Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I rated this book at 5 stars becase the provocative scientific theory presented could be make this a pivotal book in our understanding of inflammation. That said, I was disappointed by the section where Dr. Chilton presented his actual plan of action. A number of recent books suggest that the US is suffering an inflammation epidemic resulting in increased levels of such diverse diseases as asthma, heart disease, and arthritis. The chemical messengers that stimulate inflammation are leukotrienes and prostaglandins, both of which are formed from Arachidonic Acid (AA). Humans and other animals synthesize AA from Omega 6 fatty acids in their diet. Most of the books I've read on Inflammation instruct us to control inflammation by restricting Omega 6 fatty acids in our diet and increasing our consumption of foods rich in Omega 3 EFAs. Inflammation Nation suggests a different approach. In Inflammation Nation, Dr. Chilton states that human beings are inefficient at converting Omega 6 EFAs into AA. He suggests that the real problem is that we have too much preformed AA in our diet. Rather than focusing on restricting Omega 6 and increasing Omega 3, Dr. Chilton says we should limit the amount of preformed AA in our diet. Paradoxically, this means that we should start avoiding turkey and farmed salmon, two of the foods most often associated with a healthy diet. So I am left to wonder if Dr. Chilton is a visionary with an important new insight or if he is wrong and the mainstream is correct to disagree with him. If Dr. Chilton is correct, this is a very important book, but if he is wrong, he could be steering us away from foods that belong at the center of a healthy diet. Either way, this book contains a fascinating argument that is well-worth reading. My problem with the book is that after presenting a provocative argument for limiting AAs in our diet, Dr. Chilton includes "Inflammation Index" scores for fewer than 200 foods--and much of what he lists are foods like organ meats, bologna, and pork sausage that aren't exactly on anyone's A list of healthy food choices. I am left hungry for a more complete listing of what I should seek out and what I should avoid.