Survival of the sickest : a medical maverick discovers discovers why we need disease

Amazon.com ReviewDan Ariely on Survival of the SickestMIT professor Dan Ariely has become one of the leaders in the growing field of behavioral economics, and his bestselling book debut, \_ I have always been puzzled by the way in which genetic diseases have managed to survive throughout the ages. How could it be that these diseases were able to withstand the evolutionary process, where only the most fit survive, and continue to be transferred from one generation to the next? Survival of the Sickest provides a thought provoking yet entertaining explanation to this puzzle. \_In this insightful book Dr. Sharon Moalem demonstrates how conditions that are considered unhealthy (such as hemochromatosis, diabetes, and high cholesterol), or even deadly in extreme cases, might actually put their carriers at an advantage in combating other life-threatening illnesses. For example, he explains that hemochromatosis, a disease that, if left untreated, will kill you, may have actually been a defense against the deadliest pandemic in history--the bubonic plague during the 14th century. It turns out that this genetic mutation, which continues to be passed down through generations, actually helped spare many lives at one point. Throughout the book, Dr. Moalem draws many connections between seemingly disparate subjects, such as the accidental invention of ice wine and cold diuresis, in order to illustrate the basic mechanisms of genetics and medicine in charming and intuitive ways. He skillfully interweaves his knowledge of history, genetics, and medicine not only as they relate to specific medical conditions but also in a way that addresses important challenges of modern society and our future evolution. In the most general terms, Dr. Moalem's description of the human body and its complexity left me in awe of how far we have come in our understanding of biology and medicine, while also being reminded that the road to understanding ourselves is still wide open with much more to learn in the decades, and even centuries, to come. It is a fantastic journey on which he leads us and Dr. Moalem is a kind, knowledgeable, humorous, and helpful guide. From Publishers WeeklyMoalem, a medical student with a Ph.D. in neurogenetics, asks a number of provocative questions, such as why debilitating hereditary diseases persist in humans and why we suffer from the consequences of aging. His approach to these questions is solidly rooted in evolutionary theory, and he capably demonstrates that each disease confers a selective advantage to individuals who carry either one or two alleles for inherited diseases. But very little is new; the principles, if not every particular, that Moalem addresses have been covered in Randolph Nesse and George Williams's Why We Get Sick, among others. Whether he is discussing hemochromatosis (a disorder that causes massive amounts of iron to accumulate in individuals), diabetes or sickle cell anemia, his conclusion is always the same: each condition offers enough positive evolutionary advantages to offset the negative consequences, and this message is repeated over and over. Additionally, Moalem's endless puns and simple jokes wear thin, but his light style makes for easy reading for readers new to this subject. (Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Read it. You're already living it. Was diabetes evolution's response to the last Ice Age? Did a deadly genetic disease help our ancestors survive the bubonic plagues of Europe? Will a visit to the tanning salon help lower your cholesterol? Why do we age? Why are some people immune to HIV? Can your genes be turned on -- or off? Joining the ranks of modern myth busters, Dr. Sharon Moalem turns our current understanding of illness on its head and challenges us to fundamentally change the way we think about our bodies, our health, and our relationship to just about every other living thing on earth, from plants and animals to insects and bacteria. Through a fresh and engaging examination of our evolutionary history, Dr. Moalem reveals how many of the conditions that are diseases today actually gave our ancestors a leg up in the survival sweepstakes. When the option is a long life with a disease or a short one without it, evolution opts for disease almost every time. Everything from the climate our ancestors lived in to the crops they planted and ate to their beverage of choice can be seen in our genetic inheritance. But Survival of the Sickest doesn't stop there. It goes on to demonstrate just how little modern medicine really understands about human health, and offers a new way of thinking that can help all of us live longer, healthier lives. Survival of the Sickest is filled with fascinating insights and cutting-edge research, presented in a way that is both accessible and utterly absorbing. This is a book about the interconnectedness of all life on earth -- and, especially, what that means for us. READ IT. YOU'RE ALREADY LIVING IT Was diabetes evolution's response to the last Ice Age? l)id a deadly genetic disease help our ancestors survive the bubonic plagues of Europe? Will a visit to the tanning salon help lower vour cholesterol? Why do we age? Whv are some people immune to HIV? Can your genes be turned on—or off? Joining the ranks of modern myth busters, Dr. Sharon Moalem turns our current understanding of illness on its head and challenges us to fundamentally change the way we think about our bodies, our health, and our relationship to just about every other living thing on earth, from plants and animals to insects and bacteria. Through a fresh and engaging examination of our evolutionary history, Dr. Moalem reveals how many of the conditions that are diseases today actually gave our ancestors a leg up in the survival sweepstakes. When the option is a long life with a disease or a short one it, evolution opts for disease almost every time. Everything from the climate our ancestors in to the crops they planted and ate to their beverage of choice can be seen in our genetic inheritance. But Survival of the Sickest doesn't stop there. It goes on to demonstrate just how little modern medicine really understands about human health, and offers a new way of thinking that can help all of us live longer, healthier lives. Survival of the Sickest is filled with fascinating insights and cutting-edge research, presented in a way that is both accessible and utterly absorbing. This is a book about the interconnectedness of all life on earth-—and, especially, what that means for us. --front flap Was diabetes evolutionʼs response to the last Ice Age? Did a deadly genetic disease help our ancestors survive the bubonic plagues of Europe? Will a visit to the tanning salon help lower your cholesterol? Why do we age? Why are some people immune to HIV? Can your genes be turned on- or off? Joining the ranks of modern myth busters, Dr. Sharon Moalem turns our current understanding of illness on its head and challenges us to fundamentally change the way we think about our bodies, our health, and our relationship to just about every other living thing on earth, from plants and animals to insects and bacteria. Through a fresh and engaging examination of our evolutionary history, Dr. Moalem reveals how many of the conditions that are diseases today actually gave our ancestors a leg up in the survival sweepstakes. When the option is a long life with a disease or a short one without it, evolution opts for disease almost every time. Everything from the climate our ancestors lived in to the crops they planted and ate to their beverage of choice can be seen in our genetic inheritance. But Survival of the Sickest doesnʼt stop there. It goes on to demonstrate just how little modern medicine really understands about human health, and offers a new way of thinking that can help all of us live longer, healthier lives Joining the ranks of modern myth busters, Dr. Sharon Moalem turns our current understanding of illness on its head and challenges us to fundamentally change the way we think about our bodies, our health, and our relationship to just about every other living thing on earth, from plants and animals to insects and bacteria. So why does disease exist? Moalem proposes that most common ailments—diabetes, hemochromatosis, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia—came into existence for very good reasons. At some point they helped our ancestors survive some grand challenge to their existence. Examining the evolution of man, Moalem reveals the role genetic and cultural differences have played in the health and well-being of various races, including their susceptibility to disease. With mesmerizing insight, Moalem offers groundbreaking insight into :• How diabetes may be a biproduct of a mechanism that helped humans survive the Ice Age• Why African Americans living in the north might suffer from vitamin D deficiencies, • Why Asians can't drink as much alcohol as Europeans Revelatory, utterly engaging, and timely—Moalem ponders strongN1, the emerging Avian Flu virus—Why Redheads Feel More Pain and Asians Can't Drink will irrevocably change the way we think about our bodies and ourselves.

