The World's Best Book Summaries
How does exercise benefit the brain? Can physical exercise help with mental health issues? It’s no secret that exercise is key to staying fit and preventing disease. But when it comes to the brain, exercise is rarely factored in as a preventative measure. Keep reading to learn about the mental benefits of exercise.
What is the gut? What function does the gut serve in the body? Your gastrointestinal tract starts in the mouth and ends at the anus. The gut serves a number of important functions in the body, including breaking down food into its constituent nutrients, regulating the microbiome, and eliminating waste. Here’s how your gut works and why it’s important to keep it healthy.
What are Yamanaka genes? How can these genes reverse aging? Yamanaka genes are a group of genes that encode transcription factors that have been shown to convert mature cells into stem cells. These factors hold promise in our quest to reverse aging—stem cells can grow into any type of cell (e.g. neurons, heart cells, liver cells) and could be used to replace the age-related cell damage. Here’s how Yamanaka genes can one day help reverse your biological clock.
What is John Ratey’s Spark about? What is the key message to take away from the book? Spark by John Ratey is a look at the science behind what exercise does to our brains and what it means for our mental health. Ratey derives his insights from observations of his own patients as well as from scientific discoveries that were revolutionizing neuroscience around the time of the book’s publication in 2008. Below is a brief overview of Spark by John Ratey.
What are the three macronutrients? What is the function of each? The building blocks of the food you eat are called macronutrients (macro- meaning “large”) because your body needs them in large quantities. Macronutrients fuel your body with energy and build important structures such as hormones, muscles, and DNA. Keep reading for a better understanding of the three macronutrients’ roles in your health.
Does exercise help with stress? How can exercise relieve stress if exercise itself is a stressor? Exercise has a powerful role in controlling the brain’s stress response system. Specifically, exercise induces mild acute stress (which makes you stronger) and helps combat chronic stress (which wears down your body over time). Keep reading to learn about the benefits of exercise for stress relief.
What are sirtuins? What function do sirtuins serve in the body? How can sirtuins help reverse the effects of aging? According to biologist David Sinclair, sirtuins—enzymes that regulate the epigenome—are the key to reversing aging. He believes he can reverse many of the effects of aging by bolstering our sirtuins because they’re involved in everything from repairing DNA to suppressing inflammation—all of which they accomplish by activating or deactivating certain genes in response to certain stressors. Here’s how sirtuins can help combat aging.
Is fat bad for you? Why is fat vilified? What do different types of fat do in the body? Our culture often portrays fat as something to avoid at all costs. It’s true that eating too much fat can cause health issues, but certain types of fat play key roles in the body. Keep reading to learn about the role of fat in the body.
Why do we need to exercise? Does physical exercise have survival value? According to John Ratey, the author of Spark, humans are evolutionarily built to move. When our ancient ancestors hunted down prey, their bodies and brains worked synchronously. The brain and body, therefore, became well-conditioned to support each other in a virtuous circle. Keep reading to learn about the survival value of exercise, according to John Ratey.
What is the best therapy for trauma? Do you want to try a more traditional approach or something more unconventional? There are many ways to resolve your trauma symptoms in therapy. In his book It Didn’t Start With You, Mark Wolynn talks about two different methods of conducting trauma-based therapy: language-based approach and psychedelic-assisted therapy. Keep reading to learn about the best therapy for healing trauma, according to Mark Wolynn.