Customer Reviews

Inflammation Nation

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Inflammation Nation walks you through the details of most important development in preventive medicine of the last ten years. You might be surprised to find out that some of the foods we think of as super healthy (salmon, anyone?) may actually be elevating your risk of heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other ailments. Particularly recommended to anyone who follows Atkins, Sugarbusters, or the Zone Diet, where the dangers of diet-driven inflammation are not adequately addressed.

I especially like how Dr. Chilton explain the misconception of some foods being healthy when the really aren't. Atlantic Farm raised Salmon for example, is not advised. Pacific wild salmon IS a much better option. Atlantic farm raised is lower in the good fats, higher in A.A.(explained in he book as the major cause for inflammation) and has a much higher level of man made pollutants. It also has lower levels of astaxanthin due to the fish being feed a synthetic version. Look at any of the "good" fish oils on the market or any reputable articles and they all say stay clear of Atlantic Farm raised Salmon and look for Pacific Wild "Alaskin" Salmon, especially Sockeye. Dr Chilton is a World respected "scientist" and explains his research in simple language. The book is straight forward and based on his extensive research. It's a great read especially if you value your health and want to reduce inflammation issues in the future. When you see critical comments concerning the contents of this book, be sure to do a little research before you take their word as being correct.

What the authors say about inflammation and arachidonic acid is true and significant, but the lask of mention of other causes of inflammation is hard to forgive. Not a word is said about toxins, homocysteine, infections, oxidants, or inflammatory vegetable oils. among many causes of inflammation. YOu might try THE INFLAMMATION SYNDROME, or HONEST NUTRITION.

I was able to read/skim this book in about an hour. While there is some helpful information in it (thus the 3 stars), the end result of the actual "diet" portion of the plan was nothing groundbreaking, in my opinion. I have been having autoimmune/inflammatory issues for over a year now and have done quite a bit of research and although his initial approach is different, the end result was really nothing new. I was all excited to see his amazing diet tips after reading about his research (which was interesting)...only to find out that I already eat within the parameters of his "breakthrough diet" and still have inflammatory issues.

Yes, more people need to watch what they eat. Yes, eat more healthy veggies. Yes, stay away from foods not made from whole grains. Yes, we need to stay away from high sugar foods. Unless you eat things like chitterlings, pork liver, beef brain, fried everything, white flour everything, cakes, cookies, and no veggies...and if you watch at all what you eat, you may be pretty close to his "breakthough diet" already.

I felt more like the book should have been about wild salmon versus farmed salmon since that seems to be the bulk of his main argument. I do think it is important to note the difference, but again...you can find that out on the internet.

There are a few important pieces of information I believe were pointed out in this book:
-All fish is not created equal. Some fish can cause serious pain and inflammation and some will help you. (You can see his findings about specific fish in a concise list in Chapter 15...pages 172-175.)
-Egg yolk can pose a serious inflammation risk.
-Do not take a GLA supplement without having EPA (in supplement or food form)...it can cause serious harm.

I did find it interesting that he includes some of the major inflammatory foods (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and citrus) on his "foods to eat often" lists. Personally, I have seen a direct link between these foods and my pain levels and therefore have decided to avoid them, as much as I love them. I would be curious to see more information on why he does not see these as inflammatory foods when they are some of the most common that will pop up in a Google search about inflammatory foods.

I recommend borrowing this book from your library. First, look at the indexes (unless you are very curious about scientific things) from page 165 through 175, maybe make a few lists of what to buy or avoid, and then take it right back to the library for someone else to borrow.

THIS BOOOK IS EXCELLENT IN EXPLAINING THE PROCESS OF INFLAMMATION

THAT TAKES PLACE IN OUR BODIES.IT EXPLAINS "THE WHYS" AND NOT JUST THE "HOW TO'S".I HAVE BEEN ON THE CHILTON DIET FOR ONE YEAR

AND 6 MONTHS; FIRST 6 MONTHS I HAD A 20%INCREASE IN MY PULMONARY FUNCTION TEST AND A YEAR LATER ANOTHER 6% INCREASE.THIS BOOK IS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SERIOUS AND COMMITTED TO IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH. FOR THE FIRST TIME I'VE UNDERSTOOD THE ASTHMA COMPONENT OF MY DISEASE. I WAS USING 2 LITERS OF O2 FOR 4 MONTHS.THIS DIET &EXERCISE WORKS!I'M NO LONGER ON O2.

Inflammation Nation is very well written and easy to understand. I have been on the plan for a couple of weeks now and I already notice a big difference in my arthritis. I have felt better than I have in years. I have read other books on inflammation, but this one is the best by far. Dr. Floyd Chilton is very knowledgable, I am very impressed with this book and would recommend it to anyone with inflammatory diseases.

I just finished this book. It was a light and interesting read. I gave it five stars because I believe that despite how the material was delivered -- it is an extremely important subject that is, overall, quite esoteric. Thus, for his field one can't criticize too harshly.

The book itself I felt like it could, as other reviewers have said, had a little more emphasis on an actual plan. Instead of giving a plan he demonstrated it with *ideas* for meals. I really wanted some more specific nutritional content instead of an overall "index." But hey, maybe I'm just a little bit of a science geek at heart. (Give me real numbers, not made up units!) Though, clearly, this book was intended for the common man -- for the nation -- not for a scientist at heart.

One thing that surprised me is how little supplementation of omega 3 EPA he recommended. Perhaps this was because he expected us to be getting it from the better meals we would be eating? Some studies on depression/bipolar, among other things recommend supplementing as much as 2 GRAMS of EPA per day, many of which have impressive outcomes! (Can this amount be achieved simply by eating "right?" Perhaps this high ammount is therapeautic)

But the important things that were introduced to me in this book that despite all of my reading of scientific studies, and prowling around on the net for information on inflammatory disease, I had never run across comes from the insightful review of the effects of arachidonic acid -- an insidious omega 6 fatty acid in our diet responsible for much of our immune problems as a nation, and the effects of an important supplement I'd entirely neglected to ever look into: borage oil.

Over all, this book had great information in it that even an otherwise well-informed guy like me could use! For all of it's shortcomings it offers something that's great, and I think, could stop a LOT of misery in this world! If I have any criticism, it is that it felt geared a little too much towards the average joe! But this isn't a bad thing... it just serves a bigger purpose and that is helping the common man, instead of being simply of academic appeal.

Highly recommended.