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Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease--and How to Fight It Kindle Edition

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 3,827 ratings

A scientist reveals the groundbreaking evidence linking many major diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease, to a common root cause—insulin resistance—and shares an easy, effective plan to reverse and prevent it.

We are sick. Around the world, we struggle with diseases that were once considered rare. Cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes affect millions each year; many people are also struggling with hypertension, weight gain, fatty liver, dementia, low testosterone, menstrual irregularities and infertility, and more. We treat the symptoms, not realizing that all of these diseases and disorders have something in common.

Each of them is caused or made worse by a condition known as insulin resistance. And you might have it. Odds are you do—over half of all adults in the United States are insulin resistant, with most other countries either worse or not far behind.

In
Why We Get Sick, internationally renowned scientist and pathophysiology professor Benjamin Bikman explores why insulin resistance has become so prevalent and why it matters. Unless we recognize it and take steps to reverse the trend, major chronic diseases will be even more widespread. But reversing insulin resistance is possible, and Bikman offers an evidence-based plan to stop and prevent it, with helpful food lists, meal suggestions, easy exercise principles, and more. Full of surprising research and practical advice, Why We Get Sick will help you to take control of your health.
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insulin resistance

Robb Wolf

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In Why We Get Sick, Benjamin Bikman unpacks the root cause of modern diseases and provides a concise road map to help you regain or maintain your health."

-- "Robb Wolf, New York Times bestselling author "

About the Author

Benjamin Bikman earned his PhD in Bioenergetics and was a postdoctoral fellow with the Duke-National University of Singapore studying metabolic disorders. Currently, his professional focus as a scientist and professor (Brigham Young University) is to better understand the origins and consequences of metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes, with a particular emphasis on the role of insulin. He frequently publishes his research in peer-reviewed journals and presents at international science and public meetings.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07ZKZ2NRN
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ BenBella Books (July 21, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 21, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3098 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 280 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 3,827 ratings

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Benjamin Bikman
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Benjamin Bikman earned a Ph.D. in Bioenergetics at East Carolina University with a focus on the adaptations to metabolic surgeries in obesity. He continued to explore metabolic disorders, with a particular focus on insulin resistance, as a postdoctoral fellow with the Duke-National University of Singapore. As a professor at Brigham Young University and the director of its Diabetes Research Lab, Dr. Bikman has continued to study insulin, including its role as a regulator of human metabolism, as well as insulin’s relevance in chronic disease. In addition to his research and teaching, Dr. Bikman actively serves as a research mentor to undergraduate and graduate students. He and his students frequently present and publish their findings.

He lives with his family in Provo, Utah.

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4.8 out of 5 stars
3,827 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and understand. The information is persuasive and well-researched. They appreciate the clear advice on human diet and topics like blood sugar, ketones, and metabolic health.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

148 customers mention "Readability"144 positive4 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and insightful. They say it's an excellent health read, with complex issues and health in general made simple to understand. The book is well-written and informative, providing scientific information presented in a way that is easy to understand.

"I found this an easy insightful read with practical application...." Read more

"...But along the way I learned getting healthier is worth it. I feel better. I walk better. I sleep better...." Read more

"...Very good book, I'm almost done with it...." Read more

"Great book. Eye opening. Informative with hope." Read more

142 customers mention "Information quality"139 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's information persuasive, with an insurmountable amount of knowledge and research. They say the author is knowledgeable and educated, and the book is filled with relevant information regarding insulin resistance.

"I found this an easy insightful read with practical application...." Read more

"Knowledge is power. We get fat and sick one bite at a time,and this book tells us why, and with that knowledge we can act with intention...." Read more

"...Check his google scholar page, he's an excellent researcher and his book should be taught everywhere...." Read more

"Great book. Eye opening. Informative with hope." Read more

32 customers mention "Metabolic health"29 positive3 negative

Customers find the book informative and helpful for rethinking nutrition. It provides clear advice on the human diet and topics like blood sugar, ketones, and improving health. Readers say it helps them make better food and health choices and change their approach to food.

