Readers looking to understand all the factors in weight-loss management will find this a good supplement to material...
A reconsideration of the physiology of weight loss, supported by the writings of the Jewish philosopher Maimonides.
In recent years, discussions about losing weight have been dominated by the protein-carbohydrate duo. Although debut author Herschlag hews closely to the conventional wisdom by recommending a diet low in carbs, he expands the terms of the debate significantly. First, he provides an account of how simple caloric restriction can counterproductively increase one’s weight. Sustainable weight loss, he says, requires creating a healthy balance among four different hormones: insulin, cortisol, leptin, and ghrelin. Although the effects of insulin on weight management have been widely covered before, the other three hormonal secretions have been comparatively neglected in other books. Here, for example, the author writes that eating too few calories can increase the release of ghrelin, which thereby increases not only hunger but also the production of fat cells. Likewise, he notes, the simultaneous release of insulin and cortisol, which responds to low blood sugar levels by stimulating a release of blood sugar from the liver, also generates new fat cells. The goal of any good diet, according to Herschlag, should be maximizing the process of apoptosis, or the burning of fat cells, while minimizing the production of new fat cells. This leads to some unconventional counsel; for example, since cortisol levels are at their peak directly after we wake, the author recommends postponing breakfast for three hours. Here and there, Herschlag observes points of agreement between his scientific findings and the ancient writings of the Jewish sage Maimonides, but these asides will likely be little more than a matter of curiosity for readers who are merely interested in losing weight. Although much of the practical advice ends up treading familiar ground, this is a considerably deeper and more rigorous treatment of the subject than normally offered. Its appraisal of some of the more popular diet fads is also helpful. However, readers should take note of the author’s disclaimer that despite his training at the prestigious Wingate Institute, he’s not an “expert or authority” and doesn’t feel obligated to present all the sides in each debate he addresses.
Readers looking to understand all the factors in weight-loss management will find this a good supplement to material produced by experts.Pub Date: June 12, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5089-6863-4
Page Count: 214
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Here is Passages II, an upbeat, fact-filled, people-rich, but ultimately unsatisfying sequel to the 1976 bestseller. Sheehy's earlier Passages borrowed from Erik Erikson and Daniel Levinson of Yale to popularize the theory that the lives of adults as well as children are marked by stages of development, such as the Trying Twenties and Catch-30, until age 50, when it's smooth sailing. Well, Sheehy is in her 50s now and encountering some rough waters, so she's added a few more stagesthe Flaming Fifties, the Uninhibited Eightiesto her earlier scenario. Moreover, she declares, ``There is a revolution in the life cycle.'' Puberty arrives sooner, and adolescence lasts longer. ``First Adulthood'' begins around 30, segueing into ``Second Adulthood,'' which lasts from about ages 45 to 85. During that time, women struggle with menopauseand perhaps, she suggests provocatively, so do men. Both reframe their lives, women pushing the envelope on their careers and men often confronting corporate downsizing. Age 50 is also fraught with crises of mortality and meaning, giving passage to the Serene Sixties and Sage Seventies. Throughout are rich interviews with both working class and white collar/professional men and women copingnot always successfullywith the stresses of growing older. The flaw in this book lies in the very reason Sheehy wrote it. Labeling generations (``Silent,'' ``Vietnam,'' ``Endangered'') and relabeling Erikson's Age of Generativity as the Age of Integrity mask the fact that life cycle changes are happening so fast that it's too soon to develop a perspective. Sheehy's confidence in the efficacy of exercise, a healthy lifestyle, and an optimistic attitude to hold back the effects of aging is well placed. But these constitute only one step in combating society's aversion to people with wrinkles and walkers, to say nothing of the millions of elderly living below the poverty line. A mix of inventive speculation and solid informationon impotence and menopause among the latterbut its impact is diluted by horoscope-like predictions and (though Sheehy surveyed thousands of people) a penchant for presenting anecdote as evidence. (Author tour)
Pub Date: June 21, 1995
ISBN: 0-394-58913-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1995
From former director of the National Institutes of Health Healy, the first woman to hold that position, comes this guide to everything women ever wanted to know about their health but were afraid to ask the male-oriented medical establishment. Gender, she says, is ``a critical consideration in any responsible analysis of a patient's condition and in the choice of recommended treatment.'' Healy makes no bones about her self-empowerment agenda. She has picked ten of the most important medical issues that affect women todayincluding reproduction, menopause, cancer, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer'sand presents them here in layman's terms, outlining symptoms, treatments, and the myths that surround them (discussing diet, she notes that sugar substitutes ``are the snake oil of the twentieth century''). At the end of each chapter she gives a list of questions women should ask their doctors and prescriptions for what women can do politically and personally to help bring about cures or at least relief from their medical vulnerability.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-670-85550-2
Page Count: 516
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1995
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