Review of
Instaread Summary of Grain Brain The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar— Your Brain’s
Silent Killers by David Perlmutter, MD with Kristin Loberg
Three out of five stars
This summary is
good in the sense that it lists Perlmutter’s arguments but it is weak in that
there is very little questioning of his positions. First and foremost, no
argument that cites the rise of brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s
should be encountered without pointing out that much of this is due to the
rising life expectancy. In 1950, the average life expectancy in the U. S. was
approximately 67 years while in 2016 it is over 82 years. When you add 15 years
to human life, it is natural that the incidence of such diseases increase. Loss
of intellectual power is just another way in which our bodies decline over time
and some of the reduction in brain function has an origin in the failure of other
organs such as the heart or the liver.
Grain was a
staple in the diet of large settled civilizations, for example the staples of
the diets of ancient Egyptians were bread and beer. The staple of the diet of
the ancient Chinese (2000 BC) was rice, millet, sorghum and wheat. Therefore,
the following statement is simply not true.
” When these products did eventually enter the diet,
some 10,000 years ago, they were not consumed in great quantities and were
processed in ways that made them easier to digest. Today, however, humans
consume far more grains and wheat than ever before.”
Especially when the word “far” is included.
It is also amusing
that Perlmutter advocates the eating of fat, considering it superior to carbohydrates.
Pointing out once again how circular the fad diets are. In reading this
summary, the discerning reader will see a lot of evidence of yet another fad
diet.
This book was made available for free for review
purposes.
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