User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Divorce and other major life changes make you re-examine many things in life. In 2015 into 2016, standing on the smoldering ruins of my 23-year marriage, I took a hard look at my life and found some things that I needed to change. I was depressed, overweight, and in general not a happy camper. When my General Practitioner gave me a stern talking to and wanted to put me on a bunch of meds, I knew it was time to make a change.
I was working out and doing what the "experts" said you should do, but nothing was working on the weight. So, I started doing my own research. That led me to Jason Fung. His first book, The Obesity Code, led me to Robert Lustig's Fat Chance, and Gary Taubes' excellent book, The Case Against Sugar. (Lustig is a pediatric endocrinologist who treats morbidly obese children, and Taubes is a science journalist).
Long story short, these authors laid out the true drivers of obesity and weight gain - sugar and simple (refined) carbohydrates. It's a hormonal problem rather than a calorie problem. Our bodies handle a 100 calories of Broccoli far differently than a 100 calories of sugar or pasta. (Don't believe the lie that a "calorie is a calorie.")
Sugars and things converted quickly to sugar, spike the hormone insulin and insulin's job is to store energy. Once the liver and muscles are full that means more fat. So long as we have circulating insulin, we cannot burn fat. And by constantly eating carbs and sugar (bagel for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, chips as a snack, pasta at dinner, beer after dinner) we always have insulin in our system.
By dramatically reducing sugar and refined carbohydrates from my life, I lost about 65 lbs in 2016. My blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and fasting blood sugar have all gone to healthy levels. And the weight has remained off. At my last check up my doctor said that I was "his healthiest patient." He also wanted to know what I had done!
The Diabetes Code doesn't really add anything to my knowledge base in terms of health and nutrition, but I read it because I respect the author and it's nice to get a reinforcing message periodically. (It did dwell a bit more on Type 2 Diabetes). If you are really interested in learning more, go out and read Gary Taubes' excellent book The Case Against Sugar. He does a fantastic job of laying out the mess that the Standard American Diet is and how we got to where we are.
Four stars out of five.
Rating: really liked it
I was referred Jason Fung’s work & videos by a friend. This is an extremely important book for anyone declared diabetic, pre-diabetic or looking to avoid becoming diabetic. So well, I think everyone should read it, especially since a lot of advice & treatment for diabetes is unreliable and not in line with the latest research & evidence.
There is this theory on the calories in & out for fitness as well as for sugar control. As a matter of fact, I heard this in a health webinar as recently as two weeks back. This should have been discredited long back as Dr Jason Fung points out – this is not reliable advice for weight loss or diabetes. As a result of the calorie in & out belief, there has been the assumption that if you balance the amount you eat and work out, everything is ok. Since long, it has been held that it is best to follow a high carb – low fat diet, and that fat is bad. It is the reverse which may actually be good. Nevertheless, it is about balanced eating. There are many regions where rice & wheat have been staple diets since long and the incidence of diabetes is exploding only now. The key turning point has been exponential consumption of sugary and processed food. Adding to the problem has been wrong treatment methods – treating Type 2 Diabetes with insulin is actually dangerous (it is valid treatment for Type 1 Diabetes).
There is detailed coverage in the book on how the foods we eat gradually lead to fatty liver, cell clogging with sugar and insulin resistance. This is nevertheless entirely reversible with diet changes and fasting, and that is the key message of the book. Exercise is certainly required and yet by itself is inadequate to reverse a largely dietary disease. Dr Fung advocates a low carb – high natural fat diet coupled with a fasting regimen to rid the sugar. This makes complete sense to me and I look forward to regulating my eating habits & routine. However, I would caution against rushing into a Keto diet as the needs of the brain are very different and vital as well (suggested reading Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power by Dr Lisa Mosconi). A Mediterranean diet is regarded as healthy as mentioned in the book – largely avocados, nuts, plant food, grain, olive oils. How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger is another book I recommend for its excellent food recommendation.
It looks like I should have read ‘The Obesity Code’ first, nevertheless this book can be read independently. A book I strongly recommend – it will certainly dispel many incorrect dietary routines many of us inculcate unknowingly. Also, I am getting used to audiobooks now, though it may take some time for me to write ‘listened’ rather than ‘read’.
Rating: really liked it
:: 2019::
Someone I dearly love with diabetes was in denial; this dismissive attitude led to some disturbing medical 'events' this summer. I had recommended Dr. Fung's book last year, but the response was radio silence. I cashed in on some good-will between us [aka meddled], and bought two audio books so we both could listen. [Best $$ I've spent this year!]
