Disease-Proof: Slash Your Risk of Heart Disease, Cancer, Diabetes, and More--by 80 Percent

by David L. Katz, Stacey Colino

The skills you need to slash your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and more—by 80 percent

Though we may not realize it, our behavior has tremendous effects on our health, well-being, and even gene expression. In Disease-Proof, renowned preventive medicine specialist Dr. David Katz reveals that we can reduce our risk of any chronic disease by an astonishing 80 percent—more than any drug or intervention could ever hope to do.

Abundant scientific evidence shows that four simple things—not smoking, eating well, being active, and maintaining a healthy weight—play an enormous role in our health. Drawing upon the latest scientific evidence and decades of clinical experience, Dr. Katz arms us with the skills to make lasting changes in each of these areas. Disease-Proof equips readers with the knowledge to manage weight, improve immune function, reprogram our genes, and prevent and reverse life-altering illnesses.

Groundbreaking and timely, this book is for readers of The End of Illness by David Agus and Anticancer by David Servan-Schreiber.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Food, Nutrition, Self Help, Science, Diets

301 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2013

About the author

David L. Katz is an American physician, nutritionist and writer. He was the founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center that was founded at Griffin Hospital in 1998. Katz is the founder of True Health Initiative and is an advocate of plant-predominant diets.

Reviews

[Kenneth · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you have been in comatose for the last 20 years and just woke up, this book is a great book to quickly find out what is the recent thinking on eating well and exercising. As the author himself states: if you are already eating well and exercising, you can throw away this book. This book sets out nothing more than what is available on most health websites for free! Disappointing!

[Dennis Mitton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My doctor is a cranky old Frenchman (aren't they all?) who asks every fifty year old the same question: Do you want to get healthy or do you want to do drugs? His point is both cultural and personal: your health is your responsibility yet in America we mostly ignore lifestyle and start popping pills. Dr. Katz makes the same points in his new book Disease Proof.

For anyone interested in personal and public health this is not a new message. What Katz brings, though, is a reasoned argument based on the best research that is presented in a readable and accessible way. Not everyone will appreciate the message: I have neighbors who are fat, eat terribly, and sneak out for a smoke whenever they think no one is looking. Yet they vacation every year in Mexico for two weeks of chelation treatment to `clear' the toxins from their bodies. They really aren't interested in `food, less of it, mostly plants' or in daily exercise or in taking daily responsibility for their health. For those interested in real health, though, Katz offers up a comprehensive guide to holistic health and systemic changes.

There are a few things that separate Katz from the crowd. He has an impeccable academic resume and has developed the NuVal system for nutritional labeling. He has a long history of successful work in obesity and health that includes books, programs, and organizations. Mostly, though, he probes deeper and deeper into the physiological mechanisms of health and well being and is able to present them to a lay audience in a meaningful way. In Disease Proof he wraps all of this up into a neat little package.

Though his message sounds like your grandmother's his arguments are based on research. The real kind. Peer reviewed, tested, tested again, and then reviewed again. This is different from the stuff than you'll hear on Saturday morning AM radio. (Take only three pounds of vitamin D a day to cure all ills!) It is hard to argue with his reasons.

I like his take on the genetic component to health. This is typically tossed up as something we can't fight. Katz recognizes this but argues that, while we can't alter our genes, we can improve our general health to the point that genes which might promote disease have little to work with.

The book is an easy read and a strong challenge to anyone who wants increased health. He offers both scientific reasons and practical means for smart decision making. The writing is accessible and the presentation flows well. In all maybe the best book presenting current academic understanding of the total health picture.

[Annalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many reviewers criticised the book for not offering anything new. They may have a point, but this book stands as a beacon of scientific truth in an ocean of unscientific misinformation on nutrition (much of it based on various belief systems) . True science isn't afraid to deal with controversial findings, or to state that "we don't yet know". It is always in search of the Truth and will boldly admit to past mistakes.
The book could have done with some brisk editing; I found it very long winded and often boring and difficult to focus on. In the end I just skip-read through it and will keep it close by for reference.
There are some very useful websites in the index section. The "Nu Val Nutritional Scoring System" is especially valuable for identifying nutrient dense food (www.nuval.com)

[Thomas Edmund · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I thought I was going to love, so the 3 star rating could be in part due to the disappointment of high expectations, but honestly the book was a let-down. Disease Proof had been sitting on my wishlist since I heard about it being an evidenced based health advice book and a viable alternative to fadish an alternative medicinal self-help type books.

However in the end Disease Proof tells anyone half-educated little new, Eat your veges, exercise and avoid fatty and/or processed food, Sure perhaps I learnt a few more details about healthy living, but ultimately it was more a reminder than a healthy lesson. And like many books of this genre, I highly doubt anyone who doesn't know that keeping active and eating vegetables is good for you is going to pick up this book. There are several technique and practical advice pages that may help the small portion of people who pick up this book but need a practical boost to live better.

