In this interview, Dr. David Perlmutter discusses his book Better Brain and outlines practical strategies for preserving brain health and preventing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. He emphasizes that brain health is often overlooked compared to heart health, and argues that Alzheimer’s is largely preventable through lifestyle changes, medical testing, and targeted interventions rather than being strictly genetically predetermined. Perlmutter introduces a 45‑point "brain audit" that assesses an individual’s risk profile and provides personalized nutritional and lifestyle recommendations. He mentions FDA‑approved research on intravenous glutathione as a promising therapy, and shares specific everyday tips (e.g., avoiding alarm clocks near the head, not using electric blankets). The conversation frames these tools as proactive measures to “fix the roof while the sun is shining,” positioning the book as a guide for long‑term cognitive vitality.
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What do you do to get your head back in the game? We're asking the author of Better Brain book, the best tools for improving memory and sharpness and for preventing aging of the brain, Dr. David Perlmutter. This is great news. I didn't know I could do that. You can actually slow up the aging process for the brain, Doc?
We hear about heart healthy, but we never really think about your brain health. Why is that, do you think?
Unclear. I mean, I think Most people really pay attention to things like the heart and their muscles and know that there's things that they can do to get those organs in shape. But in reality, there's a lot that we can do to get our brains functioning better and to stave off things like Alzheimer's.
Now, in your book, you say that forgetfulness could be a result of a distressed brain. What exactly does that mean?
Well, absolutely. You know, the brain does age with time, as does the rest of our bodies, but we can actually preserve brain health. And while we work on keeping our bodies healthy, we can do things to maintain the health of our brain long into our 80s and 90s. The important news is that Alzheimer's is a preventable disease, and more importantly, we know we don't have any medical cure for that problem right now.
If we are at risk, that is, if it is in our genes, our parents had it, our grandparents had Alzheimer's, uh, it really doesn't matter what we eat or what supplements we take, does it?
Well, it matters a whole heck of a lot, David, with all due respect. And that is to say, Alzheimer's is not a genetically determined disease. You may have a genetic predisposition, but we now know That with the proper medical testing, which should be done at the time of your physical examination, we can override those genetic determinants and really give you the options of not having Alzheimer's disease. The point is, it is a preventable disease for which we have no cure. Again, it's a question of if you don't use it, you're gonna lose it.
I know one of the things that you suggest in the book is taking stock, inventory, doing a brain audit.
Right. We have a 45-point brain audit that will allow you to know exactly where you are in terms of risk for crippling brain disease. Exactly what you need to do nutritionally and lifestyle-wise to reduce your risk of these potentially life-threatening diseases, which we now know are preventable. We've now received full FDA approval for our research using intravenous glutathione, and that will be completed in December of this year.
And that's effective for Parkinson's?
It is remarkably effective. So the point is, as John Kennedy said in his inauguration, the time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining. We can prevent Alzheimer's disease, and we now have the tools, and that's what the book is all about.
It's got, it's got some really interesting things in here, like About alarm clocks. Don't sleep with one next to your head. Exactly. And no electric blankets. Some great stuff in here. Dr. David Perlmutter, thanks so much.