Today we talked on the phone. The book was convincing, compelling and inspiring. With just three weeks of putting Dr. Fung's ideas into practice, numbers are down and my dearly loved person is feeling buoyant. I could cry. It truly is a book about hope. I want to buy ten copies and hand them out.
My own story?
My fasting blood glucose on May 2018: 101.
One year later, May 2019: 85.
Booyah!
:: 2018 ::
For much of my adult life Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) has been my bogeyman; family medical history and personal risk factors seemed to indicate that, for me, T2D was inevitable. Now, for the first time my body is moving away from prediabetes and closer to healthy. What a relief!
An alarming litany:
T2D is the leading cause of blindness.
T2D is the leading cause of kidney failure.
T2D is the leading cause of heart disease.
T2D is the leading cause of stroke.
T2D is the leading cause of amputations.
T2D is the leading cause of dementia.
T2D is the leading cause of infertility.
T2D is the leading cause of nerve damage.
Whoa! Woe.
There is a fair amount of science in this accessible book, but the "Quick Start" guide/summary is only nine pages. And
you can read it with the Amazon "Look Inside!" feature or with an Amazon Kindle preview.
In short, Dr. Fung's message is this: T2D is a disease entirely caused by too much sugar. Put less sugar in your body and burn off the remaining sugar. Intermittent fasting is the surest and simplest way to burn off the body's glucose. His advice goes against conventional diabetes treatment, but it makes sense. And the track record of his patients is nothing short of astonishing.
On a side note, I chuckled at Dr. Fung's similes:
Did the problem of obesity simply fade away like the morning mist on a hot summer day?
Even today, most doctors cling to this unproven treatment for type 2 diabetes like chewing gum clings to a boot sole.
...successful weight loss using this approach is as rare as humility in a grizzly bear.Or this necklace of adjectives:
Was the entire obesity epidemic simply a sudden, simultaneous, coordinated, worldwide lack of willpower? This is one of those books that make you want to buy dozens of copies to give to family, friends, and strangers.
Rating: really liked it
I've been on a bit of a health and wellness-related audiobook kick in my attempt to revamp my post-pandemic eating habits (thanks, Doritos), and wanted to read more from Jason Fung after The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss changed my life.
The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally is an excellent book for those with type two diabetes or those wanting to prevent diabetes, but it's more like a good jumping off point than a step-by-step guide. I love all of the studies and science talk in the book, though for some it might be a little technical-speak-heavy. I think it's a nice companion to The Obesity Code, though some sections are repetitive.
An engaging an very interesting audiobook. Highly recommend listening to books from this author.
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Rating: really liked it
Extremely encouragingAs a family practice physician this book is just what I needed to keep me focused on the identification and treatment of metabolic syndrome. Jason Fung put it all together in a very readable format. He helped me understand some things that I have already observed in my patients. My experience is confirmed by this book. I am very familiar with his sources and they have inspired me. Now this book becomes a state-of-the-art reference.
Rating: really liked it
Another Excellent Offering from Dr. FungI have read both of Dr. Fund's previous books and through following his lead I am 80 lbs down and only a couple of pounds over my ideal weight. I'm 63years of age and have been overweight since I was 5 and obese since 11. I have never succeeded in losing weight before. I find it easy to keep the weight off.
Oh and I've reversed my diabetes type 2 as well
Rating: really liked it
A week ago I watched an hour-long debate between Nina Teicholz and David Katz about diets, Teicholz arguing that meat, eggs and dairy belong in a healthy diet while Katz espoused the view that vegan or vegetarian diets are healthier for human beings. I'm not prone to weigh in on Facebook, but I couldn't help myself in this case for a several reasons.
First, at the urging of my wife, I've been on a ketogenic diet for about a year-and-a-half. Except for a couple of week-long trips, I've stuck very close to that diet (low carbs, no sugar, plenty of meat, eggs and dairy) and in the process have lost 70 pounds and at age 65 am in the best health of my life. My own experience, and the experience of others who have "gone keto" ought to count for something in the diet debate, should it not?
Second, I know a couple of vegetarians quite well, and neither of them are what I'd consider the picture of health. One is entirely vegan and sticks with whole (i.e. unprocessed) foods; the other simply won't eat meat, but Honey Nut Cheerios is not a problem; both have gained a lot of weight and seem to be growing larger and less healthy by the year.
