I finished reading The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Tiecholz over the weekend. I found a lot of it to be compelling. It raised a lot of questions about the research behind out current strategies for nutrition, weight loss, and the prevention of heart disease that I’d like to discuss here on the blog. I still need to wrap my head around some of the studies and what questions I’d like to consider. I’ve also reached out to the author, who graciously agreed to talk to me when I’ve got my ducks in a row.
To that end, I’d be interested in hearing from those of you why may have read the book. What did you think? I’d really like to hear from those of you who disagreed with it. Have you read any well-reasoned critiques you find compelling? Please tell me where to find them.
I’m going to open up comments on this post, and all the posts on this thread. there will be ground rules, and comments that don’t follow them won’t be approved.
Here are the rules for this post:
- Comments must be focused on the research and evidence in the book. I don’t want to hear what you thought about the prose, the style, etc.
- Critiques must be reasoned. I’ve read some diatribes against the book, and I’m not interested in those. Same goes for supportive reviews.
- Appeals to authority will be ignored.
- Anything off topic will not be approved.
I’ll start us off with a question of my own. Studies on the Diabetes Prevention Program found that “losing weight through regular physical activity and a diet low in fat and calories” can significantly reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The DPP was a large RCT, yet its findings were not in the book. I know it had only one diet arm, but I would have preferred it acknowledged. Why not?
Comments open! If you prefer, tweet at me here instead.
