Nature Wants Us to Be Fat - by Richard Johnson (Hardcover)

Dr. Johnson not only provides new recommendations for how we can prevent or treat obesity, but also how we can use this information to reduce our risk of developing disease. Nature wants us to be fat, and when we understand why, we gain the tools we need to lose weight and optimize our health.

Review Quotes

[Johnson] has brought those who haven't kept up with his team's peer-reviewed researchand related science up to date in his wide-ranging and readable new book, Nature Wants Us to Be Fat: The Surprising Science Behind Why We Gain Weight and How We Can Prevent--and Reverse--It.
--Todd Neff, UCHealth

This fascinating and provocative book makes the case that fructose has a unique role to play in the development of diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases . . . Dr. Johnson takes us on an entertaining, wide-ranging journey, through animal and human studies as well as stories from the history of humankind, to provide some rigorous answers.
--Nina Teicholz, science journalist and New York Times bestselling author of The Big Fat Surprise

Dr. Johnson explains how a simple mutation turned a simple sugar, fructose, ostensibly an energy source, into a metabolic poison that foments the chronic diseases that plague America and, indeed, the rest of the world.
--Robert Lustig, MD, MSL, neuroendocrinologist at University of California, San Francisco, and author of Metabolical

By providing an evolutionary explanation for fructose's unique metabolic role, [Dr. Johnson] takes the emotion out of a very charged topic and lets the biology speak for itself.
--Peter Attia, MD, founder of Attia Medical and host of The Drive podcast

Metabolic dysfunction is ravaging the globe, with an incalculable toll of lost lives, human suffering, and medical costs. This book is an evidence-based lifeline and a practical path forward for any individual who wants to lose weight, take control of their health, and understand the impact of food on the body.
--Casey Means, MD, nutritionist and cofounder of the Levels health app

Dr. Johnson presents a credible new theory to explain why more and more people are getting fatter and sicker, and what can be done about it . . . Highly valuable reading.
--Jeff Volek, PhD, RD, cofounder and chief science officer at Virta Health

Richard Johnson . . . has been at the forefront of research on human nutrition and physiology and has developed a novel understanding to explain at the metabolic level why we are destined to gain weight and what to do about it. In his new book, Dr. Johnson writes about the latest research on this topic in very approachable and easily understood terms and artfully blends this with real-life examples from nature and cultural references to make for a very compelling, informative, and fun read.
--Michael Goran, MD, author of Sugarproof

Nature Wants Us to Be Fat sets a new standard when it comes to understanding the pathology of obesity and metabolic disorders. [Dr. Johnson] presents a complete science-based description of the underlying pathology, and he uses this information to give us revolutionary new tools to reverse obesity and metabolic disorders.
--William L. Wilson, MD, family physician and author of Brain Drain

With authority and clarity, Nature Wants Us to Be Fat presents critical insights into the challenges of obesity . . . A powerful new framework for understanding why we gain weight, why it is so difficult to lose weight, and the most effective strategies for maintaining optimal weight and health.
--Barbara N. Horowitz, MD, Harvard professor and coauthor of Zoobiquity

Richard Johnson, author of The Fat Switch, has written a must-read and delightful follow-up book full of interesting information describing the surprising science behind weight gain. Through an understanding of our ancestral genetics and studies of nature, the author uses a biomimetic approach to explain and understand the power of fat and why obesity has turned out to be a pandemic in slow-motion.
--Peter Stenvinkel, MD, Karolinska Institutet, international expert and advocate for how nature can teach us about medicine

Nature Wants Us to Be Fat is a book that must be read. It describes the journey of a recognized scientist moving back and forth from observations in zoology and anthropology to rigorous laboratory observations, leading to the conclusion that nature's defense mechanisms are at the root of obesity and other present-day diseases.
--Bernardo Rodriguez-Iturbe, MD, professor of medicine and past president of the International Society of Nephrology

Professor, clinician, obesity researcher, and author, Richard Johnson, MD, in his new book Nature Wants Us to Be Fat takes a unique look at the root causes of obesity and chronic disease . . . He explains the unique role of fructose and uric acid as triggers to gain fat and drive chronic disease and what we can do to prevent and reverse these conditions.
--Jeffry N Gerber, MD, FAAFP, Denver's Diet Doctor and co-organizer Low Carb Conferences

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