The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That's Destroying Our Health [Hardcover]

Barry Sears (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 2004

Combat silent inflammation --
the most serious health
threat you never heard of

Heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans.
Cancer is the #1 fear of Americans.
Dementia is the #1 concern of Americans.

What do these devastating illnesses have in common? All three have been linked to silent inflammation, a condition that occurs when the body's natural immune response goes awry. Silent inflammation can continue undetected for years, continually assaulting the heart, arteries, and even the brain -- and you will not even know it.

New research confirms that obesity is a primary cause of silent inflammation. And inflammation is the smoking gun that links excess body fat to today's epidemic rise in heart disease, cancer, dementia, and countless other health threats. Although the science of this relationship is complex, the bottom line is simple: If not detected and reversed, silent inflammation will devastate generations of Americans and bankrupt an increasingly stressed health care system. The medical establishment appears to be ignorant about this problem, politicians don't talk about it -- and yet virtually everyone in the country is affected by it.

In his number one New York Times bestseller The Zone, Dr. Barry Sears revolutionized the way we think about nutrition when he showed that a high-carbohydrate diet is a real risk to our health. Now, with eye-opening new research in the field of hormonal control and nutrition, Dr. Sears offers the first comprehensive plan to combat silent inflammation. This important book gives us the tools and tests we need to assess the current level of silent inflammation in our bodies -- and determine our future health.

As you'll discover, the Zone dietary plan -- including supplements of high-dose, ultra-refined fish oil -- is the best way to get the hormonal control you need to reduce inflammation. In The Anti-Inflammation Zone, Dr. Sears shows exactly what steps to follow to reduce your risk of each disease and condition, or to reverse it if you have it already -- in only thirty days. And the Zone Lifestyle Program includes a week of delicious Zone-friendly meals, easy home exercises, and important stress-reducing methods -- all of which work together to put you on a path toward wellness that will improve the rest of your life.

The day you start fighting silent inflammation is the day that you start to slow down the aging process -- and all the chronic diseases that come with it. Welcome to the Anti-Inflammation Zone -- and the return to wellness.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Barry Sears is recognized as one of the world's leading medical researchers on the hormonal effects of food. He is the author of the number one New York Times bestseller The Zone as well as Mastering the Zone, Zone-Perfect Meals in Minutes, Zone Food Blocks, A Week in the Zone, The Age-Free Zone, The Top 100 Zone Foods, The Soy Zone, The Omega Rx Zone, Zone Meals in Seconds, and What to Eat in the Zone. His books have sold more than five million copies and have been translated into twenty-two languages in forty countries. He continues his research on the inflammatory process as the president of the nonprofit Inflammation Research Foundation in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The father of two grown daughters, he lives in Swampscott, Massachusetts, with his wife, Lynn.

From AudioFile

The initiator of much public discussion about blood chemistry and chronic disease, Dr. Sears explains the importance of sub-clinical levels of inflammation in joints, tissues, and blood vessels. Inflammation is the number one cause of most diseases and much of the pain of old age--both of which are preventable with attention to how eating patterns influence the ebb and flow of hormones in the body. As in his previous audios, the author's resonant voice is upbeat, making his ideas difficult to put aside, especially if you're over 50 and not feeling so good. His lesson makes proper eating sound so easy that most listeners will wonder why they're ignoring this advice. T.W. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (December 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060595469
• ISBN-13: 978-0060595463
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barry Sears is a pioneer in biotechnology, specialising in the human body's hormonal responses to different types of diet. He has based his work on Nobel Prize-winning research as well as his own unique research, to create a simple dietary plan that has changed lives. A widely published scientist and researcher, he is President of the biotechnology firm Eicotech and is the bestselling author of The Zone books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Changing, March 1, 2005

By 

hawkeyestc (Saint Cloud, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That's Destroying Our Health (Hardcover)

Few books prompt me to want to TELL THE WORLD because it may make a big difference in the quality of life of anyone who reads it. This is the first book I've read about the Zone diet, inflammation and fish oil supplements so it was all news to me and makes sense. An excellent companion book is Zone Meals in Seconds which enabled me to apply the theory using recipes, canned/frozen food, and even restaurant visits.