Joining the ranks of modern myth busters, Dr. Sharon Moalem turns our current understanding of illness on its head and challenges us to fundamentally change the way we think about our bodies, our health, and our relationship to just about every other living thing on earth. Through a fresh and engaging examination of our evolutionary history, Dr. Moalem reveals how many of the conditions that are diseases today actually gave our ancestors a leg up in the survival sweepstakes. But Survival of the Sickest doesn't stop there. It goes on to demonstrate just how little modern medicine really understands about human health, and offers a new way of thinking that can help all of us live longer, healthier lives.

Survival of the Sickest is filled with fascinating insights and cutting-edge research, presented in a way that is both accessible and utterly absorbing. This is a book about the interconnectedness of all life on earth-and, especially, what that means for us. Also includes information on African Americans, aging, anemia, cancer, climate change, DNA, epigenetics, evolution, fava beans, favism, Guinea worm, hemochromatosis, immune system, iron, jumping genes, Jean Baptiste Lamarck, Latinos, malaria, maternal effect, methylation, mutations, Native Americans, pregnancy, sunlight, viruses, Younger Dryas, etc Title Page 3 Dedication Page 4 Contents 5 Introduction 7 Chapter One: Ironing It Out 15 Chapter Two: A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Temperature Go Down 37 Chapter Three: The Cholesterol Also Rises 63 Chapter Four: Hey, Bud, Can You Do Me a Fava? 85 Chapter Five: Of Microbes and Men 109 Chapter Six: Jump into the Gene Pool 139 Chapter Seven: Methyl Madness: Road to the Final Phenotype 169 Chapter Eight: That鈥檚 Life: Why You and Your iPod Must Die 197 Conclusion 221 Acknowledgments 223 Notes 225 Index 269 About the Authors 282 Credits 283 Copyright Notice 284 About the Publisher 285 "Joining the ranks of modern myth busters, Dr Sharon Moalem turns our current understanding of illness on its head and challenges us to fundamentally change the way we think about our bodies and our health. By re-examining evolutionary history, Dr Moalem reveals how many of the conditions that are diseases today actually gave our ancestors a leg up in the survival sweepstakes. It goes on to demonstrate just how little modern medicine really understands about human health, and offers a new way of thinking that can help all of us live longer, healthier lives."--Back cover Survival of the Sickest: The Surprising Connections Between Disease and Longevity is a 2007 New York Times Bestselling science book by Sharon Moalem, an evolutionary biologist and neurogeneticist, and Jonathan Prince, senior advisor and speechwriter for the Clinton administration. It was originally titled, Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease. Introduction Ironing It Out A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Temperature Go Down The Cholesterol Also Rises Hey, Bud, Can You Do Me a Fava? Of Microbes and Men Jump into the Gene Pool Methyl Madness: Road to the Final Phenotype That's Life: Why You and Your iPod Must Die Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Index About the Authors Credits Cover Copyright About the Publisher Introduction Ironing It Out A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Temperature Go Down The Cholesterol Also Rises Hev, Bud, Can You Do Me a Fava? Of Microbes and Men Jump into the Gene Pool Methvl Madness: Road to the Final Phenotype nut's Life: Why You and Your iPod Must Die Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Index Invites readers to change their perceptions about illness in order to understand disease as an essential component of the evolutionary process, citing the role of such malaises as diabetes, STDs, and the Avian Bird Flu in protecting the survival of the human race Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 8, 2007).