I really liked the holistic section focused on sleep, stress, social relationships and chronic pain, but alas this was effectively the closing chapter and not nearly as much time was spent on these topics.

This review may seem overly harsh, the book is accurate well researched and covers an important topic, its could have done with more writing pizzazz and perhaps more detail aspects of health living other than eating (I guess diet has a huge impact on health so it also had a huge portion of this book, but still) In summary, this book is worth a look it you are in the rare bracket where you want more technical knowledge about health living and have no-idea where to start.

[Deb Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though "Disease Proof" doesn't reveal new knowledge, at least not as far as the importance of good nutrition and exercise, it does reinforce this importance in an authoritative way, with Dr. David Katz, M.D. as author.

Katz is a specialist in preventive medicine and founding director of Yale University's prevention and integrative medicine research center. I believe this adds great credibility to his words, helping to tune out the many fad diet and exercise plans.

I felt this book was worth reading to shore up my confidence in the importance of the basics of eating nutritionally and being physically active regularly.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book as a Christmas gift. The giver had heard the author on a radio program and thought I might like it. I did and got some interesting ideas from it. I think that it could have been an article, rather than a book. Some good tips, but a little dragged out.

[James Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good information in this book, but also a decent amount of subpar and/or dated information. Considering the amount of assumptions and confounding bias found in even the most vetted nutritional epidemiological studies, the author makes a lot of matter-of-fact statements about things that aren’t adequately backed by solid scientific data. This book could be quite deceptive to individuals who lack a deeper understanding about biochemistry, metabolism, and nutrition. They lost me early on when they blatantly stated that humans should decreased their protein intake without further explanation or evidence. Also, this entire book could have been summed up in a 10 page nutrition pamphlet. There are much better nutrition resources available online for free

[Gwyneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Katz is a medical doctor with a passion for public health and nutrition. He is one of the doctors who believes health is achievable through good nutrition and that most of the popular diseases in North America (cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cancer, etc...) are preventable.

This book summarizes his medical work and experiences in an approachable format that simplifies nutrition and healthy active living practice components. He outlines common cognitive barriers to making healthy choices. Then he explains what he means by a holistic life-approach to better living that considers sleep, stress, socializing, exercise and food consumption and food choices - what he calls the critical fork and feed habits.

The pages are sprinkled with sobering facts (only 3.5% of US citizens exercise the recommended 2.5 hours per week, only 1.7% consistently consume the recommended allowances of nutrition components). The pages also outline the many ways he and his colleagues are trying to make good health readily achievable for average citizens. The chapter titles, "Bringing your head to the table", "Developing nutritional knowledge - and power", "Shopping for healthier foods", "Cooking healthfully", "Taking it on the road", "Move it - remove the health risks" read like promises that clear advice follows. The final chapter titled "The Whole-istic Truth" is then a culmination of all that preceding knowledge shared. The content is not heavy on chemistry, anatomy or cognitive science references, but the book does cross-reference books, reports and studies supporting the growing belief that good nutrition and exercise can be good, better than medication and preventative of common modern diseases.

The pragmatic advice includes decision tables, sidebars with interesting facts, recipes and a food chart with nutrient quotient scores. There are also look-up table references, in the final chapter, meant to guide the reader back to the earlier sections most relevant to their situation.

Dr. Katz explains the obstacles to health in modern life and the remedies in logical and supportive prose.
He makes several rationalizations for choosing to live more healthfully, for example, by pointing out that 20 minutes of exercise is less than 1.4% of a 24-hour day; if a day is a dollar, 1.5 cents could ward of diabetes. He also cites positive examples and statistics regarding positive outcomes - Dr. Katz clearly wants his patients and readers to succeed.

Overall, This is an approachable, easy to read book that could be a helpful read to anyone beginning or on the road to a healthier lifestyle.


[Note: Pages of this book were dogeared]

[Sean Goh · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of this book's core ideas is the development of skillpower, following certain rules until external discipline becomes internal discipline (see Duhigg's Power of Habit). The habits become part of your personal skill set, resulting in a positive chain reaction.

Another is that if you can identify what's stopping you from improving your eating habits or incorporating more movement in your life, you can develop skills that will help you surmount those obstacles.
Knowledge isn't power. It is the prerequisite to power. Real power depends on being able to put what you know to work.

Nuval system is interesting, good to evaluate all that you're eating. Easier to implement in America though, where most foods are neatly packaged.

Exercise in the most general sense - in the sense of movement - should not be a chore or burden. It is an immense privilege, a source of joy, and a way to express our natural vitality. Nurture it, and it will nurture you.
Feel alive in your own body.

