Food for thought: Nutrition and the aging brain

"Food for Thought" is the perfect double entendre for this fine book. Dienstbier, an eminent scholar who specializes in the aging brain, reviews relevant research to offer us a fresh look on nutrition and brain health. With clear, precise writing and delightful wry humor, Dienstbier makes practical suggestions for having a long “smartspan.” Ashley Montagu famously wrote that he wanted “to die young as late as possible.”

"Food for Thought" will help us do just that.

Mary Pipher

Psychologist and author of 'Women Rowing North'

This book considers the scientific evidence on the anti-aging effects of food choices. It will be of very broad interest, not only to those approaching the later stages of life but to everyone wanting to promote and prolong well-being and quality of life.

The clear and engaging style of writing makes this book enjoyable to read, while the author’s deep and comprehensive understanding of the scientific method and its strengths and gaps means readers can be confident of the work’s balance and independence.

Dienstbier summarises a huge and scattered scientific literature and also provides guidance for readers to evaluate that literature for themselves as future research reports become available.

Overall this book is a masterly review of what we know about nutrition and the aging brain, the foundations of that knowledge, and how we will learn more.

Dr. Helen R. Winefield

Emeritus Professor, School of Psychology

University of Adelaide, South Australia

This book provides an aggregate view of innumerable research studies focused on nutrition and how it impacts human cognitive and emotional capabilities. Dr. Dienstbier “unpacks” these studies, organizes the information, and provides great insight into how human consumption of food and fluids influences our ability to comprehend, think, retain, and navigate our world. In

his usual good-humor fashion, he explains complex concepts in ways that are easily understood by the reader and encourages one to keep reading. In fact, reading this excellent book was not

unlike staying up late at night with a good cup of coffee (or glass of wine) to get to the end of a captivating novel. As nurses and other health science professionals engage with the aging American consumer, this book will become an excellent resource to which they will return again and again.

Charlotte Liggett, Ed.D, MSN, MBA, RN

Chair, Department of Nursing

Nebraska Wesleyan University

Professor Emeritus Richard Dienstbier has done it again. In 2015 I had the pleasure of reading Professor Dienstbiers wonderful book Building Resistance to Stress and Aging. In my opinion, as a physiologist, it remains one of the most accessible and important books when it comes to understanding stress and health. It is a book that anyone interested in physical and mental health should consider compulsory reading. With his new book, Professor Dienstbier has set a new bar for making the important science of nutrition, especially regarding brain health, accessible. I am aware of no other book on the market that covers the relevant subject matter in the way that Professor Dienstbier has managed to do. His extreme dedication to empirical accuracy is bar none. Not only does he manage a level of scientific accuracy that few others can, but Professor Dienstbier also writes with humor and a style that truly captivates. Anyone with an interest in the field of nutrition should consider this book a must-read.

Chris MacDonald

Physiologist

University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Professor Dientsbier takes us on a journey of discovery about what we consume and how it affects our cognitive functioning and aging. Written in his engaging, understandable, and humorous manner, he unravels the marvelous complexities of neurological and physiological systems and the chemicals responsible for cognitive advancement, healing, and delay. Given the dramatic increases in human longevity and filled with user-friendly recommendations, every reader is certain to be impacted by the recent advances in science on this most important topic.

Gustavo Carlo

Professor

Director, Cultural Resiliency and Learning Center

University of California, Irvine