Q1 2008 #1 best seller
While working on the next post about low-carb and calories it dawned on me that I hadn’t posted the best seller list for the first quarter of 2008. I decided to take a break from the serious stuff for a bit, go through the Amazon.com records, and whip it out.
These are books purchased by readers of this blog (and MD’s blog and the Protein Power website) through the Amazon.com links. The rules of the list are that no books authored or co-authored by MD and/or me are included. Only those written by others.
The numero uno best seller was Mistakes Were Made (but not by me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts, a phenomenal book that I reviewed last March and that I heartily recommend if you haven’t read it. You’ll never look at decision making (yours or anyone else’s) the same again.
Here are the books in descending order of sales.
#1 Mistakes Were Made by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson (Review)
#2 The Brain Trust Program by Larry McCleary, M.D. (Review)
#3 Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes (Review)
#4 The Great Cholesterol Con by Malcolm Kendrick, M.D. (Review)
#5 200 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes by Dana Carpender
#6 15-minute Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender
#7 500 Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender
#8 The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
#9 How’s Your Drink by Eric Felton
#10 Carb Wars: Sugar is the New Fat by Judy Barnes Baker
As you look over the list you’ll notice that I’ve made an addition: I’ve linked to the reviews I’ve written on any books on the list.
I give my thanks once again to those of you who have purchased books, household goods, tools, clothing, DVDs, CDs, and even groceries through the Amazon portals on this site. I really appreciate it. The income goes towards maintaining the site. I’ve ditched most of the Google ads and other ads that used to roam throughout this blog because I found them annoying and I suspect readers did too. As a consequence, the funds from Amazon purchases play a much larger role now than in the past in underwriting the site. Please keep purchasing.
For those of you in comment Limbo, I’m slowly working my way through. I’m trying to keep current on the comments on the most recent posts (and I’m falling behind a little there), and I’m knocking off a handful of the comments that stacked up while I was on the mad-dash-to-finish-the-book hiatus. Ultimately, I’ll get to them all. Thanks for your patience.
The official website of Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades, low carb pioneers and authors of Protein Power.
I’m still swilling the krill that you recommended so I feel that I’m a cougar “supporting” an attractive younger man. Win/win plus omega-3.
Do you know this guy?
http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/
I just bought uncured hot dogs at Trader Joe, no gluten, no filler (loads of sodium), and pre-cooked. Very nice and one carb per 2 ounce wiener.
Marly
Hey Marly–
I do indeed know of Nassim Nicholas Taleb. He’s a very smart guy, and like all really smart people he is a proponent of the low-carb diet. In fact there was a nice interview with him in the Times of London a few days ago.
Cheers–
MRE
Hi Doc,
This is a little off topic, but do these research conclusions seem backwards or is it just me?
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/06/07/gum-care-helps-control-type-2-diabetes-and-its.html
Seems to me the more likely series of events should be:
1. Excessive carbohydrate consumption causes direct proliferation of pathogenic bacterial agents in the mouth (we know what that causes) along with, over time, body-wide insulin resistance.
2. Continued excessive carbohydrate consumption and insulin resistance combined causes systemic inflammation in the body which leads to a whole host of problems not the least of which is reduced immunity to the pathogenic bacteria in the mouth already established from #1 above which further exacerbates the periodontal disease.
Please put me in my place if I’m being outrageous.
Best,
Ned
Hey Ned–
I think you’re right. Although it helps to treat periodontal disease, the fact that it is there usually means too much carb intake. Saying that diabetes and heart disease are caused by periodontal disease is like saying that obesity is caused by large belts.
Cheers–
MRE
Hi Dr. Mike.
I’m thrilled to be on your Best Seller List and in such good company again. Thanks!
Judy Barnes Baker
“Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat”
Hi Judy–
I’m glad to see you on there, but it’s not the first time. You were on there last quarter, too.
Cheers–
Mike
On relationship between insulin and heart disease.
This NYT article today, about a study just published in New England Journal of Medicine, showing that tight blood sugar control doesn’t help diabetes patients with heart disease (and sometimes made it worse).
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/07/health/research/07diabetes.html?ex=1213502400&en=1a1c31035c4556bc&ei=5070&emc=eta1
This, I think, is the same issue I mentioned to you in my email, that it may be that insulin is the culprit in heart disease, not blood sugar. I would really appreciate if you could comment on this.
Thank you,
Stefan
I believe that you’re right. I haven’t read this paper yet, but I suspect the reason that the tight blood sugar control didn’t help is because the tight blood sugar control came as a consequence of higher insulin levels.
I’ll probably post about this soon.
Cheers–
MRE
Dr. Eades,
“Mistakes Were Made–but not by me” was a wonderful book. As I read it, I wondered if the authors are now willing to admit that since General Petraeus took over we are finally winning the war in Iraq, or if they might be using confirmation bias to justify their belief that we still need to pull our forces gradually out of that country. But that’s another story. 🙂
As I read through example after example of the mechanisms we use for self-justification, I realized that the low carbers among us have very little chance of converting the majority of mainstream academicians, politicians and members of the media to our way of thinking. But studies keep coming out and confirming the value of low carbing. People keep following the lowcarb lifestyle, losing weight and feeling better. Eventually the tide will turn, and eventually people will say, “Low carbing? Why we’ve always believe that’s the best way to eat!” Until then, please continue to be the good-humored voiced in the wilderness that you are.