Among other things, the other suggestions include reducing stress, getting regular and sufficient sleep, and maintaining an active social life.

[Karole · Rating 4 out of 5]

As many others have said "I wanted to rate it higher but...". This book is well-written and references solid evidence. The data are compelling: if we want to be healthier we have to move more, eat healthy foods, get adequate sleep, reduce stress, don't smoke, drink in moderation - so on and so forth. Nothing people who are likely to read this book don't already know. And, it was still worth reading if only to reinforce what I already know. The date presented in this book was a good reminder for me to continue to take active steps to be healthy (see the list above). It was also a chance to remember that I am largely responsible for my health and each day I have to make choices that support my health. All in all, a good reason to read this book. If you know this information already it is a relatively quick read. I just wish more people who don't already follow this advice would read this book instead of listening to Dr. Oz or spending their money on useless 'potions' sold by others who purport to have an easy fix. The facts are irrefutable. It is our daily choices that make us well.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty thorough look at nutrition and fitness for anyone who is looking to improve their diet or exercise. It's definitely heavier on the nutrition information than anything else, but the content is definitely high quality and has me re-thinking my own diet after reading it.

[BLACK CAT · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would go with any Gary Taubes book.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we have some great information, not always perfect, but for a great majority of people, following the guidelines in this book would be a wonderful place to start.


Px – There is constant tension in the media between what’s new and what’s true, what makes for sound science and what makes for provocative headlines or intriguing sound bites. …dressing up dull scientific findings to make them sexier, fresher, or more surprising sometimes changes them to the point where the trugh can be very hard to recognize.

Pxi – (Tracking lifestyle factors, not smoking, having a BMI lower than 30, 3.5 hours of physical activity per week, and eating a nutritious diet – high fruits, vegetables, whole-grain bread, and low red meat consumption). Participants who had all four healthy factors at the start of the study had a nearly 80 percent reduced risk of developing any major chronic disease. There simply is – and in my opinion, there never will be – a drug to rival that. And to use lifestyle as a medicine…well, no prescription is required.

Pxi – Contrary to what common assumptions and media sometimes lead us to believe, our genes do not determine our weight or future health. Our DNA simply cannot forecast that we will get a particular disease, unless it’s one that’s caused specifically by a genetic mutation (such as Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, or sickle cell anemia). We are actually the ones driving the bus on our journeys toward wellness or illness, so don’t blame your genes for the future of your health.

Pxiii – There is a skill set some people have that enables them, in spite of all the conflicting news and opposing societal forces, to stay lean and maintain good health. They weren’t born with this skill; they learned it at some point in their lives, and you can learn it, too.

P2 – Healthy Life Expectancy or HALE. In the US in 2010 the HALE for men was 65.0 years (roughly 11 years less than actual life expectancy), and for women it was 67.4 years (roughly 13 years less than actual life expectancy).
With the mysteries fo the human genome unraveled, it seemed likely we would soon be “fixing” the causes of diseases with genetic engineering. That simply hasn’t happened. But a funny thing has happened on the way: Increasingly, research has revealed the extent to which environment, and our lifestyle habits in particular, can affect our risk of developing chronic, life-threatening diseases, even at their genetic origins. In other words, we’ve been looking down the wrong path and asking the wrong questions. The reality is, we actually don’t need new scientific breakthroughs or Nobel Prizes to fix genetic causes of major diseases.

P7 1993 “Actual Causes of Death in the United States,” by Drs. J Michael McGinnis and William Foege was published in JAMA. They described the obvious revelations that we, in the medical profession, had all overlooked: that the diseases we had long listed as the leading causes of death – heart disease, cancer, stroke, pulmonary illness, and diabetes – are not truly causes. These diseases are the result or effects of how people live. When someone dies of, say, a heart attack, it is not very illuminating to blame the cause of death on disease of the cardiovascular system, is it? What we all really want to know is what caused the cardiovascular disease.
The answer was readily available, but someone had to go looking for it, and that’s what Drs. McGinnis and Foege did. They found that, overwhelmingly, premature death and chronic disease were attributable to just ten behaviors: tobacco use, dietary pattern, physical activity level, alcohol consumption, exposure to germs, exposure to toxins, use of fire-arms, sexual behaviour, motor vehicle crashes, and use of illicit drugs. The list of ten was dominated by the top three: tobacco use, dietary pattern, and physical activity level, which accounted for nearly 80 percent of the total!

P12 Each of us was born with particular genes; it’s a fact of life. But our modern understanding of genetics and genomics has evolved to emphasize the role of “epigenetics” – how genes are influened by their environment. Quite simply, their environment is … you! The way you live – in terms of your eating, exercise, sleep, stress management, and other habits – changes the environment of your genes, and that in turn changes what they do.

