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Reviews
The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally by Jason Fung, Nina Teicholz
deluciate's review against another edition
5.0
An important book that has shaped my understanding. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in better understanding the root causes of type 2 diabetes, and those looking for hope.
llanirev's review against another edition
5.0
Impressive and a pageturner. Where the first book (Obesity Code) was mostly about the how and why of getting fat, the related urban myths, how several hormones work and the research behind it, this book was mostly about how to prevent obesity and preventing, lessening and even curing diabetes. Very insightful and inspirational. Not sure if every claim is true, but I really loved the fact driven way of writing. Too much to take in in one read.
annamaria1970's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
4.5
A lot of science in here but absolutely worth the read for anyone with pre diabetes or type 2 diabetes.
moniwicz's review against another edition
3.0
With an introduction by Nina Teicholz, predictable for me to like this book. Ignore the rating, it means almost nothing. Enjoy my sloppy-notey-review.
On purely enjoyment-based criteria, Jason Fung was lacking, and would repeat and loop backwards incessantly. That being said, his style was simple, easy to follow, and suitable for a layperson. Quite a number of evident shortcomings detracted from the book, many of which I was able to ignore given my extensive scientific background. these were the very same that would problematically mislead his layperson audience.
Among them:
Not offering his caveats until very late on.
Whole chapters dedicated to lists of current diabetes drugs which added nothing
Skewed presentation of data. For example, even if, lets say, a current diabetes drug reduced overall total mortality (a good thing) he would undermine or downplay the positive result in an effort to discredit pharmacological approaches.
No discussion of benefits of fasting in the general non-ill population (although I can forgive this one)
In essence:
- In the last 50 years Type 2 diabetes has gone from a rarity to a growing epidemic
- Overconsumption of sugar and starches leads to an overload of glucose in all cells of the body and its "overflow into the blood".
- The body compensates by further increasing endogenous insulin levels but cells are already saturated, hence are "resistant" to the effects of insulin
- This leads to De Novo Lipogenesis inside cells
- Fat production happens all over the body, but when organs are infiltrated (rather than fat deposited subcutaneously) this is particularly metabolically harmful
- Fatty liver (NAFLD) causes the insulin resistance which makes or breaks development of Type 2 diabetes (usually as part of metabolic syndrome)
- Other organs, too, are damaged by fat deposition; skeletal muscle, the heart, the pancreas etc.
-Though all starches are harmful, fructose is preferentially metabolised in the liver
- In France, ducks and geese are force-fed with high starch corn mash to produce delicious delicacies. We, too, become human foie gras
- Therefore fructose containing foods should be avoided like the plague (apart from fruit IN MODERATION). Unfortunately, modern food is characterised by high added fructose levels.
- Excessive insulin is therefore the common root cause of both obesity and diabetes Type 2
- common insulin therapy concentrates on reducing complications of hyperglycaemia. However, in the short term glucotoxicity is not dangerous per se (rather, it indicates the underlying diabetic status of the person), and most of the results of taking longterm oral hypoglycaemic and insulomimic agents are the exact same (CVD, strokes, short life span).
- Therefore diabetes should be treated in a two pronged manner - lower blood glucose AND lower blood insulin.
- Common pharmacological techniques, many of which increase insulin levels in order to force glucose into cells are counterproductive, and in the long run aggravate the condition.
- For those who suffer from diabetes Type 2, the trick is to empty their cells (particularly the liver)
- The best way to do this is to severely limit calorie intake in general, and to concentrate on reduction of carbohydrates in particular
- For multiple reasons "low calorie" "portion-control" diets have failed. Partly for psychological and practical reasons (reducing calories by a small margin every day is difficult, unsustainable, and prone to error), and some physiological (small calorie restriction leads to metabolic adaptation, and continuous moderate insulin levels)
- If we continue to have glucose in the body, the body will only burn that glucose for energy. The Randle cycle holds that the body does not use both fat and glucose at the same time. In order to use up undesirable fat stores glucose needs to be absent from the blood.
- Fung presents intermittent or long-term fasting regimes as a solution to diabetes, once a critical point has been reached.
