Neuroscientist David J. Levitin explores the latest research on aging and makes some useful suggestions to living a longer, healthier, and happy Life.
One of the first suggestions Levitin makes is to protect your brain. If you get a stroke or suffer mini-strokes, your chances of accelerating dementia increase substantially. The key factor behind strokes is uncontrolled blood pressure. You should be monitoring your blood pressure daily. There are plenty of medications available to help keep your blood pressure where it should be.
Another suggestion is to cut down on sodium to protect your heart. Our food tends to be over salted and that produces spikes in blood pressure. Levitin warns of the links between smoking and heart attacks/strokes. Over 1.6 million Americans die from heart disease in the U.S. each year–more than Covid-19 killed!
Levitin makes dietary suggestions. They are similar to Michael Pollan’s mantra: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Like Pollan, Levitin points out the dangers of “fake” food with plenty of additives and chemical “enhancers.” And, the problems with eating meat laced with steroids and antibiotics increase.
Social factors, emotional factors, and pain management all contribute to a better quality of Life. If you want to improve the time you have left to live, Levitin provides a workable roadmap to successful aging. GRADE: A
Table of Contents
Introduction xi
Part 1 The Continually Developing Brain 1
1 Individual Differences and Personality 3
The search for the magic number
2 Memory and Your Sense of “You” 31
The myth of failing memory
2.5 Interlude 62
A brief biography of the brain
3 Perception 88
What our bodies tell us about the world
4 Intelligence 115
The problem-solving brain
5 From Emotions to Motivation 146
Snakes, rickety bridges, Mad Men, and stress
6 Social Factors 179
Life with people
7 Pain 205
It hurts when I do this
Part 2 The Choices We Make 233
8 The Internal Clock 235
It’s two A.M. Why am I hungry?
9 Diet 251
Brain food, probiotics, and free radicals
10 Exercise 280
Movement matters
11 Sleep 295
Memory consolidation, DNA repair, and sleepy hormones
Part 3 The New Longevity 311
12 Living Longer 313
Telomeres, tardigrades, insulin, and zombie cells
13 Living Smarter 344
Cognitive enhancement
14 Living Better 367
The greatest days of our lives
Appendix: Rejuvenating Your Brain 401
Notes 403
Acknowledgments 475
Art Credits 477
Index 479
Mostly common-sense stuff these days, but it doesn’t hurt to have it spelled out.
Todd, I don’t have a sodium issue, but I’ve given up on canned soups and ordering soups in restaurants. When the sodium content in canned soups run over 1000 milligrams that’s excessive.
I refer to them as salt bombs. Alice will salt a frozen entree, to my dismay.
Todd, sodium is more dangerous than most people know.
I presume when you are dead, that’s unsuccessful aging.
Jerry, you’re right. Dead equals GAME OVER!
Nothing that is new or controversial. Agree on the sodium. I stopped buying canned soups for exactly that reason. When we order certain salads in restaurants I tell them no salt. It amazes me that you still see people salting their food without even tasting it first. Another tip: drink plenty of water.
Jeff, most people don’t drink enough water or consume enough fiber. Both are keys to Good Health!
So true! Ever since our gastro guy told us to eat more fiber, it has cleared up most of Jackie’s and my stomach issues.
Jeff, same here. My internist is a big promoter of a high-fiber diet!!! Diane and I could tell the difference as soon as we started making fiber a part of our daily diet.
I haven’t added salt to anything in years but I’m sure I get more than enough of it. I don’t even think there’s any in the house. I am a pepper lover, though. I’ve heard that pepper in indigestible and just goes right through you. If that’s not true, don’t tell me.
Michael, like you I’m a fan of pepper…the hotter the better! But I’m not in Art Scott’s league with heat!
It’s simple: if it tastes good, is delicious, a favorite, don’t eat it.
Rick, I remember Ted Hertel saying that his cardiologist advised him: “If it takes good, spit it out!”
I use salt on a few things-potatoes, tomatoes, mac and cheese. Some canned soups have low salt varieties. I love tomato soup but can’t imagine it homemade. ugh. I don’t drink enough water and rarely eat fiber. So far I have had no stomach problems. I hate to cook and am not very good at it anyway so I end up eating a lot of processed foods. Pizza, tacos, pasta make up most of my diet. A guy in my apartment building lives on pizza, Kfc and Taco Bell. He is 92 so I think genes do come in play here.
Steve, genes do play a big part in long-term health. But controlling risk factors for heart diseases, cancers, and falls matter, too.
Sounds like a lot of old news to me!
Bob, the new news is the danger of strokes and mini-strokes in accelerating dementia. Also, accord to the CDC, Covid-19 ages human brains 10 years. That means a lot of people are going to experience dementia in their 60s in the years ahead.
Why should we be the only ones?
Bob, age makes us more vulnerable.
We also avoid canned fruit and vegetables. Frozen is much better if you can’t get it fresh.
We also avoid sugar and the horrible Hfcs though in Europe it’s used much less than in uSA.
Wolf, hope you are safe and well! Every day the war in Ukraine produces more horrors. Putin’s war machine destroys more cities and civilians hour by hour.
Thank you, George!
Still lying in bed all day, just some exercise like walking a few meters and training arms and legs.
But it’s Getting better. Still typing on my smartphone, really slow…
But at least I am connected to the world.
Yes that war is horrible but I hope it will soon end.
Wolf, we’re all rooting for you to recover soon! Glad to have you back commenting again. Everyone here is appalled at the brutality of Putin in destroying Ukrainian cities and civilians.