"...He also provides clear advice on the human diet and topics like blood sugar, ketones and metabolism...." Read more

"...The Obese are trapped in the quicksand of too much insulin. FASTING LOWERS INFLAMMATION. It reboots your immune system with a 5 day fast...." Read more

"...Great references in the back for foods that are low on glycemic index and help with insulin resistance as well as some other great information...." Read more

"Finally some factual, understandable metabolic research results." Read more

This book is the Human Body Owners Manual
5 out of 5 stars
This book is the Human Body Owners Manual
Knowledge is power. We get fat and sick one bite at a time,and this book tells us why, and with that knowledge we can act with intention.Today is my 67th Birthday! Yay ME, I made it; which is a big and welcome surprise when I think back to all the people I know that didn't make it this far; most of them dying early because of metabolic diseases like cancer, cardiac disease, diabetes or hypertension.Through the decisions we make, we get sicker or healthier. It is all a choice we all make three to six times a day.November 2019, I had reasons to be concerned that I wouldn't. I was a Type 2 Diabetic with high blood pressure and very long list of chronic medical conditions my doctors were telling me were a "natural progression of getting older."December 2019, my wife and I went on the Covid-19 weight loss program and I lost 20 pounds in five weeks (I do not recommend that program for losing weight). In March of 2020 we changed from "counting calories" on a mostly vegetarian diet, to eating a low carb/healthy fat diet; and as the numbers show, the rest was history.The journey getting from there to here took a lot of control, because old habits die hard. But along the way I learned getting healthier is worth it. I feel better. I walk better. I sleep better. My mind is clearer, and I have energy levels that amaze me.I made this journey one decision at a time. At every point of action we make a decision. We will either make a good decision or a bad decision. Sometimes we know what kind of decision we made right away - putting bobby pin in electrical outlet lesson learned right away. Sometimes we don't know if it was a good or bad decision for a long time - if ever. Bucking a seat belt when we get into a car is an example of a lesson that does not happen instantly, and may never be learned.When you take time to read the owners manual for your body (WHY WE GET SICK by Dr. Benjamin Bikman) you can start making better decisions about how you fuel your body that have both short term and long term impact on your health.Just as our food choices are the poisons that kills us slowly, they are also the medicines that can health faster than any pill a doctor can prescribe.When you eat breakfast, knowing that eating the toast and hash browns is sticking the bobby pin into the electrical outlet, and avoiding them is putting on the seat belt, you can make a better decision.When you eat lunch, having a burger, french fries and soda is sticking the bobby pin into electrical outlet, and having a "bunless burger" with a side salad and dressing, with a unsweetened iced tea is putting on the seat belt, you can make a better decision.When you eat dinner, a plate of pasta noodles with garlic bread is sticking the bobby pin in the electrical outlet, and a plate of zucchini noodles with fathead dough garlic cheese bread is putting on the seat belt, you can make a better decision.Over time making better decisions leads to better numbers. Better numbers lead to better health. The numbers in the table below are the numbers that are part of every medical check up I go through as I track my progression deeper into this lifestyle. Anyone who is working on improving their health is probably tracking these numbers as well, or should be.EGL: Estimated Glucose LevelA1C: Standard Glucose TestTRI: Triglycerides - Inflammation IndicatorHDL: The "good cholesterol"LDL: The mistakenly called "bad cholesterol"CHLS: Total cholesterol - a number I now don't care aboutWeight: The number we obsess way too much aboutBMI: A number we should obsess more about - percentage of body fat
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2024
    I found this an easy insightful read with practical application. I am encouraged that I don't have to let insulin control me and I have the ability to do something about it and let me age well.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2021
    Knowledge is power. We get fat and sick one bite at a time,and this book tells us why, and with that knowledge we can act with intention.

    Today is my 67th Birthday! Yay ME, I made it; which is a big and welcome surprise when I think back to all the people I know that didn't make it this far; most of them dying early because of metabolic diseases like cancer, cardiac disease, diabetes or hypertension.

    Through the decisions we make, we get sicker or healthier. It is all a choice we all make three to six times a day.

