If you don’t know that Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and strokes are preventable, then welcome to the club.  Most people just take it for granted that brain function will diminish as they age and that there’s absolutely nothing they can do about it.  Most presume old age will be accompanied by some form of dementia including Alzheimer’s.  But, according to board certified neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter, it just isn’t true.

Perlmutter, author of The Better Brain Book, is on a crusade to tell the world:  your brain can and should work as well at age 90 as it did during your teenage years.  And according to Perlmutter and the published clinical studies he cites, choosing the right food, vitamins, supplements and a supportive lifestyle will do the trick. 

“It’s truly a revolutionary concept that neurodegnerative diseases are preventable and often reversible,” Perlmutter admits.  “No one talks about it, yet it’s true.” He cites a research study that appeared in the Archives of Neurology in January of 2004 that demonstrated that individuals who took Vitamins C and E had a 78% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s.

The bottom line is that diet and lifestyle play a critical role in brain health.

“There are some powerful nutrients that can improve brain function and significantly reduce the risk of degeneration,” Perlmutter insists.  Published clinical studies support that revolutionary claim.

A report published in the journal Archives of Neurology in 2003 showed that people who had the highest dietary intake level of DHA were found to have a risk reduction for Alzheimer’s disease as high as 80%.  DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is an omega-three polyunsaturated fatty acid and has been proven to be an essential nutrient for brain development.  Fatty fishes like salmon, mackerel, sardines and anchovies have high levels of DHA as do some types of algae.

Fat is where it’s at – as far as brain health is concerned.  This is a stunning reversal of the fat phobia the U.S. was caught in the grip of when Americans were exhorted to ”stop the insanity” by cutting almost all fat from their diet.  Nothing could have been further from the truth.  Instead of being an arch villain, fat has been vindicated as a critical ingredient for overall health and well-being, particularly of the brain.

In fact, our brains are 70% fat and the kinds of fats we do or do not ingest literally are responsible for the type of brain cells we develop.  If we don’t eat enough of the right kinds of fat, our brains suffer. Degeneration and disease is the long term result.

Perlmutter cites the fact that the Inuit Eskimos of Greenland have the lowest rate of Alzheimer’s on the planet and have a diet that derives 60 –70% of its calories from fats.  “That should tell us something.” the neurologist emphasizes, “Everything being low fat and no fat makes no sense at all!”

Perlmutter points out that since the brain is 70% fat, it is urgent that we follow a diet rich in healthy polyunsaturated and monosaturated fats.  All fats are not created equal. “A huge 25% of the fat in our brains is comprised of DHA,” Perlmutter reports.  “Daily ingestion of DHA is vital. It doesn’t take a big stretch to recognize that we desperately need adequate sources of DHA just to maintain the physical brain.  And the standard American Diet (SAD!) is incredibly deficient in DHA.”  Low levels of DHA are associated with ADHD, depression, bipolar disease, visual loss, anxiety, PMS, MS and diabetes, he reveals.  “Otherwise, it’s not very important,” he laughs.

Perlmutter is no slouch in the brain department himself.  The son of a neurosurgeon, conversations at home naturally focused on the brain as he grew up.  After graduating from the University of Miami School of Medicine, he spent a year as a general surgeon and two as a neurosurgeon.

But Perlmutter wasn’t content to merely try to undo brain damage that had already been done.  He wanted to get in the prevention game and so turned his attention and efforts to neurology.  He founded the Perlmutter Health Center in Naples, Florida and has become internationally renown for his effective and revolutionary approaches to preventing and reversing brain deterioration and associated diseases.

He has pioneered work using glutathione, a powerful anti-oxidant to improve previously baffling diseases like Parkinson’s.  By happenstance, as he characterizes it, he used glutathione to treat a patient for fibromyalgia who also happened to have Parkinson’s.  After the glutathione protocol, the patience’s condition was so improved that he was able to get out of his wheelchair and walk.  This got Perlmutter’s attention and the rest is history.  He has trained more than a thousand other physicians to use glutathione in their practices.

Six steps to a better brain are detailed in the book, but even knowing the highlights of those points can help significantly.

1.Get the trans-fatty acids off your plate, Since 70% of your brain is made up of fat and the composition of those fat cells is determined by the types of fats you eat, avoid trans-fatty acids at all cost!  Trans-fats make your cell membranes hard and rigid.  Trans-fats are the primary fats found in packaged baked goods, snack foods and fried foods.  They also come in the guise of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil and shortening and reside within highly processed and refined foods.

2.Have your homocysteine levels checked annually.  A simple blood test can alert you to high homocysteine levels.  Excessive homocysteine can shrink your brain, reduce your memory, dull your reflexes and lead to depression.  High levels can double your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

3.Take three key supplements:  DHA (400 mg daily. Dr. Perlmutter recommends  either Neuromins, a vegetarian source of DHA or Nordic Naturals’ Arctic Fish Oil), Vitamin E (200 IU daily of the d-alpha NOT dl-alpha form) and one B-complex capsule daily.  By the way, Perlmutter says not to doubt the efficacy of Vitamin E despite the negative report that came out last fall. “The whole premise of the recent report was absurd and the study was flawed from the get go.  Vitamin E is a very powerful tool for the maintenance of brain health.  In my opinion, there’s nothing to worry about and the whole article and media frenzy that followed did a huge disserve to the health of Americans in general,” he asserts.

4.Think twice before taking a drug.  Both over-the-counter medicine and prescription drugs can deplete your brain of important nutrients.An extensive list of drugs and how to counter balance their effects appears in The Better Brain Book.

5.Get eight hours sleep every night.  Constant sleep deprivation is bad for your brain.  Even a mild sleep deficit – getting six hours of sleep for a few nights in a row instead of eight hours – slows down and causes notable decline in performance on standard mental function tests.

6.Have some fun.  Recreational activity is good for your brain since it helps relieve stress and stimulates brain cells.

For more information, go to WWW.DrPerlmutter.com and look for his fourth book due out in 2006 from Doubleday, Build a Better Brain by Kindergarten.