Defeating Dementia by Richard Furman MD, FACS

Defeating Dementia by Richard Furman MD, FACS ISBN-13: 9780800728045 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Revell Released: March 6, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Dementia. It's one of the most dreaded conditions we face as we age. Many people claim they would rather be diagnosed with cancer than dementia or Alzheimer's. What many don't realize is that dementia is not a forgone conclusion as we get older. Our own lifestyle choices and habits can have a significant impact--for good or ill--on our chances of developing the disease. And that means there's hope.

Drawing from the latest medical research, Dr. Richard Furman helps readers understand dementia and Alzheimer's and shows them how to make three powerful lifestyle changes that can help decrease the probability of developing this disease. He explains how eating the right foods, exercising, and sustaining an ideal weight can dramatically reduce the likelihood of developing dementia in the first place, and even how it can slow the progression of the disease in someone who has already received a diagnosis.


My Review:
Defeating Dementia described in detail the three stages of Alzheimer's, studies on the main risk factors that make you more likely to get dementia (sedentary lifestyle, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol), and the things you can do that will greatly decrease your chances of getting dementia (and heart disease) like exercise, eating or avoiding certain foods, and not smoking.

This book was very encouraging. Even though there are no medicines to cure dementia, there are things that you can do in your forties and fifties to help prevent dementia later in life. These behaviors can also slow or stop the progress of the disease once it has been diagnosed. He recommended things like doing more physical movement, like walking or jogging 30 minutes each day for 6 days a week. Avoiding foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol, like red meat, cream, butter, cheese, and fried foods. Eating more fish, fruit, and vegetables. His recommendations were based on studies, and he summarized these studies in terms that non-scientists can easily understand.

However, it was depressing to read snippets throughout the book describing how his mother-in-law descended into dementia. He used the story to illustrate the changes that happen in each stage, but he also appealed to fear to motivate people to make changes. He made a strong case for his recommendations, so I didn't appreciate his using fear as well. Still, I'd highly recommend this book as I think he has good suggestions.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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