This review was written by Eugene Kernes
Genre = Science, Health Resource
Elaborate Description
A book laden with research about the research of health in terms of what we eat and the impact on potential health problems. The author eloquently points out various hypothesis and studies done on finding out problems that are or can become chronic to humans. Science works only by testing alternative hypothesis, testing both those that the researcher thinks are right and wrong. Considering the heavy consensus building done to insure one hypothesis over other hypothesis reduced the field of nutrition be less than scientific. Taubes brings proper science to the field by showing research of most if not all major research and people in the field.
Taubes points out other research that shows that overweight people tend to eat the same or with little difference to the of lean people. Obesity research has been done with preconceived notions such as that overweight people tend to have a positive caloric intake, or more specifically that they eat more than they should. The argument is what is cause and effect, for the body needs energy so the question is how the body decimates the energy throughout the body and what it does when there is a lack/deficit of energy intake. Research shows that it is insulin that effects how we deal with energy intake. The hormonal environment of the body seems to be the answer to many different health problems. This book does a great job at targeting and ameliorating wrongly placed stigma, such as that overweight people have a behavioral defect which is incorrect as it is what how the body tackles the energy intake that matters. Depending on how our body disseminates energy will effect how active we are such that if we are effective at transporting energy we will be more active and vice versa.
Diets that restrict calorie count are very harmful for when the person starts to eat normally again they invariably gain more weight than they had before the diet. The best way to stay healthy is to eat when we are hungry to insure that the body does not start to think we are living in a scarce food environment, for scarcity of food would mean that the body will store more fat to use in the future as energy.
When the author is discussing the research, very little if at all bias is perceived until after the research is presented. The little bias shown sometimes has a negative impact as it is hard to identify what research is more helpful or harmful. Some parts of the book need to be repeated for more effective readership, like the technical terms from the nutritionists world as it is hard to keep all the specifics in mind when trying to understand the research.
Book Details
Pages to read: 485
Publication: 2007
1st Edition: 2007
Format: Paperback
Ratings out of 5:
Readability 4
Content 5
Overall 5