Finally, since my own experience seemingly ran counter to everything we've been told about diet and nutrition for the past several decades, I decided to start reading as much as I could on the subject, starting with Teicholz's 'The Big Fat Surprise,' and moving on to Gary Taube ('Why We Get Fat,' 'The Case Against Sugar'), Fung's 'The Obesity Code' and 'Food Politics' by Marion Nestle (who favors a plant-based diet but is an expert on how the food industry influences science, government policy and human behavior to the detriment of public health). Although the perspectives of each of these writers differ to some extent, they validated to one degree or another my own experience and reinforced my growing conviction that everything we've been told about what and how we should eat has been wrong for my entire adult life.
This combination of factors led me to break my social media rules and describe my own experience in the comments section of the Facebook post about the debate. I wasn't quite prepared for the reaction I got: while my post immediately started accumulating "likes," I also got challenged. Here's an example:
"Year and half on keto and you're a nutrition expert now? We will see where you are at year 5. Getting the weight off is the easy part, keeping it off statistically the difficult part. Post back in another 3-5 years. When matched for calories and protein, studies find the weight loss approx the same to more balance types diets. You ate less calories, and laws of thermodynamics being what they are, you lost weight. If the keto diet is working for you, your blood work is good, and you find it easy to follow, then stick with it, but keto cultists are almost as annoying and vegans in their delusional views on the topic of nutrition."
When I replied to this guy (whose Facebook page claims he was educated at Harvard), explaining that my own experience had led me to start reading Teicholz, Taube, Fung and Nestle, he responded with this:
"Gary Taube is a joke who cherry pics his data and or simply misrepresents the data, and Jason Fung is the fad promoter of all fad promoting BS artists. You're going right down the rabbit of BS artists here. Yes, you're consuming what they're feeding you, but without a sci/med background to know the difference, read the primary lit, etc, it's easy to baffle people with BS as they do so well. Keto wise. Now, as far as actual RCTs, versus correlational data, all have found when matched for cals and protein, weight loss was the same. Examine as a balanced no BS science based write up. I agree with their assessment of keto, and it's spot on and very objective. While I don't always agree wit their assessments, I do most of the time (I do this chit for a living btw...) but they're always solid on relying on the data exists and explaining it to non scientists: https://examine.com/supplements/keto/"
So now I'm involved in a Facebook argument with a guy who claims to "do this chit for a living," doesn't know me from Adam and is so invested in the established "science" about diet and nutrition that anyone who explains the flaws behind that science is a "BS artist" that he winds up telling me (and everyone who disagrees with him), "Carry on with your ignorant selves. I'm glad you read a book and are now an expert. LOL"
Condescension notwithstanding, it was the "do this chit for a living" aside that I found most telling, for it explains everything about the guy's position. Despite the stunning rise in diabetes, obesity and metabolic disease since the mid-70s (when the government established its vaunted Food Pyramid and started telling us all to eat less fat and more carbs), the guy's so determined not to be wrong that he's willing to ignore all the empirical evidence that confronts him every time he leaves his house and finds himself surrounded by fat, sick people who have to use a motorized cart to get around the grocery store.
I was born in the mid-50s. When I was a kid it was common knowledge that high sugar consumption made you fat and could lead to tooth decay and diabetes. Common. Fucking. Knowledge.
By the time I was old enough to have kids of my own, we'd somehow lost that common knowledge. Like everybody else, we fed our kids Pop Tarts, sugary cereals and convenient, highly processed foods. And like at least half the population, I slowly became obese and probably pre-diabetic, and for the life of me I couldn't understand why working out, switching from soda to diet soda and finally to fruit juice, drinking my coffee without cream and sugar and avoiding fats was not helping.
How many countless others found themselves in the same boat, doing everything they could to follow the advice of "the experts," yet getting fatter and fatter and sicker and sicker? And how much evidence do the these "experts" need to see to begin to understand that their "settled science" isn't so settled after all, that it's built entirely on a house of cards made up of flawed tests and flimsy evidence and easily disproven by simple application of the scientific method.
And this Harvard guy who does "this chit for a living" is quick to label Teicholz, Taube and Fung "BS artists."
