Customer Reviews

Beating Diabetes (A Harvard Medical School Book)

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STOP. Do not read one more thing. Not a newspaper, magazine, or even the back of your cereal box ... until you first read this life-changing book. Hey, the title says, "Diabetes" and you're saying, "well that's not for me." Do yourself a favor and think again. Every household should own this book as a desk-reference for living a longer and (more importantly) healthier life.

Modern medicine is in the throws of a death-grip struggle with the most formidable health crisis in recent history, diabetes. The Center for Disease Control pegs the health costs of America's careless lifestyle habits (poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise) at $176 billion annually. As as result, diabetes is fast becoming your greatest health risk.

Ironically, the more science understands about diabetes, the less and less Americans are applying that knowledge to improving their lifestyle. Nearly 70 percent of adults suffering from adult onset diabetes now risk early death from stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure, say the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American College of Endocrinologists.

The good news is that modern medicine has assembled a formidable resource for combating America's formidable health crisis. That resource is a new book from McGraw-Hill. My review found the book to be the definitive source on diabetes prevention and treatment. Why? The authors employ scientific knowledge in the best way possible. Empowering consumers to take personal responsibility for their wellness by applying the advances of medical science to their everyday lifestyles.

Readers will be delighted to find complex concepts and processes explained in easily understood language enhancing the likelihood for application to daily lifestyle routines. Are you confused about all those diet programs? Excellent reviews of the most popular programs are offered for the reader's consideration. For example, Dr. Phil's "Ultimate Weight Loss Solution Diet" earned high praise, which makes perfect sense because the weight gain on your bottom originates from your top (how you think about food). Additionally, the book's explanation of the difference between "activity" and "exercise" is positively brilliant. A real eye-opener for those who may have been unsuccessful in previous attempts at weight loss and maintenance.

My opinion, the book's greatest value is its central theme. Again and again, the authors empower readers with scientific knowledge, enabling them to make immediate, health-enhancing changes in their lifestyles. Toward that end, here's a list of what I found very useful in the book.
1.How our lifestyle can endanger our health
2.Weight gain myths and realities
3.Reviews of the most popular diet programs, weight-loss plans, and exercise programs
4.Illustrations of therapeutic nutrients composition, and Body Mass Index chart
5.How to get ready to change your lifestyle for the better
6.Appendices of meal plans, recipes, and healthy snacks
By far the best source for healthy lifestyle that I've read in years. Read it, and reap.

I dissagree with the previous reviewer in one aspect: the book is of no use to you if you already have type II diabetes.

The title is deceptive. If you have Diabetes already, this book will not help you "beat it." The main point of the book is how to "prevent it." The basis for the recommendations provide here are supposedly based on success of the "ground-breaking" Diabetes Prevention Program. Unfortunately, if you want to assess on your own the results of that study, or even a small portion thereof, you are out of luck reading this book; just go to the primary literature.

In short, although the author (Ms Delahanty)does not highly recommend any diet, and reviews a few diets for the reader, the high carb, low fat diet approach appears to be by default the diet of choice. Unfortunately, for us (metabolic syndrome (X-ers)), thrifty gene-types, the low fat/high carb approach has lead us down the path to diabetes. And it is not the "It's the calories, stupid," either, Ms Delahanty. We handle all energy sources uniquely. As many low carb dieters can document, they can easily exceed the caloric intake of your low fat dieters and still loose weight, and most importantly of all, keep their blood sugars low.

For you with diabetes, save your money and check out a number of low -carb diet books on the market, particularly Drs. Bernstein and Atkins, and you will have a much better chance of "Beating Diabetes."

I was very disappointed when I opened the book and read various areas seeking current information on insulin production, injection, pumping and diabetic classifications since the changes of 2003. I am now 53 years old. I was diagnosed with diabetes at 38. Due to medical ignorance, rather than adaguate testing, the Adult Onset of high Blood Glucose was treated with oral medication for 5 months. I had no pointers currently recognised for Type 2. Finally it was suggested I might want to consult a specialist familiar with using insulin. He looked at my Log Book and with and overall dailey use of 24 units had me under 150mg/dL as an average reading the same week. This book is very simple, written at a grade school level (at least it used to be grade school) and only treatment of Type 2 with Diet, Exercise, and Oral Medication is set forth with any detail. The general title is deceptive. Barry J. Shiffert

Of all of the books I have on this subject this is the best one. Most offer some kind of magical cure or special diet that no one can stick to for very long.

This book is full of good sense advice and support for anyone with diabetes. There is a chapter analyzing all of the current popular diets such as Adkins, Dr. Phil, Pritikin, etc. Why they work at first and why they will probably fail in the long run.

There is a great chapter on the psychology of why we eat and how to learn to control and change bad eating habits.

Dr. Nathan is an international authority on diabetes, a Harvard professor and the director of the Diabetes Center at Mass. General Hospital. He is also a frequent contributor to the ADA Journal of Diabetic Care.

Poor book with obvious content. Took 10m minutes to breeze through it. More available on just about any web site.

Dr. Nathan really knows his stuff and is one of the researchers who might just turn the epidemic of Type 2 diabetes in this country around.