    November 2019, I had reasons to be concerned that I wouldn't. I was a Type 2 Diabetic with high blood pressure and very long list of chronic medical conditions my doctors were telling me were a "natural progression of getting older."

    December 2019, my wife and I went on the Covid-19 weight loss program and I lost 20 pounds in five weeks (I do not recommend that program for losing weight). In March of 2020 we changed from "counting calories" on a mostly vegetarian diet, to eating a low carb/healthy fat diet; and as the numbers show, the rest was history.

    The journey getting from there to here took a lot of control, because old habits die hard. But along the way I learned getting healthier is worth it. I feel better. I walk better. I sleep better. My mind is clearer, and I have energy levels that amaze me.

    I made this journey one decision at a time. At every point of action we make a decision. We will either make a good decision or a bad decision. Sometimes we know what kind of decision we made right away - putting bobby pin in electrical outlet lesson learned right away. Sometimes we don't know if it was a good or bad decision for a long time - if ever. Bucking a seat belt when we get into a car is an example of a lesson that does not happen instantly, and may never be learned.

    When you take time to read the owners manual for your body (WHY WE GET SICK by Dr. Benjamin Bikman) you can start making better decisions about how you fuel your body that have both short term and long term impact on your health.

    Just as our food choices are the poisons that kills us slowly, they are also the medicines that can health faster than any pill a doctor can prescribe.

    When you eat breakfast, knowing that eating the toast and hash browns is sticking the bobby pin into the electrical outlet, and avoiding them is putting on the seat belt, you can make a better decision.

    When you eat lunch, having a burger, french fries and soda is sticking the bobby pin into electrical outlet, and having a "bunless burger" with a side salad and dressing, with a unsweetened iced tea is putting on the seat belt, you can make a better decision.

    When you eat dinner, a plate of pasta noodles with garlic bread is sticking the bobby pin in the electrical outlet, and a plate of zucchini noodles with fathead dough garlic cheese bread is putting on the seat belt, you can make a better decision.

    Over time making better decisions leads to better numbers. Better numbers lead to better health. The numbers in the table below are the numbers that are part of every medical check up I go through as I track my progression deeper into this lifestyle. Anyone who is working on improving their health is probably tracking these numbers as well, or should be.

    EGL: Estimated Glucose Level
    A1C: Standard Glucose Test
    TRI: Triglycerides - Inflammation Indicator
    HDL: The "good cholesterol"
    LDL: The mistakenly called "bad cholesterol"
    CHLS: Total cholesterol - a number I now don't care about
    Weight: The number we obsess way too much about
    BMI: A number we should obsess more about - percentage of body fat
    Customer image
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book is the Human Body Owners Manual
    Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2021
    Knowledge is power. We get fat and sick one bite at a time,and this book tells us why, and with that knowledge we can act with intention.

    Today is my 67th Birthday! Yay ME, I made it; which is a big and welcome surprise when I think back to all the people I know that didn't make it this far; most of them dying early because of metabolic diseases like cancer, cardiac disease, diabetes or hypertension.

    Through the decisions we make, we get sicker or healthier. It is all a choice we all make three to six times a day.

    November 2019, I had reasons to be concerned that I wouldn't. I was a Type 2 Diabetic with high blood pressure and very long list of chronic medical conditions my doctors were telling me were a "natural progression of getting older."

    December 2019, my wife and I went on the Covid-19 weight loss program and I lost 20 pounds in five weeks (I do not recommend that program for losing weight). In March of 2020 we changed from "counting calories" on a mostly vegetarian diet, to eating a low carb/healthy fat diet; and as the numbers show, the rest was history.

    The journey getting from there to here took a lot of control, because old habits die hard. But along the way I learned getting healthier is worth it. I feel better. I walk better. I sleep better. My mind is clearer, and I have energy levels that amaze me.

    I made this journey one decision at a time. At every point of action we make a decision. We will either make a good decision or a bad decision. Sometimes we know what kind of decision we made right away - putting bobby pin in electrical outlet lesson learned right away. Sometimes we don't know if it was a good or bad decision for a long time - if ever. Bucking a seat belt when we get into a car is an example of a lesson that does not happen instantly, and may never be learned.

