The World's Best Book Summaries
America spends more money on healthcare, per capita, than any country in the world. You would think this would make Americans healthier than any other population, but it doesn’t. Two-thirds of our population is overweight and half of Americans take a prescription drug every week. Why is this? What are the problems with healthcare in the U.S.? We’ll cover the 4 biggest healthcare issues in America.
When you were a child, your parents probably told you to drink your milk for strong bones. Is that idea still current? Is milk good for your bones? What about the studies linking dairy and osteoporosis? Although milk has a lot of calcium, dairy may not be the best way to protect your bones and prevent osteoporosis. Is milk bad for your bones? Yes. We’ll cover the two reasons.
What is “side pocketing” in relation to hedge funds? Why would a fund manager need or want to “side pocket” investors’ money? Is it legal? Side pocketing is when a hedge fund manager temporarily refuses to let investors withdraw their money. We’ll cover how side pocketing actually benefitted investors in hedge fund Scion Capital, profiled in the book and movie The Big Short.
What is aflatoxin B1? How does it enter your system, and why is it dangerous? Aflatoxin B1 is a highly toxic carcinogen produced by the molds Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. It enters the system through foods such as peanuts and corn that grow in contaminated soil. Aflatoxin B1 is strongly linked with liver cancer. We’ll cover why aflatoxin B1 was a particular problem in the Philippines, the dietary factors that may make aflatoxin B1 more dangerous, and the dietary factors that may serve as an aflatoxin treatment.
Cancer is a disease that’s startling in its prevalence. Males have a 47% chance of developing cancer in their lifetimes and females have a 38% chance. Is diet a contributing factor to the prevalence of these diseases? And if it is, what are the cancer-causing foods you should avoid? Contrary to what we’re often told, cancer is not a natural or inevitable disease. Most cancers are preventable through diet and lifestyle choices, but cancer death rates haven’t decreased over the past 20 years, despite all we’ve learned about this group of diseases. We’ll cover the studies linking certain foods, particularly
Is meat bad for you? And if so, why is meat bad for you? In numerous studies, meat has been shown to increase your risk of everything from obesity and diabetes to cancer. We’ll cover why Americans eat so much meat, what the research says, and answer the question, “Is eating meat bad for you?”
BRCA gene mutations have gotten a lot of attention, and for good reason: The discovery of mutations in BRCA-1 and BRCA-2, the breast cancer genes, can help you understand your breast cancer risk and get the preventative treatment you need. But is breast cancer really caused by your genetics? Is breast cancer hereditary? We’ll cover the role of the BRCA genes in breast cancer, discuss the role of genes in disease risk more generally, and look at other, perhaps more influential, breast cancer risk factors you should be aware of.
How did Educated author Tara Westover go from a dubious homeschool education to Harvard? What was Tara Westover’s Harvard life like? Educated is the autobiographical story of Tara’s Westover’s journey from being the child of extreme anti-government, anti-science, and religious fundamentalist Mormon parents to becoming a Cambridge- and Harvard-educated PhD. As you’ll see, Tara Westover’s Harvard life wasn’t all about academics. It was while Westover was at Harvard that her family life fell apart and depression almost prevented her from finishing her Ph.D.
What is the whole food, plant-based diet for weight loss? Is it effective? The whole food, plant-based diet for weight loss is a way of eating that eliminates animal products and focuses on whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. It’s also known as the WFPB weight loss diet. The diet was popularized by The China Study authors T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell. We’ll cover why WFPB weight loss diet is effective and how to implement it.
You exercise. You watch your carb and fat intake. Maybe you’ve even cut meat and dairy out of your diet. If you’re working hard and seeing negligible results, you may be wondering, Why am I not losing weight? There are many reasons for not losing weight. We’ll cover four reasons you may not be seeing progress and looks at realistic ways to meet your weight-loss goals.