Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar--Your Brain's Silent Killers Hardcover – December 18, 2018

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.

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.