ve seen Dr Gupta on CNN and even though his colleagues say a lot of tosh and only represent one side of things, everything he says is good, in my view.

In this book I found only one thing that I know to be incorrect, and I’ll just point this out to get it over with, since the rest of the book is excellent.

What is incorrect is the author’s statement that Canola oil is ok to use – it's not. It is harmful.

Here are Medical Medium Anthony William’s views on it:

Canola oil is mostly GMO at this point in time. And regardless, canola oil creates a great deal of inflammation. It is especially damaging to your digestive system. Canola oil can feed viruses, bacteria, fungus, and mold. Beyond that, canola oil has an effect similar to battery acid on the inside of your arteries, creating significant vascular damage. Canola oil is used in many restaurants and in thousands of products, often as a low- cost alternative to olive oil. If you are dealing with a mystery illness or a health condition, TRY TO AVOID CANOLA OIL AT ALL COSTS!

The author is a brain surgeon so he knows a bit about the brain.

The book deals with methods to improve your brain and the author’s children make fun of him for having written this book since he himself is apparently forgetful!

The book deals with lifestyle. “We are not doomed by the genetic cards we were dealt at birth.”

What we eat, how much we exercise, who we socialize with, what challenges we face, how well we sleep, what we do to reduce stress, are much more important to our brain health and overall wellness.

No matter your DNA, a good diet, regular exercise, not smoking, limiting alcohol, can change your destiny.

(It amazes me that all authors writing on the subject refrain from/are fearful of insisting that people should completely abstain from alcohol. In view of alcohol’s severe effects on the brain, it would be reasonable/logical to recommend complete abstinence but no-one does this because of our social/psychological dependence on alcohol.)

Healthy living can help one overcome genetic risks for heart disease, and dementia.

Part 1 deals with basic facts about the brain including myths about aging and cognitive decline and how we know the brain can remodel, rewire and grow.

Part 2 deals with the five main categories that ”encompass all the practical strategies you need to protect and heighten your brain function” - exercise and movement, sense of purpose, sleep and relaxation, nutrition and social connection.

It includes a twelve-week programme to carry out the steps the author suggests.

Part 3 deals with the challenges of diagnosing and treating brain diseases.

The book deals with “making your brain as sharp as it can be at any age”.

We learn that the hippocampus is our brain’s memory centre, at least as regards short-term memory. The cortex has to do with long-term memory.

The author deals with a dozen myths, explaining that they are myths and thus not true.

One is that older people are doomed to forget things. Another is that dementia is an inevitable consequence of old age. And older people can’t learn new things.

We use only 10% of our brains. We have all heard this many times but it is absolutely not true.

Another myth is that a crossword puzzle a day can keep the doctor away.

But crossword puzzles flex only a portion of your brain, mostly its word-finding ability, though there is value in doing word and number puzzles, including Sudoku.

Generally keeping an active mind can help reduce decline in thinking skills.

It is also a myth that you are dominated by either your right or left brain.

Also, brain damage is not always permanent. In the hippocampus there’s a reservoir of neural stem cells that are continually replenished and can differentiate into brain neurons.

Exercise is not only good for the body; it’s even better for the brain.

The connection between physical fitness and brain fitness is “clear, direct, and powerful”.

Movement helps to increase, repair, and maintain brain cells.

Picking up a new hobby like painting or learning a new language can strengthen the brain.

Poor sleep can lead to impaired memory and chronic stress can impair your ability to learn and adapt to new situations.

We have evidence to show that consuming certain foods such as cold-water fish, extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds and fibrous whole fruits and vegetables, while limiting certain other foods (those high in sugar, and trans fatty acids) can help avoid memory and brain decline.

Having a diverse social network can improve our brain’s plasticity and help preserve our cognitive abilities.

Factors related to brain decline are linked to physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking, social isolation, poor sleep, lack of mentally stimulating activities and misuse of alcohol.”

Being inactive, regardless of your weight, is twice as deadly as being obese The author says ”Sitting is the new smoking”. “Prolonged sitting – more than eight hours a day with zero physical activity – can kill you or lead to an early death”.

But if you’re active, even those few minutes in motion will counter the effects of prolonged sitting.

“Men and women aged forty-five to seventy-nine who are physically active, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, do not smoke, and consume alcohol moderately have an average one-fourth the risk of death a given year than people with unhealthy habits.”

Active aging involves more than moving your body. You also need to move your brain.

There’s a chapter about sleep and relaxation,

We also learn that what’s good for the heart is good for the brain.

Preventing Alzheimer’s is within our grasp, and it starts with how we fuel our bodies.

A combination of healthy foods will help “secure the brain against assault” and it's never too early to begin.

The typical Western diet, high in salt, sugar, excess calories, and saturated fats, is not brain-friendly.

A plant-based diet rich in a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly berries and green leafy vegetables, is assocaited with better brain health.

In 2018 more than a third of us ate fast food daily. “At least one meal day (came) from a pizza box or drive-through.”

Aim for seven different–coloured foods (real food) every day.

The more fruits and vegetables we consume, the more likely we are to rate our brain health higher.

Of those who say they don’t eat any vegetables, fewer than half (49 percent) consider their brain health as excellent or very good.

People with high blood sugar have a faster rate of cognitive decline than those with normal blood sugar.

Artificial sugars are not the answer. The human body can’t naturally digest these. They affect gut bacteria in ways that lead to metabolic disfunction, such as insulin resistance and diabetes “contributing to the same overweight and obesity epidemic for which they were marketed to provide a solution”.

These harmful sugar subsitutes are, for example, aspartame, saccharine and sucralose.

As we age, our ability to perceive thirst diminishes. This may be why dehydration is common in older people.

Dehydration often leads to cognitive problems in older people.

We are told of the importance of omega-3 fatty acids and it is suggested that we get them from fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines.

Studies have shown that taking too much fish oil can have negative side-effects such as higher blood sugar levels, increased risk of bleeding, etc.

Space does not permit me to write more about this valuable book. So I will content myself by again highly recommending it as a great overall source of dietary and other information that is not limited to the brain. ( )

I was very impressed with this book. I read through most of it at first thinking that I wasn't learning much new as the plan for brain health is pretty much what is needed for cardiac health. What I was astounded to learn, though, was that doing the "right things" for good health, especially brain health, must start when we are young.

I was sure that I would not be that much interested in the latter part of the book because I am not currently dealing with a loved one diagnosed with dementia. I was wrong. The last part of the book was simply superb. It dealt with pretty much all aspects of dementia in a very easy-to-read and informative manner. It had excellent advice for those either dealing with dementia or not just yet in self or others. It also ended on an optimistic note...which all of us need at this time. ( )

Great presentation of cognitive decline. Good balance of science, humanity, and solutions that we know of today. ( )

Great description of types of dementia, changes in both mental, physical, and biological. Good suggestions on maintaining an edge. Completes with a 12 week plan for improvement. I didn't like the chapter about if and when you receive a diagnosis of dementia, but it was informative. ( )

This was a solid, informative read about maintaining brain health. Well worth reading if you are interested. ( )