    When you take time to read the owners manual for your body (WHY WE GET SICK by Dr. Benjamin Bikman) you can start making better decisions about how you fuel your body that have both short term and long term impact on your health.

    Just as our food choices are the poisons that kills us slowly, they are also the medicines that can health faster than any pill a doctor can prescribe.

    When you eat breakfast, knowing that eating the toast and hash browns is sticking the bobby pin into the electrical outlet, and avoiding them is putting on the seat belt, you can make a better decision.

    When you eat lunch, having a burger, french fries and soda is sticking the bobby pin into electrical outlet, and having a "bunless burger" with a side salad and dressing, with a unsweetened iced tea is putting on the seat belt, you can make a better decision.

    When you eat dinner, a plate of pasta noodles with garlic bread is sticking the bobby pin in the electrical outlet, and a plate of zucchini noodles with fathead dough garlic cheese bread is putting on the seat belt, you can make a better decision.

    Over time making better decisions leads to better numbers. Better numbers lead to better health. The numbers in the table below are the numbers that are part of every medical check up I go through as I track my progression deeper into this lifestyle. Anyone who is working on improving their health is probably tracking these numbers as well, or should be.

    EGL: Estimated Glucose Level
    A1C: Standard Glucose Test
    TRI: Triglycerides - Inflammation Indicator
    HDL: The "good cholesterol"
    LDL: The mistakenly called "bad cholesterol"
    CHLS: Total cholesterol - a number I now don't care about
    Weight: The number we obsess way too much about
    BMI: A number we should obsess more about - percentage of body fat
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    Customer image
    392 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2024
    Ben is a PhD, so you can trust his work (I also have a PhD). Lots of books out there by "experts" who have never done research (i.e. medical doctors), I did my homework on Ben and he's legit. Check his google scholar page, he's an excellent researcher and his book should be taught everywhere. We simply ignore insulin resistance as a whole and blame everything on other causes, the room cause of many diseases does seem to be linked to our diet and insulin resistance. Very good book, I'm almost done with it. (only negative is it was clearly written WITH a ghost writer but I don't mind, publishers like ghost writers, he tries to be funny in places and it's silly, a PhD would never write this stuff but oh well) 5 stars, without a doubt a must read.
    12 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2024
    Great book. Eye opening. Informative with hope.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2024
    Ben Bikman PhD gives readers an easily understood explanation of the complicated processes of how the human body turns food into energy. He also provides clear advice on the human diet and topics like blood sugar, ketones and metabolism. He tells his readers how to eat to lose weight and explains why we develop metabolic diseases such as diabetes. His background as a medical school professor and undergraduate college professor helps him explain complex subject matter in simple to understand ways. I learned a lot about things I had never understood before.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2024
    For years, I have been slowly sinking in the quicksand of my own fat, drowning in my own fat, and never, ever came close to understanding that no matter how much you exercise, cut calories, or try different diets, or use thermogenic vitamins, supplements or hop on vibration plates, or jump on exercise equipment--nothing works. But I read this book in two hours. And I reviewed it two hours later, reading it again and in plain language---spoiler alert---Professor Bitman took the fluttering moth of this complex subject, the topic of insulin resistance, and turned it inside out: the moth morphed into a bright yellow sombrero. And I walked outside--illuminated--- by sunlight, the truth. Inflammation causes insulin resistance by the overproduction of ceramides that gunk up our glucose receptors. I AM DROWNING IN INSULIN AS AN OBESE MAN. AND UNTIL I DROP THE HIGH LEVEL OF INSULIN, I WILL REMAIN FAT. There are many videos that help elucidate the subject and different pathways to ceramides. Professor Bitman is the expert on ceramides. Fasting lowers insulin. Its that simple. One has to drop insulin levels to get the body to use AMPK to lower the enzyme that blocks CPT1 on the membranes of mitochondria, that is the gateway for fats to get in, for fats to burn in the mitochondria. With