Something to Chew On: Challenging Controversies in Food and Health
'Gibney offers an introduction to the issues that will shape our future. It is a bold attempt at demystification. The mechanics of human nutrition, diet and health are clearly explained alongside important developments in plant science, climate change, water supply, and global agriculture. Gibney takes aim at what he considers misconceived propaganda about agri-food science, such as emotion-based hostility to genetically modified (GM) crops and those who put fashionable organic farming above high-yield fertilisers in developing countries. His position as a scientist who has co-ordinated European-funded research projects with food and chemical companies is explained at the outset, along with his role as an adviser to Nestle. The book's richness lies in its wealth of detail. We learn that human intervention in plant genetics goes back 10,000 years. Indeed, it is human behaviour that emerges as the oddest phenomenon. Gibney highlights a 20-year study in the UK which found an increase in car ownership correlates precisely with the rise in obesity. A study of 50,000 American nurses from 1976 onwards found that those who viewed the most television had a 94% increased risk of becoming obese, and a 70% higher risk of diabetes.' The Sunday Times 'Professor Gibney brings his vast scholarship to the subject, pulling together reports and studies from around the globe filtered through his own argumentative and common sense approach to one of the most important subjects in the world today.' Sunday Independent 'Gibney writes in fluid prose which makes pleasant and interesting reading.' --Books IrelandSomething to Chew On has a sharp bite as it addresses tangy topics related to global dietary concerns. Gibney (director, Institute of Food and Health, Univ. College Dublin, UK) uses wit and scientific expertise to lucidly explain contentious subjects that currently bemuse and emotionally arouse the public. These include genetically modified foods, the differences between synthetic and natural food chemicals, the value of organic produce compared to traditional farm products, and fears of pesticides, herbicides, and manufactured fertilizers. While looking at the human genome and the varying mutations that produce different human physical effects, the author conjectures that specific therapies will soon be designed to beneficially exploit individual variations. Obesity is a concern of the food-rich world, but diet alone may not be the responsible factor. Epigenetic influences can orchestrate the genome, and nutrition within the womb may determine future adult health. Whether describing microbial life in the gut, nutritional epidemiology, public policy, plant dynamics, global hunger, or other nutritional topics, Gibney challenges the public distrust of scientific intervention with cogent explanations that would facilitate a forceful debate with placard protestors. Aimed at the general public, this work should be required reading for all concerned citizens. Summing Up: Highly recommended. --ChoiceGibney does not shy away from hot topics. . . An easy and interesting read. --American Journal of Clinical NutritionWith lucid precision and a leavening of wry comment, Mr. Gibney surveys the best of recent research and the claims being made about food, health and the environment. His approach throughout is one of scientifically informed skepticism. . . compulsive reading. --The Wall Street Journal