A high cholesterol report and watching Morgan Spurlock's movie, Super Size Me, prompted me to pursue some changes in my diet. in the month since entering the Zone I have discontinued Sudafed use (after years on it) and my husband is off of glucosamine and pain free. Plus, we are not hungry, have energy, and sleep better than before. Don't underestimate the health effects of the right food if you are currently in pain or taking any medications this book "might help, won't hurt".

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you have Arthritis- Read this Book, February 25, 2008

By 

Janet W. Jesse (Albany, Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That's Destroying Our Health (Zone (Regan)) (Paperback)

I was lucky enough to find an internist who recommended this book to me when I went to him with symptoms of cold intolerance, fatigue, swollen and inflamed joints, thyroid disorder and a host of other symptoms. In the meantime, while awaiting the results of the tests, he advised me to read this book as it would explain inflammation in the body.

Previously I had been diagnosed with arthritis and treated for symtoms and became progressively worse. Within two weeks of implementing the changes outlined in this book; both diet changes and adding 5 grams of enteric-coated fish oil per day I had significant reduction in the swelling and inflammation.

To understand how inflammation works on the body and to reduce a host of symptoms and beliefs associated with Alzheimers, etc. this book is a valuable tool for self-enlightment. Many physicians today don't take the time to treat underlying causes of illnesses before they progress to more serious problems for the patient. Read this book and Help Yourself. It won't do any harm and may do you a world of good.

91 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars There are some good ideas in this book, but Sears' sloppy argumentation is a burden on the reader, August 28, 2007

By 

ninjasuperstar (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That's Destroying Our Health (Zone (Regan)) (Paperback)

My chiropractor gave me this book to read after I complained that working out wasn't ceasing my back spasms. He wanted me to start a core workout program rather than continue with a bodybuilding workout program (after a month, the former has greatly reduced my back pain and increased strength in my back and legs), and he also thought I wasn't eating right. I began the core program immediately and started reading Dr. Sears' book, initially in earnest.

I don't think Dr. Sears is wrong about the significance of all kinds of inflammation as well as the health benefits of taking purified, high-dose fish oil. Like a good theorist, he compiles the work of many, many previous researchers and concludes an untested theory that truly deserves a massive study to confirm Sears' contentions. All of that is fine.

But I now understand why my doctor gave me the book while mentioning some reservations about its content. First and foremost, this is probably the most repetitive book I have ever read. In fact, I did not read every word, or even every chapter. I felt insulted when I would read the same ideas in every chapter, often the same sentences and phrasing. The exercise section is pathetic and possibly dangerous if you have a bad back. Don't bother reading it. The week's worth of meals is also weak, yet the exercise and meal sections together total 100 pages. Notes and appendices comprise another 100 pages. Discounting those sections, Sears leaves only 200 pages to explain what his book is about. And he's not going to make it pleasant. What's funny about repetition in a book is that it actually confuses the reader, because each time a concept is repeated, something new is added to it so that it becomes foreign again. Sears truly needs an editor.

That being said, the essence of his ideas is interesting, but I imagine there are not more than 100 pages of text worth reading here. In a nutshell, Sears believes you should take high-dose fish oil (make sure it's pure, like Eskimo-3, or a similarly reputable brand); avoid grains, rice, and pasta; eat small portions of protein at most meals; eat fruits and veggies; avoid sugar and juices; and avoid egg yolks, butter, vegetable oil, and a few other "bad" oils. That's it. Now if you really want to know why you should eat this way for the rest of your life, you'll have to read his book. Although it takes him a few hundred pages to get it out, the reasons for this diet and for taking fish oil are in there.