After receiving his PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Rochester, Dienstbier joined the Psychology Department of the University of Nebraska, where he has spent his entire professional career. He served as the Head of that Social-Personality program and (for 8 years) as Psychology Department Chair. He was the Series Editor of the annual Nebraska Symposium on Motivation. He is now Professor Emeritus of Psychology.Dienstbier's interests in aging, stress, and emotion led to research and to graduate courses in research methods, emotion, and stress, with emphasis on how programs of regular exercise, mental stimulation, meditation, and even some social activities lead to modifications to both neurochemistry and neural structures. Those physiological modifications slow and even reverse the negative impacts of stress and aging on the brain, resulting in enhanced cognitive capacities and even resilience.That research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health, and it ultimately led to his 2015 book Building resistance to stress and aging: The toughness model (published originally by Palgrave Macmillan, now Springer). Although that book described how much activities such as physical exercise and cognitive stimulation contribute to cognitive capacities and resilience, and how they lead to those benefits, an obviously missing piece was the contribution of nutrition to preserving cognitive capacity and resilience, especially in older people. Recognizing the importance of that missing element of nutrition led to research on how much and how major dietary programs and individual nutrients lead to the modifications to neurochemistry and neural structures that ultimately preserve cognition, defend against dementia, and lead to psychological resilience.
"Food for Thought" is the perfect double entendre for this fine
book. Dienstbier, an eminent scholar who specializes in the aging
brain, reviews relevant research to offer us a fresh look on
nutrition and brain health. With clear, precise writing and
delightful wry humor, Dienstbier makes practical suggestions for
having a long "smartspan." Ashley Montagu famously wrote that he
wanted "to die young as late as possible.""Food for Thought" will
help us do just that.
Mary PipherPsychologist and author of 'Women Rowing North'
This book considers the scientific evidence on the anti-aging
effects of food choices. It will be of very broad interest, not
only to those approaching the later stages of life but to everyone
wanting to promote and prolong well-being and quality of life. The
clear and engaging style of writing makes this book enjoyable to
read, while the author's deep and comprehensive understanding of
the scientific method and its strengths and gaps means readers can
be confident of the work's balance and independence.Dienstbier
summarises a huge and scattered scientific literature and also
provides guidance for readers to evaluate that literature for
themselves as future research reports become available. Overall
this book is a masterly review of what we know about nutrition and
the aging brain, the foundations of that knowledge, and how we will
learn more.
Dr. Helen R. WinefieldEmeritus Professor, School of
PsychologyUniversity of Adelaide, South Australia
This book provides an aggregate view of innumerable research
studies focused on nutrition and how it impacts human cognitive and
emotional capabilities. Dr. Dienstbier "unpacks" these studies,
organizes the information, and provides great insight into how
human consumption of food and fluids influences our ability to
comprehend, think, retain, and navigate our world. Inhis usual
good-humor fashion, he explains complex concepts in ways that are
easily understood by the reader and encourages one to keep reading.
In fact, reading this excellent book was notunlike staying up late
at night with a good cup of coffee (or glass of wine) to get to the
end of a captivating novel. As nurses and other health science
professionals engage with the aging American consumer, this book
will become an excellent resource to which they will return again
and again.
Charlotte Liggett, Ed.D, MSN, MBA, RNChair, Department of
NursingNebraska Wesleyan University
Professor Emeritus Richard Dienstbier has done it again. In 2015 I
had the pleasure of reading Professor Dienstbiers wonderful book
Building Resistance to Stress and Aging. In my opinion, as a
physiologist, it remains one of the most accessible and important
books when it comes to understanding stress and health. It is a
book that anyone interested in physical and mental health should
consider compulsory reading. With his new book, Professor
Dienstbier has set a new bar for making the important science of
nutrition, especially regarding brain health, accessible. I am
aware of no other book on the market that covers the relevant
subject matter in the way that Professor Dienstbier has managed to
do. His extreme dedication to empirical accuracy is bar none. Not
only does he manage a level of scientific accuracy that few others
can, but Professor Dienstbier also writes with humor and a style
that truly captivates. Anyone with an interest in the field of
nutrition should consider this book a must-read. Chris
MacDonaldPhysiologistUniversity of Copenhagen, Denmark
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