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171 of 176 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating science, but short on practical advice, April 30, 2006
I rated this book at 5 stars becase the provocative scientific theory presented could be make this a pivotal book in our understanding of inflammation. That said, I was disappointed by the section where Dr. Chilton presented his actual plan of action.
A number of recent books suggest that the US is suffering an inflammation epidemic resulting in increased levels of such diverse diseases as asthma, heart disease, and arthritis. The chemical messengers that stimulate inflammation are leukotrienes and prostaglandins, both of which are formed from Arachidonic Acid (AA). Humans and other animals synthesize AA from Omega 6 fatty acids in their diet.
Most of the books I've read on Inflammation instruct us to control inflammation by restricting Omega 6 fatty acids in our diet and increasing our consumption of foods rich in Omega 3 EFAs. Inflammation Nation suggests a different approach.
In Inflammation Nation, Dr. Chilton states that human beings are inefficient at converting Omega 6 EFAs into AA. He suggests that the real problem is that we have too much preformed AA in our diet. Rather than focusing on restricting Omega 6 and increasing Omega 3, Dr. Chilton says we should limit the amount of preformed AA in our diet. Paradoxically, this means that we should start avoiding turkey and farmed salmon, two of the foods most often associated with a healthy diet.
So I am left to wonder if Dr. Chilton is a visionary with an important new insight or if he is wrong and the mainstream is correct to disagree with him. If Dr. Chilton is correct, this is a very important book, but if he is wrong, he could be steering us away from foods that belong at the center of a healthy diet. Either way, this book contains a fascinating argument that is well-worth reading.
My problem with the book is that after presenting a provocative argument for limiting AAs in our diet, Dr. Chilton includes "Inflammation Index" scores for fewer than 200 foods--and much of what he lists are foods like organ meats, bologna, and pork sausage that aren't exactly on anyone's A list of healthy food choices. I am left hungry for a more complete listing of what I should seek out and what I should avoid.
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73 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Leading Edge nutritional science for Inflammation sufferers, August 12, 2006
This book presents a new and unique approach to dietary management of inflammatory diseases like arthritis and atsma.
Dr. Chilton is a professor of internal medicine at Wake Forest U. He cites six clinical studies and six peer-reviewed publications which support his approach. In the text he doesn't get into the details of these studies because the book isn't for doctors, it's for people who want to improve their health. One of the papers is reprinted in an appendix. He says that you should start to feel the results of the diet in a couple of weeks.
Here's the basis of the program:
It's known that the body uses an omega-6 fatty acid called AA to make some of the messengers which cause inflammation. Reducing the amount of AA in our bodies has been shown to reduce inflammation.
AA enters our blood streams in two ways. We eat AA directly in animal products such as meat and fish. Our bodies also make AA from other omega-6 fatty acids which we get from plant based foods.
The conventional advice has been to limit ALL omega-6 fats, to get a balanced ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.
Chilton says that only AA in the diet is a problem. Our bodies do convert other omega-6 fatty acids to AA, but very slowly. He shows you what meat and fish you can eat without getting a large dose of AA in the bargain.
In addition, he recommends taking a suplement of GLA, which impedes the conversion of AA into messengers which cause inflammation, and getting a certain amout of omega-3 EPA as well. (from either fish or supplements) The doses of GLA and EPA depend on whether you're already sick, or just trying to avoid getting that way.
Finally, he recommends avoiding carbs like white bread and sugar, which have a high glycemic index. That's becasue they raise insulin levels in the blood, which is another factor in inflammation.
This is a great book. It isn't the easiest book to understand. You may have to study it, rather than just reading it through once.
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62 of 64 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
disappointed, August 31, 2006
I was very disappointed when I opened this book. I thought I was reading his other book, WINNING THE WAR WITHIN, with a new cover. Essentially I was. There is not enough new information in this book to justify buying both. It should have been published as a newer version of the old book, not a totally new book. Sorry, it is well written, an awful lot of good and well presented information, but feel like I was charged twice for the same book. If you don't own the War Within, then by all means, buy this book. If you do, then I'd pass. Thank you.
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