This poorly written and researched book is typical of the "hype" that is continually fed to the American public -- EVERYTHING is a crisis! EVERYTHING (from terrorism to the food we eat) is an epidemic! We are bad, and we need to change our behavior -- FAST, or some terrible disaster will befall us.

If you study the history of fads in the US, you find a disturbing trend to demonize food, or to believe that if you eat a certain way (all meat, no meat, vegan, low carbs, no carbs, etc.), then all will be well...you will live forever and your life will be perfect.

There is also an alarming tendency to blame people for their own health problems. It is rare to hear anyone be so heartless and cruel as to blame someone for getting cancer, but just listen to the self-righteous lecturing when author Francine Kaufman blames the overweight for developing diabetes!

I write this as someone who has so much diabetes in her family, that almost every relative of mine has this disease...at least 90%. So I take it very seriously, read everything I can on the illness and try to live as healthy a lifestyle as I can. But -- it's still an illness. My family history shows that it is clearly HEREDITARY, and not entirely due to lifestyle. A number of my family members who became diabetic (Type 2) were NOT obese...some were slightly overweight and others actually slim.

One thing utterly ignored by this poorly researched book is that slim people can and do develope Type II diabetes, especially with age. And that the majority of overweight individuals do NOT have diabetes.

There is obviously a link between Type II diabetes and extra weight, but the most advanced research indicates that diabetes is a far more complex disease than people previously thought....the failure of the bodies complex system of managing carbs and sugars, insulin, etc. begins years before diabetes is diagnosable. I believe, along with many researchers, that it is this long period of insulin surges that causes vulnerable individuals with a genetic pre-disposition to have huge appetites and overeat, thus becoming overweight. The overweight may be a signal that something is indeed wrong metabolically with an individual, and should be managed. However, blaming the patient (i.e., he or she is a "fat pig" and needs to deny themselves every kind of good tasting food, plus do punishing excercise) is wrong and is guaranteed to fail, as is ANY medical diagnosis that is based on blame and moral judgement, instead of science.

The biggest problem fueling the "diabetes" crisis is that 45 million Americans do not have access to health insurance, and therefore, have no medical care of any kind. This means they can't have the checkups, diagnosis, insulin, diabetes monitors, etc. that are essential to treating the disease...hence, their disease goes unchecked until it becomes a life-threatening crisis. This is intolerable in a civilized nation! This is the problem we need to be addressing, not blaming people and trying to shame them for having an illness.

I am heartily sick and tired of this kind of book, which exploits the sick and suffering of human beings, just to sell copies and comes up with "cute" names like "Diabesity" to describe serious medical conditions.

If you are interested in genuine diabetes research on the cutting edge, or having serious concerns about yourself or a family member in this regard, please read some better researched and less commercial books on this subject.

Two months ago I was told by my doc that a recent blood test showed me to be on the edge of diabetes. He suggested that I give up red meat, egg yolks, fried foods and dairy products, and eat more fruits, vegetables and salads, using soy milk for protein, etc. I did so, and last week my test results showed a retreat from the danger zone for blood sugar, and a loss of eight pounds. So I've been told to stay the course with the new eating and add some exercise. I am 60, only five-foot-seven, and weighed 240 pounds when the bad blood was sucked from my arm on June 28th. Although I am in no danger of needing insulin injections soon, as an obese white male of a certain age and sedentary habits, I am at high risk for this terrible disease of diabetes. So I got this book. It is frightening, but well-written, and well-documented, by an M.D. who really knows her stuff. After reading it, I am more afraid for my wife, adult children, and teenage daughter than for myself. If you want a book that might really push you into better eating and more activity by explaining the realities of living with diabetes, get this one.

There's a firm connection between obesity and diabetes resulting in the current epidemic levels of diabetes in America, and Dr. Kaufman, as past president of the American Diabetes Association, is in the perfect position to identify and comment upon this connection in Diabesity: The Obesity-Diabetes Epidemic That Threatens America--And What We Must Do To Stop It. Dr. Kaufman sees vastly overweight children and dangerous new connections between obesity and Type 2 diabetes: chapters outline the condition and use patient stories to explain consequences.

This is about the personal battle each and every one of us must wage with ourselves on a daily basis. Should I start my day with my favorite donut and a large cup of coffee? Do I see realize the importance of consuming at least 5 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day? Do I take the elevator or climb the stairs at work? Will I make time for exercise a priority? In her new book "Diabesity" author Francine Kaufman M.D, a past president of the American Diabetes Association, points out that these are among the dozens of choices each of us must make on a daily basis. She wrote "Diabesity" to present us with the cold hard facts about diabetes. It is not a pretty picture. Perhaps she will convince some of us to change our ways. She makes many simple and practical suggestions in this book. For me, the thought of possibly having to cope with this disease on a daily basis for the rest of my life is quite sombering indeed. What is even more alarming is that both of my fathers parents were afflicted with diabetes in their older years. Dr. Kaufman has gotten my attention!
But "Diabesity" is also a book about public policy. How is it that we have allowed our schools to be infiltrated by giant corporations who peddle their soft drinks and fast foods to our young people. As Dr. Kaufman points out, the National School Lunch Program, which was established in the 1950's to provide nutritious meals at a low subsidized price, has been to varying degrees augmented and in many cases supplanted by what are termed "competitive foods". I had never heard the term. "Competitive foods" compete with USDA meals and are sold at the snack line in the cafeteria and in innumerable vending machines at the schools. You might have guessed that what is being sold here is soda, snack cakes, chips, hot dogs, french fries and pizza. You get the picture. It is an outrage. Happily, as Dr. Kaufman points out, some enlightened school districts have begun to fight back. "Diabesity" also delves into a number of other public policy questions that I can report make for extremely informative reading.
Finally, Dr. Kaufman has used the pages of her book to introduce us to some of the diabetes patients she has treated over the years. She has been able to help a good many of them and has had the satisfaction of seeing many go on to lead nearly normal lives. But then there are those who she was not able to help. Dr. Kaufman allows the reader to share in a very personal way her frustrations and her sadness. It is compelling reading.
"Diabesity" will enlighten you about the realities of diabetes.
It is a book that just might change your life. It was not a book I was anxious to read but one that I felt was important to read. Highly recommended.

My mother died from complications of diabetes. I have been told I have insulin resistance. Yet, I never really got what that all means until I read this book. Dr. Kaufman does an excellent job of describing the disease and its various components. Furthermore, she illustrates how the disease is growing by a combination of our genetic programming and our increasingly unhealthy lifestyles. I took away a real sense of the impact diabesity is having on our communities. If you have any concern about your own health, the health of children or even the future of our country, you owe it to yourself to read Diabesity.