Why We Get Sick: The Hidden Epidemic at the Root of Most Chronic Disease--and How to Fight It
About this product
2020 Foreword Indie Award Honorable Mention in the “Health” Category
A scientist reveals the groundbreaking evidence linking many major diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease, to a common root cause—insulin resistance—and shares an easy, effective plan to reverse and prevent it.
We are sick. Around the world, we struggle with diseases that were once considered rare. Cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes affect millions each year; many people are also struggling with hypertension, weight gain, fatty liver, dementia, low testosterone, menstrual irregularities and infertility, and more. We treat the symptoms, not realizing that all of these diseases and disorders have something in common.
Each of them is caused or made worse by a condition known as insulin resistance. And you might have it. Odds are you do—over half of all adults in the United States are insulin resistant, with most other countries either worse or not far behind.
In Why We Get Sick, internationally renowned scientist and pathophysiology professor Benjamin Bikman explores why insulin resistance has become so prevalent and why it matters. Unless we recognize it and take steps to reverse the trend, major chronic diseases will be even more widespread. But reversing insulin resistance is possible, and Bikman offers an evidence-based plan to stop and prevent it, with helpful food lists, meal suggestions, easy exercise principles, and more. Full of surprising research and practical advice, Why We Get Sick will help you to take control of your health. Read more
Editor's Take
Amazon reviewers and Goodreads readers generally praise the book for making insulin resistance easy to understand and for offering practical diet and lifestyle advice. Goodreads shows hundreds of community reviews, many of them positive, while The StoryGraph comments repeatedly call it informative, educational, and useful for personal health changes.
Critics are more mixed. Red Pen Reviews says the book is readable and grounded in the author’s expertise, but argues it oversimplifies complex chronic disease and gives it a low score for scientific accuracy. A few independent blog reviews echo that it is well written and well researched, while noting that the recommendations may feel familiar to readers already deep into nutrition topics.
On Reddit and forums, discussion tends to focus on the book’s core thesis that insulin resistance drives many chronic diseases, with some readers finding that framework eye-opening and others questioning how far the evidence can be generalized. Overall, sentiment skews positive for clarity and practicality, with the main criticism being that the argument can feel one-note.
Price History
Specifications
| Publisher | BenBella Books |
| Publication date | September 7, 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 280 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1953295770 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1953295774 |
| Item Weight | 11.4 ounces |
| Dimensions | 6.06 x 0.79 x 9.02 inches |
| Best Sellers Rank | #4,086 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #9 in Medical Diseases (Books) #53 in Diseases & Physical Ailments Health |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars (4,463) |
