Book

The Fat Switch

Publish date:

January 1, 2012

Five stars for scientific rigor. Three stars for accessibility to the average reader.

Dr. Johnson has written an excruciatingly detailed analysis of how dietary fructose triggers a complex cascade of biochemical events to accumulate fat and reduce energy output. He is not the first expert to arrive at this conclusion, but his book goes into far greater detail than any I have read on the precise physiological mechanism by which fructose causes us to pork up.

Physicians, dietitians, researchers and others with an affinity for chemistry will love this book. But if you're looking for fresh ideas on how to lose weight, you may be disappointed. In fact, you may stop reading long before Johnson ever gets around (in chapter 21) to offering familiar advice on how to avoid or reverse the fructose effect: fewer starches & simple carbs, less sugar & artificial sweeteners, more veggies and prudent exercise. Sensible stuff, but hardly radical.

What sets Johnson's book apart is not his prescription but his diagnosis -- and the depth with which he explains a biochemical basis for the epidemic of obesity in the United States.

A book that is sure to fascinate the technically minded, but overkill for the lay reader.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R27EEBROQQGXBI/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01LP48TVG

Authors

Image	Author	Author Website	Twitter	Author Location
	Richard Johnson

Topics

	Gout	A painful metabolic and genetic condition that causes uric acid crystals to form in the joints, usually in the big toe, leading to an inability to walk.
	High Fructose Corn Syrup	HFCS stands for High-Fructose Corn Syrup. It is a sweetener that is derived from corn starch and widely used in processed foods and beverages. HFCS is composed of glucose and fructose, similar to table sugar (sucrose), which is also a combination of these two simple sugars. HFCS gained popularity in the food industry in the 1970s as a cheaper alternative to sugar. It became widely used in soft drinks, baked goods, condiments, and other processed foods because it is cost-effective, easy to blend, and has a long shelf life.
	Obesity
	Science
	Evolution	Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors. Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years.
	Fructose	Fructose is a simple sugar or monosaccharide that is naturally found in fruits, vegetables, and honey. It is also used as a sweetener in various processed foods and beverages. However, excessive consumption of fructose, especially in the form of added sugars or high-fructose corn syrup, can have negative health effects. The liver is primarily responsible for metabolizing fructose, and when consumed in large quantities, it can overload the liver and lead to several issues. These may include increased triglyceride levels, insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
	Sugar
	Ketogenic Diet	The ketogenic diet involves eating high fat, low carbs, and moderate protein. To be in ketosis, one must eat less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day.