I came to the same conclusion about the difficulty of converting the lipophobes. But, with enough evidence, it will finally happen. And your right that they will then say that they had known it all along. The Schopenhauer quote at the start of the Protein Power LifePlan says it all:
Cheers–
MRE
Hi Dr. Eades
I am not sure if my comment went through on another posting so I will try again as this is really important to me (of course *lol*)
For my questions (if you can please answer). I got a sudden high fever this week (103F, I am 34 year old male) and went to the doctor. As I am rarely ever sick, I was pretty bewildered because I knew I was hot but not that hot as I didn’t have a thermometer. Pretty scary because I went to the doctor on Wednesday after I cooled down, I don’t want to know what my temp was on Tuesday.
The doc (actually a young girl from college i knew) was concerned because I didn’t have a sore throat but had a high fever. So I took a urine test and blood test and was told to watch the fever to make sure it came down and that I probably had the early onset of some strange viral illness.
Well, I went home and sweated and popped extra strength Tylenol for the next 24 hours and my temp dropped. On Friday, I got a call from the doctor indicating that the tests didn’t show anything and that it was good my fever went away. However, they want a repeat (in case of lab error) because my platelets and hematocrit were a bit on the low side (touching on the anemic) and that there was a trace of protein in my urine. I being a worry wart, asked her, let’s assume it is not a lab mistake, is it the end of the world? She said no, but wanted a retest anyways.
My questions. I am puzzled because I just gave blood a month ago and they test for hematrocrit and platelets to make sure you are ok – my scores according to the Stanford Blook bank were fine. Could my anemic-like readings have possibly, possibly, anything to do with the iron storage mechanism during a viral infection as described in PPLP? (the story of your friend with the girlfriend with the peg pig). I find it hard to believe that after a year of eating a pound of beef a day that I am suddenly slightly anemic after one blood donation.
Also, I didn’t share with the doc that I am on an essentially zero carb diet. Do ketones or protein by products show up as ‘trace protein’ in urine? Of course, now my parents are freaking over the organic grassfed meat I eat and want me to ‘eat by my blood type’, which being A+ is an opposite diet of high carb, low fat, veggie stuff… (my concession to them for my next test is to eat a lot of chicken and more salads – this I can do, no way i am eating carbs for health)
Can I get your thoughts on these topics Dr. Eades? I know it is not medical advice, I just wanted your thoughts. If one is on a low carb diet, can one simply eat a bunch of carbs in the morning of a afternoon blood test to not have ketone state by the afternoon?
It went through, and I answered it on the other post.
Oh my gosh!
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364863,00.html
Oh dear!
I tried the Jameson’s 18 year old. Nice stuff, very nice stuff. But the Glenlivet 18 year old has a more persuasive voice, for me anyway. The main thing it has to say is, “c’mon, have some Glenlivet…”
I’ve got some 18 year old Glenfiddich that I feel that way about, but it seems like I always reach for the Jameson’s.
Just read Meet the Press anchor Tim Russert has died of a massive heart attack. The autopsy revealed an enlarged heart and coronary artery disease. They said that he struggled with his weight. Too bad he was not eating a low carb diet. RIP.
Too bad indeed.
I spent an hour this morning watching this video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5215695644951404318
Is this a variation on Dean Ornish; does Dr. Esselstyn have something valid to offer?
Marly
Hey Marly–
As far as I can tell, it’s Ornish redux. I’m sure he has some valuable information, but sifting it from the out and out incorrect stuff is the problem.
Cheers–
MRE
I think I heard that Tim Russert was on statins. But now I can’t remember what the suspected (by some) side affects of taking statins, are. Anything even remotely related to what happened to him?
No, I don’t think that his problem was related to statin intake, other than the fact that they didn’t save him.
off topic, but i was wondering something, and i though who better to ask than you! Is it true that the body is always producing ketones, just that when you eat low carb you produce more ketones, so there’s kinda like a ketone ‘spectrum’ depending on how many carbs you’re eating? Or is there a set distinction – you;re either in ketosis (producing ketones) or not – i.e you can;t be in ‘limbo.
I ask because i’m always reading about how on a high carb diet, the brain runs on like 100-150g glucose a day. so surely when you eat less that that, you’re producing *some* ketones?
i’m just a lil confused, would appreciate any info!!!
thanks!
Even people on high carb diets probably produce a few ketones at certain points in the day unless they’re up 24 hours eating carbs.
Do you recommend the book Sydrome X: The Silent Killer?
Probably not a bad book in terms of explaining what Syndrome X is, but, knowing Reavan as I do, I doubt that there will be much useful information in terms of treatment.