The Healthy Brain: Optimize Brain Power at Any Age

by Aileen Burford-Mason

The Healthy Brain makes the compelling case that most people’s brains are underperforming because they are undernourished. As the most metabolically active organ of the body, the brain’s nutritional needs are ten times higher than those of any other organ. That means the brain is the first organ to falter when it is improperly fed.

Well respected for her ability to take complex nutritional research and translate it into clear, evidence-based guidelines for the safe, effective use of supplements, Dr. Burford-Mason offers step-by-step guidance on how to implement dietary changes and select appropriate supplements for optimal brain power at any age. She makes liberal use of real-life case histories from her practice and summarizes leading-edge scientific research to support her advice.

The immediate payoff of adopting Dr. Burford-Mason’s strategies is a noticeable increase in brain better mood, focus, creativity and workplace performance, and an improved capacity to enjoy life, sleep soundly and cope well under stress. The long-term benefit is that these same dietary changes have shown the most promise in helping us avoid Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

The Healthy Brain argues that feeding the brain properly is a lifelong project, and that memory and cognition in later life depend on the care and feeding our brains receive throughout our entire lives.

Genres: Health, Self Help, Brain, Canada, Nonfiction

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2017

About the author

Aileen Burford-Mason, PhD, (b. 1943) is a biochemist, immunologist and cell biologist and a widely recognized expert in the field of vitamins and their appropriate use in health maintenance, healthy aging and the prevention and treatment of disease. Respected for her balanced and scientifically-based approach, Aileen is known for her ability to take the latest findings in diet and supplement research and translate them into practical evidence-based guidelines for both lay audiences and health professionals.

Aileen graduated from University College, Dublin, Ireland and received a PhD in immunology in the UK. She is formerly an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, and Director of a Cancer Research Laboratory at the Toronto General Hospital. Her many research papers have been published in leading medical and scientific journals and cover such diverse medical and scientific areas as immunology, pathology, gastroenterology, cancer, AIDS, microbiology, and nutrition.

Aileen regularly gives talks to the public and to doctors and other health professionals at universities across Canada. She has a busy private practice where she specializes in personalized supplement and diet regimes. She teaches a popular continuing medical education course for medical doctors and other health care practitioners on the use of diet and nutritional supplements in clinical practice.

A go-to person for radio, TV and the print journalists, Aileen is in regular demand for media commentary on the latest research and controversies in the field of dietary supplements.

Reviews

[Antony Monir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent self-help/medical nonfiction. Some good advice and decent information in there, though not all of it is 100% accurate. Of course, as with any self-help book, the author will always overstate their claims. Given the author’s background in nutrition, this book overstates the importance of nutrition. Not to say that nutrition isn’t super important; it is. But your mileage may vary. If you’re eating a shit diet, you will get amazing results from following the advice in this book, though you probably know that already. If you’re eating moderately healthy, you likely would benefit more from other lifestyle changes rather than hyper-focusing on nutrition. Also, and this is my personal opinion, I feel the author suggests supplements a bit too much instead of focusing more on the food side of things. Like for example, the author always talks about the benefits of phytonutrients without really explaining much. Finally, part of the main thesis of the book depends on the idea that our diets are shit, and that’s why we have problems such as ADHD, and depression on the rise. I am not denying that there is a link between nutrition and these illnesses, in fact I do believe in that link. Rather, there are many other factors which cause the rise of these illnesses, and the author overstates the role that nutrition plays in the rise of ADHD and depression. Factors such as changes in social environments, the rise of cell phone technology, erosion of social nets, economic crises, and improvements and changes in diagnostic practices are all factors that I would argue contribute more to the rise of ADHD and depression rates. All in all, I think this book is a decent resource if you wanna learn how to dial in your nutrition for better general health and performance. But it likely won’t be as life changing as it sounds. 3/5

[Bryce Dodds · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was absolutely blown away by this book. So many diseases and ailments can be aided, eradicated, or even stopped before they ever begin simply through proper nutrition. Food is fuel; the production of many hormones and neurotransmitters that keep us happy and healthy is dependent on the nutrients we ingest. Without sufficient nutrients, our body struggles to function well and disease can set in. However, proper nutrition can sufficiently protect us from the onset of widespread diseases like dementia, heart-disease, and depression.

Note: There is a great deal of scientific explanation in the book

[Warren Mcpherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good discussion of the nutrients needed by the brain. There is a good variety of evidence, explanations for how nutrients work together to support the brain and how its needs are unique. There are personal illustrations of the impact of nutritional imbalance.
It is a quick read and helps to understand the body better.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on our brain's need for vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other supplements. It is so nice to finally read a book written by a Canadian for both Canadians and Americans. The Americans always forget about us Canucks.

The book begins with a discussion of what we need. The Recommended Daily Intakes are actually insufficient for our brain's needs. Later chapters tell you the amounts of supplements to take, depending on your lifestyle. The author is a professor at U of Toronto who researches this book's material.

[Natascha Thoennes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book covering nutritional supplements for optimal brain health. A little confusing to follow at times and now I just feel like I should be taking about 8 pills a day to be at my optimal health. I think prior to doing anything you should probably consult with a doctor. The book wasn’t laid out very well either, like I said, a bit confusing. Some of the chapters weren’t relevant to me, such as pregnancy and ADHD but you had to read them because information from those chapters was referenced later in the book.

[Gwyn Rafuse-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical advice. Easy to understand. We always think of nutrition for our bodies with little regard to the brain, and gut. Glad this type of thought is getting more exposure .

[Jacqueline Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic. Poorly written in so many ways. A real disappointment.

[Mikaël Sévigny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid basis for anyone who wants to learn more about brain health and self-care.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book about nutrients we need for optimal health.

[Jacquie Des Rosiers · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun read! interesting learning about the role of different micronutrients on our brain function.

[Cata · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read.

[Michelle Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear instructions on the importance of the basics: vitamins, minerals and eating well.

[kaity]

Abandoned book - did not necessarily agree with things which have been disproved on other pubmed articles. A bit of confirmation bias. Good ideas for supplements, but dietary advise is contradictory.