Keep Sharp – Build A Better Brain At Any Age

This is a review of the book “Keep Sharp – Build a Better Brain at Any Age” by Sanjay Gupta (MD), just off the presses!

Date:  January 21, 2021
Best place to buy:  Amazon.com
Cost:  $16.88 hardcover

Keep your brain young, healthy, and sharp
with this science-driven guide to protecting your mind from decline, authored by neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta.

Do you want to find ways to keep your mind sharp and effortlessly productive?
Throughout our life, we look for ways to keep our mind sharp and effortlessly productive. Now, globetrotting neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta offers insights from top scientists all over the world, whose cutting-edge research can help you heighten and protect brain function and maintain cognitive health at any age.

What This Book Contains
Keep Sharp debunks common myths about aging and cognitive decline, explores whether there’s a “best” diet or exercise regimen for the brain.

Is it healthier to play video games that test memory and processing speed or engage in more social interaction?
The answer is in this book.

Super-brained people
What we can learn from “super-brained” people who are in their eighties and nineties with no signs of slowing down—and whether there are truly any benefits to drugs, supplements, and vitamins.

About Brain Disease
Dr. Gupta also addresses brain disease, particularly Alzheimer’s, answers all your questions about the signs and symptoms, and shows how to ward against it and stay healthy while caring for a partner in cognitive decline.

Twelve-week program of strategies to strength your brain every day

Dr. Gupta provides you with a personalized twelve-week program featuring practical strategies to strengthen your brain every day.

The only brain owner’s manual you will ever need
Keep Sharp is the only owner’s manual you’ll need to enjoy a healthy brain for life!

 

You do all sorts of things to keep your body healthy and fit, but how often do you do the same for your brain?
You probably do all sorts of things to keep your body healthy and fit, but how often do you do the same for your brain?  Until recently, even the scientific community thought the brain developed only up to a certain age – but that thinking is wrong.  An increasing volume of evidence shows you can enjoy a quick-thinking brain throughout your entire life.

 

Best practices for a healthy brain
In “Keep Sharp”, Dr. Gupta draws on cutting-edge research from his travels around the world, engaging with the scientists discovering the secrets to cognitive longevity.  He wades through the gimmicks and myths about brain health and reveals evidence-based best practices.  Whether it’s the ideal diet, physical activity, supplements, or mind-set, Dr. Gupta presents what works and, more important, explains why.  He even provides an innovative twelve-week program that anyone can use to build a better brain starting today.  And he would know:  he’s put all these practical strategies to the test himself!

 

Make your brain resilient to disease
The years before memory problems begin afford a remarkable opportunity to make your brain resilient to disease – even if you have genetic risk factors.  For those already experiencing cognitive decline or caring for a loved one with dementia, Dr. Gupta offers guidance and insights for a more productive and positive tomorrow.

 

What you can expect from this book:
Here is the book’s Table of Contents (as you can see, it is chock-full of extremely interesting topics):

Introduction:  Nothing Brainy about It

Self-Assessment:  Are You At Risk for Brain Decline?

 

Part 1:

THE BRAIN:  MEET YOUR INNER BLACK BOX

1:  What Makes You You
2:  Cognitive Decline – Redefined
3:  12 Destructive Myths and the 5 Pillars That Will Build You

 

Part 2:

THE BRAIN TRUST:  HOW NOT TO LOSE YOUR MIND

4.   The Miracle of Movement
5.   The Power of Purpose, Learning, and Discovery
6.   The Need for Sleep and Relaxation
7.    Food for Thought
8:    Connection for Protection
9:    Putting It All Together:  12 Weeks to Sharper

 

Part 3:

THE DIAGNOSIS:  WHAT TO DO, HOW TO THRIVE

10.   Diagnosing and Treating an Ailing Brain
11.   Navigating the Path Forward Financially and Emotionally, with a Special Note to Caregivers

Conclusion:  The Bright Future

 

A special note on the chapter “What Makes You You”
This chapter contains a very interesting section entitled “THE ESSENCE OF MEMORY, THINKING, AND HIGH MENTAL FUNCTIONING”.   Memory is the most commonly recognized cognitive function.  In addition to memory, cognition includes attention, writing, reading, problem-solving and performing everyday tasks like navigating your way while driving, figuring out the tip at a restaurant, appreciating the benefits or harmful effects of the food you eat, or admiring the works of different artists.  Memory is the cornerstone of all learning.  What we store in our memory helps us process new situations.

 

Here are some unusual recommendations that you’ll see in this book:

How to Keep a Sharp Mind
The 5 pillars of brain health: 

Move (Aerobic and nonaerobic exercise)

Discover (picking up a new hobby, learning a new piece of software, learning a foreign language)

Relax (stress-reducing activities, restful sleep)

Nourish  (there is a definite link between diet and brain health)

Connect  (connect with others; having a diverse social network improves the brain’s plasticity)

 

The power of purpose, learning, and discovery
Mark Twain said:  “The two most important days of your life:  the day you are born; and the day you figure out why”.

Purpose:  do some meaningful work past retirement age.  Have a purpose in life!  (one recent study showed that, for each additional year of work, the risk of getting dementia is reduced by 3.2 percent).

Staying engaged in a job, especially one that is satisfying, tends to keep people physically active, socially connected and mentally challenged.  See my blog entitled “Working Online from Home Stimulates the Brain”.

Building “brain resiliency” or “cognitive reserve” by staying as engaged in life as possible through socialization and participation in stimulating activities.

Learning:  standard classroom learning (with other students) is better for the brain than online programs.

Discovery
and Cognitively Stimulating Activities:
Activities such as reasoning and problem-solving are truly cognitively stimulating (examples are:  learning a new foreign language, learning to play a musical instrument, learning to write computer code, writing a novel, thus acquiring new knowledge and new aptitudes).

 

Happy reading!

 

Pros and Cons:

Pros:  Definitely the only “Brain Owner’s Manual” that you will ever need.  You will discover many things about your brain that you never knew.  And the book was written by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a recognized authority on the human body and on brain health in particular!

 

Cons:  None that I can see.

 

Click here to order the book “Keep Sharp – Build a Better Brain at Any Age”, directly from the merchant’s website.

 

As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small fee from qualifying purchases.  You will not pay more when buying through this site.

 

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More brain games can be found under the heading “Brain Games”, by clicking any of the published blogs in the pages listed for the following categories:

“Brain Games For Children”

“Brain Games for Adults”

“Brain Games for Seniors”

“Advanced Brain Training”

“Optimal Brain Health”

 

In addition, if you want to search for a particular blog, enter its title in the Search bar in the blog roll which appears during blog viewing.