If you or a family member has diabetes or is pre-diabetic, buy and read this book. It will save your life. If you simply have weight issues, read 'The Obesity Code' instead (or as well). Both books explain in meticulous, yet easily understood detail why sugar and high-carb foods are, despite what Harvard guy claims, bad for our health. Fung's advice is to reduce carb and sugar intake and to fast periodically, which I guess makes him "the fad promoter of all fad promoting BS artists." Right, like promoting fasting is the road to a quick buck.
One would think that evidence like the now accepted fact that bariatric surgery reverses diabetes should lead Harvard guy to re-examine his wrong-headed notions. But if you're not willing to think, even Harvard can't make you smart.
Rating: really liked it
I am an ardent reader of Dr. Fung’s books and blog writings. He changed my life when I read his first book The Obesity Code because his recommendations of Intermittent Fasting and LCHF helped me get rid of my prediabetes a year ago. I have adopted both Intermittent and Extended Fasting and continue to incorporate it in my daily life.
If you want to prevent ever getting Diabetes, you have to read The Diabetes Code. And if you have Diabetes already and want to reverse it, then this book tells you how to reverse it. The solution won’t cost you any money (except for buying the book), but it will require a lot of effort on your part, and go against what every conventional dietitian and doctor will tell you. The current standard of care inevitably leads to insulin shots and possibly dialysis, and Dr. Fung’s leads to reversal. Which path would you rather take?
If you’ve read his previous books and all his videos on YouTube, there will be a lot of overlap, but The Diabetes Code is a good reference book to have on hand. It’s highly readable for lay people and the patient stories in it will inspire you.
Rating: really liked it
Update: This was a reread and it still put the fear of God in me. Crazy. Still 4 star worthy...maybe even 5. I'll have to give it some thought.
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This is Nonfiction/Health. If you or someone you know has this disease, this book will put the fear of God in you. The author doesn't sugar coat anything when it comes to the lingering and worsening symptoms of diabetes. He strips down the modern treatments and exposes the flaws in their usage. They ultimately treat a symptom and not the causality. No one gets better with medication. It might slow down the decline, but you are still declining. I watched this happen with my dad. It was always a downward spiral, and due to complications, it was the cause of this death.
The author recommends intermittent fasting to prevent and reverse the disease. It sounds kind of extreme, but intriguing. So 4 stars.
Rating: really liked it
OK so I now have the book "THE DIABETES CODE (TDC). and I also have the book "MASTERING DIABETES "(MD) I will compare the 2 books
Just as I thought! on the TDC's cover has Steven Gundry MD whose book "The Plant Paradox is widely criticized (and mocked) by most Doctor's and nutritionists. I open the book and on the fly leaf I see 6 more endorsements from Doctors and 1 more from a Master of Science .
And his forward is written by suspected cattle industry lobbyist ,Nina Teicholz , whose book "Big Fat Surprise" PROMOTES eating lots of Butter, Meat and Cheese. Nina is debunked on YouTube (type in ) "Worst of the Fat Industry: Nina Teicholz "Big Fat Surprise" and here " Worst Of The Ketogenic Diet Gurus #3: Nina Teicholz & Denise Minger" (at 28:31 in the latter video it says "Nina speaks at cattleman conferences and her talking points line up precisely with those of the cattle industry" 28:52 shows she is paid 144K annually "The nutrition coalition she started which promotes butter , meat and cheeze is funded by Texas billionaire John Arnold and according to public records her salary is $144,000" Nina is NOT a scientist. Nina is a science DENIER . So this is the DANGEROUS QUACK who Fung gets to write his forward!!!
MD's cover is graced by 7 well respected Doctor's. Additionally MD's forward is written by a respected doctor Neil Barnard MD FACC, President of the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine.
TDC claims to reverse diabetes by not giving the dieters any carbs>He has not reversed diabetes at all!!! (page xi of TDC says "Patients reversed their diabetes SIMPLY BY RESTRICTING Carbohydrates"!!!!!! He merely has you getting most of you calories from animal based fat and protein and practically none from carbs !!!(This diet has been shown to increase heart attack, cancer , DIABETES , Alzheimer's, pregnancy issues etc ) GOOGLE “Ketogenic Diets and Chronic Disease: Weighing the Benefits Against the Risks"
So to be clear TDC's definition of "reversing" is just SUBSTITUTING a high fat low carb animal-based diet for insulin . On TDC you still can't eat carbs without supplemental insulin . You remain diabetic .If you want proof just try to eat some carb rich foods!!!