high levels of insulin---suppressing AMPK, the obese person never gets to first base in a game of baseball. Fasting for 72 hours is a home run. Alt Day Fasting for 48 hours is a like hitting a double. You can steal third from there. After three months of managing a SOBER DIET. The Obese are trapped in the quicksand of too much insulin. FASTING LOWERS INFLAMMATION. It reboots your immune system with a 5 day fast. FASTING 5 days once a month has been recommended by Dr Viktor Longo as a way to help reverse fatty liver and become healthier. FASTING once a month helps to reduce the excess palmitate in your liver, pancreas, thymus, and visceral fat around the heart, kidneys. Eat a sober diet by eliminating nicotine from smoking, drugs, alcohol, fructose from honey, fructose in berries, sugar, carbs, cereals, pasta, breads, cake, donuts, pizza, pies, potatoes, peanut butter, all nuts, all seeds, seed oils, even olive oil and avocado, and processed meats. Avoid artificial sweeteners, and the sweet taste of toothpaste and mouth wash. Eat a strict way---avoiding animals fed corn and soy like chicken, pork, turkeys---eat beef, eggs, goat cheese, sheep cheese, salmon, sardines, krill, cod liver, shrimp, scallops, crab, mussel, clams. After 3 months, you can start having something sweet again by making a great keto dessert---heavy cream, knox gelatin, and a few tsp Glycine (amino acid) chilled in a bowl in refrigerator. Add blue berries in gelatin on top of the white cream base. This is called a Keto Blueberry Salad, and recipe from the 1950s.
    Heavy cream is allowed if its organic and it does not have bad thickening agents. You can use Glycine to sweeten caccao, or coffee, or Golden Milk with Turmeric. I add MCT oil for these keto warm drinks. I do not sweeten my mushroom coffee with Cordycepts, Chaga, Lions Mane, and Porcini. I take unsweetened KETO electrolytes. I do not sweeten my bone broth. Or when I put butter in my coffee.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Sophie C
    5.0 out of 5 stars A book that might save your life
    Reviewed in Canada on August 29, 2024
    This book is very technical however, its message is vitally important. The changes to our food supply since the 1970s are driving obesity, Type II diabetes and a dramatic rise in all chronic diseases globally everywhere the Western diet has been introduced...across every age demographic and every culture. This is the pandemic no one talks about. Bikman takes you on a journey through the scary stuff...cancer, heart disease, Altzheimers, hormonal problems, etc. Then, the good stuff...an easy to follow plan with simple modifications to your diet and lifestyle that can substantially improve your health and lower your risk of disease. If you find the technical stuff is too technical, no problem. Read the intro and skip to the plan complete with food lists of what to eat & what to avoid. This might be one of the most important books you will ever read. For years, we've been told to eat less and move more and eat a low fat high carb diet...that approach has put us in the mess we're in right now. Bikman cites hundreds of clinical studies sorting fact from fiction on what is and isn't healthy to eat. Every so often you read something that has the power to change your life for the better. This is one of those books.
  • Richard
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book!
    Reviewed in Mexico on February 20, 2023
    Excellent explanation about insuline resistance, cause, and tips to put in practice. I really loved this book. I highly recommend it! You do not need to be a doctor :) . Enjoy it!
  • Dennis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Germany on November 20, 2024
    I love this author's work! Recommended to anyone who wants to understand health and stay healthy.
  • Helena
    5.0 out of 5 stars El mejor libro sobre resistencia a la insulina jamás escrito
    Reviewed in Spain on July 18, 2024
    Soy enfermera especialista en diabetes y matrona. He devorado muchos libros del estilo, así como bibliografía científica.
    Este libro es absolutamente magistral. Este hombre es una eminencia. El libro acerca a la población la clave absoluta para recuperar salud, prevenir enfermedades y revertir condiciones graves como resistencia a la insulina o diabetes tipo 2.
    No podría recomendarlo más. Ojalá muchos profesionales de salud lo leyeran.
  • Tanya
    5.0 out of 5 stars This book will make you so much knowledgeable on effect and causes of Insulin Resistance
    Reviewed in India on April 13, 2023
    I am glad I picked this book. I am much more smarter when it comes to insulin resistance and all the effect and cause it is leading to.
    Already made the changes in my lifestyle as recommended in the book.

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