- Apart from this, all the regulars hold - fat is good, saturated fat is not bad, eat as naturally and unprocessed as possible, eating cholesterol does not raise cholesterol etc etc (I don't need to continue because I could continue forever)
Overall.
Pertinent points which I intend to loosely continue follow (given that I am not diabetic).
Worthwhile to read.
Adds fuel to the fire of my ever-growing agreement with the "evil-sugar" theory of nutrition.
On purely enjoyment-based criteria, Jason Fung was lacking, and would repeat and loop backwards incessantly. That being said, his style was simple, easy to follow, and suitable for a layperson. Quite a number of evident shortcomings detracted from the book, many of which I was able to ignore given my extensive scientific background. these were the very same that would problematically mislead his layperson audience.
Among them:
Not offering his caveats until very late on.
Whole chapters dedicated to lists of current diabetes drugs which added nothing
Skewed presentation of data. For example, even if, lets say, a current diabetes drug reduced overall total mortality (a good thing) he would undermine or downplay the positive result in an effort to discredit pharmacological approaches.
No discussion of benefits of fasting in the general non-ill population (although I can forgive this one)
In essence:
- In the last 50 years Type 2 diabetes has gone from a rarity to a growing epidemic
- Overconsumption of sugar and starches leads to an overload of glucose in all cells of the body and its "overflow into the blood".
- The body compensates by further increasing endogenous insulin levels but cells are already saturated, hence are "resistant" to the effects of insulin
- This leads to De Novo Lipogenesis inside cells
- Fat production happens all over the body, but when organs are infiltrated (rather than fat deposited subcutaneously) this is particularly metabolically harmful
- Fatty liver (NAFLD) causes the insulin resistance which makes or breaks development of Type 2 diabetes (usually as part of metabolic syndrome)
- Other organs, too, are damaged by fat deposition; skeletal muscle, the heart, the pancreas etc.
-Though all starches are harmful, fructose is preferentially metabolised in the liver
- In France, ducks and geese are force-fed with high starch corn mash to produce delicious delicacies. We, too, become human foie gras
- Therefore fructose containing foods should be avoided like the plague (apart from fruit IN MODERATION). Unfortunately, modern food is characterised by high added fructose levels.
- Excessive insulin is therefore the common root cause of both obesity and diabetes Type 2
- common insulin therapy concentrates on reducing complications of hyperglycaemia. However, in the short term glucotoxicity is not dangerous per se (rather, it indicates the underlying diabetic status of the person), and most of the results of taking longterm oral hypoglycaemic and insulomimic agents are the exact same (CVD, strokes, short life span).
- Therefore diabetes should be treated in a two pronged manner - lower blood glucose AND lower blood insulin.
- Common pharmacological techniques, many of which increase insulin levels in order to force glucose into cells are counterproductive, and in the long run aggravate the condition.
- For those who suffer from diabetes Type 2, the trick is to empty their cells (particularly the liver)
- The best way to do this is to severely limit calorie intake in general, and to concentrate on reduction of carbohydrates in particular
- For multiple reasons "low calorie" "portion-control" diets have failed. Partly for psychological and practical reasons (reducing calories by a small margin every day is difficult, unsustainable, and prone to error), and some physiological (small calorie restriction leads to metabolic adaptation, and continuous moderate insulin levels)
- If we continue to have glucose in the body, the body will only burn that glucose for energy. The Randle cycle holds that the body does not use both fat and glucose at the same time. In order to use up undesirable fat stores glucose needs to be absent from the blood.
- Fung presents intermittent or long-term fasting regimes as a solution to diabetes, once a critical point has been reached.
- Apart from this, all the regulars hold - fat is good, saturated fat is not bad, eat as naturally and unprocessed as possible, eating cholesterol does not raise cholesterol etc etc (I don't need to continue because I could continue forever)
Overall.
Pertinent points which I intend to loosely continue follow (given that I am not diabetic).
Worthwhile to read.
Adds fuel to the fire of my ever-growing agreement with the "evil-sugar" theory of nutrition.