Thursday, March 8, 2012

A review from the book "Acidity Theory of Atherosclerosis: New Evidences", 2012 (Paperback)

Think that fat causes heart disease? Think again!

By Zoe V. Harcombe* Review at Amazon

This must be the academic equivalent of the "Collection of short stories" format so popular in the fiction world. It's a collection of articles, all different, but related by a common theme - heart disease.

I really enjoyed the format - it gives a taste of each topic without going into massive detail on each. The comprehensive references point the way if you want to know more about any particular factor in coronary artery disease. I never knew that the condition of having Down syndrome seems to have some protective properties when it comes to heart disease. What about the role of bacteria, or lactic acid? Is erectile dysfunction trying to tell us something? More familiar topics, such as smoking and stress, are covered but in a really new and often surprising way. I lost count of the number of times I learned something new or saw a well known topic covered in an innovative way.

I like the way the author thinks and challenges everything and makes connections between seemingly unrelated things. I also liked the inputs from colleagues - for example David Diamond's contribution to the article "Is LDL unquestionably and unequivocally a causal risk factor for heart attack?" The role of glucose (not fat) in the working of the body was fascinating and should be far more widely known.

You cannot fail to learn something if you read this book. If you are interested in our number one killer of humans - men especially - this is well worth your time.

*Zoe Harcombe, Author of The Obesity Epidemic: What caused it? How can we stop it? at 
http://www.theobesityepidemic.org/
Website:
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/
Blog: http://www.zoeharcombe.com/blog/