MD explains that eating TOO MUCH SATURATED FAT CAUSED DIABETES in the first place and it explains and shows how to reverse diabetes by RESTORING the dieter's ability to metabolize carbs healthy legumes , grains , fruits which protect against heart attack , cancer , Alzheimer's etc WITHOUT SUPPLIMENTAL INSULIN (for type 2) and with greatly reduced insulin (for type 1)
On MD you ACTUALLY BECOME NORAMAL and can again enjoy the health benefits of a planet saving high carb vegan cuisine.
A vegan diet is better for mental health too! Google the study : "+Vegans report less stress and anxiety than omnivores" by Bonnie Beezhold, Cynthia Radnitz, Amy Rinne, Julie DiMatteo at https pubmed ncbi nlm nih gov/25415255/
also see
https thewholevegan com/2019/03/04/wfpb-diet-for-adhd-anxiety-depression/
TDC's claim of reversing diabetes is therefore pure crap .It is merely a way to live with your diabetes by restricting your carbs .(and increasing your risk of a host of diseases)
MD's claim of reversing diabetes by lowering saturated fats and getting all the healthy nutrients from a whole food plant based diet is valid . It rejuvenates the beta cells that produce insulin and it also increases the insulin receptivity of the bodies cells returning you to normal
https www sciencedirect com/science/article/abs/pii/S0955286312000976 says "Pigs fed saturated fat/cholesterol have a blunted hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function, are insulin resistant and have decreased expression of IRS-1, PGC1α and PPARα" (Pigs have are omnivores and have digestive tracts and organs similar to humans )
Fung grossly Mis represents Dr Willet by saying Willet recommends a high saturated fat diet when in fact Dr Wilet's said that saturated fats are SOME WHAT WORSE than eating sugar and refined carbs and Fung is saying that saturate fats are HEATTHY .(source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0vrg... 14:48)
Thsi book is just terrible .Hardly anything survives basic fact checking.
Rating: really liked it
TL;DR - Diabetes is largely caused by diet containing Fructose. Diabetes is totally reversible through a low carb, high fat diet and intermittent fasting.
Rating: really liked it
Tremendous insight on Diabetes and reversing it naturally through diet and intermittent fasting.
I enjoyed the discussions on medicine and how they are supposed to reverse diabetes but they do not, and how upside down our medical industry is. Definitely food for thought and I recommend for anyone, not just someone with Diabetes or at risk for Diabetes.
Rating: really liked it
I am allergic to medically prescribed insulin. Thank God my body rejected the thing that was causing me harm. It caused me to look deeper into alternate solutions -- and then this book crossed my path. It may very well save my life. Today, I take my power back and am no longer a victim of my disease. Today, I fasted and exercised with the full understanding of how I was helping my body heal. I will post updates along the way, but this book has opened my eyes. This book has given me hope.
Rating: really liked it
I came across Dr. Fung's writings when I was going through a health crisis. The thoughts presented in obesity code were so new and astonishing to me. I made some effort to follow them and even recommended it to few friends. But work stress and so on kept me from attaining any real progress. Had some time in hand and decided to do something proactive about my health and I read this one. To say that it has information that will change my life is an understatement. I hope that this time the info sticks and I end up making those changes that I have been promising myself and my family.
Now, coming to some of the useful points in the book.
1. Diabetes type 2 is due to insulin resistance. It is a lifestyle disease. Giving more insulin to a patient who is resistant to it doesn't make him better.
2. Not all calories are the same. Processing greatly changes the nature of food. Processed carbohydrate consumption is to blame for the rise in diabetes in recent years.
3. A low carbohydrate high fat( natural fat) diet along with intermittent fasting can decrease insulin resistance and even reverse diabetes.
Rating: really liked it
Over the five parts of the book, Dr.Fung expounds every detail about diabetes, from dietary causes to hormonal imbalance and even the economy build over the disease.Sometimes the book feels a bit repetitive, but it's engaging.
However, if anyone who is reading this review has some knowledge of dietary sugars and physiology of human body, then you may skip the first three parts (1-3) and you will not miss anything.You don't need to read the book from cover to cover.
Compellingly, Dr. Fung uses various metaphors to deal with the complexity of the topic, and it works like magic. As Milan Kundera wrote in 'The unbearable lightness of being' ,"Metaphors are dangerous. Metaphors are not to be trifled with.A single metaphor can give birth to love."
I guess that's why so many people love this book ;)