P13 How effectively am I using the levers that control my medical future? If you’re like most people, the answer is: not well. The answer may even be: not at all. That’s not your fault. It’s really the norm in our culture and our society. But it doesn’t have to stay that way for you and your family.

P29 Motivation techniques: Positive imaging – picture yourself looking or acting a particular way that’s appealing but that currently eludes you, and imagine how your daily life would be different if you attained those goals. Negative imaging, reflecting undesirable images, scenes from which you would like to distance yourself. Modeling – find a pattern of behavior that’s similar to the one you want to adopt and use it as a template for your own efforts. Reinforcement – establish various ways of discouraging undesired behavior and reward desired behavior. Social Contracting – make your commitment public

P35 According to the CDC, tobacco use causes more deaths each year than “all deaths from HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.

P 56,57 (Where he falls into historical speculation instead of fact) Approximately half the calories in the Stone Age diet are thought to have come from plants, the other half from meat.
Experts suggest that our Paleolithic ancestors consumed as much as 100 grams of fiber per day, from a variety of plant foods eaten in large quantities to fuel that high demand for physical energy. We know that they did a lot of walking – but they must have stopped to squat pretty often! (He is just making this up.)

P114 Made with Real Fruit – What it really means: there’s no official requirement for this phrase. So the entire box of toaster pastries, cereal bars, cookies, fruit leather, or other product could contain mere smidgens of real fruit or drops of fruit juice or fruit extract – and it would be legit for the package to carry this claim.

P179 When investigating the most common barriers people encounter with physical activity, my research team at Yale found that lack of knowledge about how to begin an exercise regimen, time and scheduling challenges, lack of social support, insufficient motivation or energy, and financial limitations were at the top of the list.

P181 The key to physical movement is to find activities that suit your personal preferences and lifestyle. Find the movement that comforts you, energizes you, and brings you pleasure in some way. You have to enjoy it.

P229 When it comes to our efforts to eat well and be active every day, to lose and/or control our weight, and to find better health, we are all facing a veritable flood of opposing forces. The flood includes highly processed, energy-dense, nutrient-poor, hyper-palatable, or glow-in-the-dark foods. It includes a constant flow of marketing dollars that encourage us, and our kids, to eat ever more of the very foods that propel us toward obesity and chronic diseases. Wave after wave of technological advances give us gadgets and gizmos that do all the things our muscles used to do. Our hectic work schedules leave us little time for attention to health. Our agricultural policies subsidize corn to fatten cows, rather than vegetables and fruits to vitalize people. It’s a vast, obesity-promoting, health compromising flood.

[Nuzhat · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had been on my list for a long time, and perhaps it was the timing of listening to Ultra-processed People also that made me not finish listening to this one that seemed so dated and irrelevant with studies that have come out in the last 11 years since this one was published. Yes, we do have some accountability for our own actions, but the blame the victim in a world of policies that support our 'bad' behavior and hamper our healthy tendencies doesn't sit well with me.

[Christina Widmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marktschreierisch, aber lehrreich.
Rezension auf meinem Blog: https://nouw.com/cwidmann/dr-med-davi...

[Don Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reinforcing common truths about healthy lifestyle choices.

[Hailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is for people just starting out on their health journey; for those who are further along, the "remarkable truth" is far from remarkable.

[Rayis Imayev · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read, very engaging at the beginning, but at the end it became too general with some of the concepts that I already knew.

[Annie Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Disease Proof, Katz argues that most people do not accomplish their goals because they do not have the skills to do so. It isn’t that they are lazy or unmotivated or bad; it simply is that they have never learned the basic steps to choosing goals, losing weight, exercising, and so forth. This book, based on decades of disease prevention work, is his answer to that problem.

Yes, this is a book about health, and as such it covers some of the main New Year’s resolutions people have, but it is also a practical study of choices, motivations, identifying obstacles, learning to overcome obstacles, and increasing one’s ability to accomplish one’s goals. Complete with tables to learn how to make decisions and to understand one’s motivation, this book focuses on personalizing the choices one makes. Katz also talks about specifics, like food and exercise, without sensational hype, fully convinced that’s what’s best for us does not change from week to week.

...read the complete review on my blog: http://anniekateshomeschoolreviews.co...

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book telling you that you shouldn't smoke, should move, and should eat better (for the current definition of 'eating better,' which is to eat less, and much less processed stuff). It purports to teach the skills you need to actually put these practices into place but I found the book rather off-putting: the writer's tone is not that of someone who's been there and done that, but of someone advising their research subjects. (An example is talking about emotional eating and how you should head it off by snacking on some healthy "beans, legumes, whole grains..." -- which, in my experience, misses the point of emotional eating, and thus misses ways to avoid it/work around it/deal with it when it does happen.)

The skills are worthwhile and often interesting, so if you can get past the tone, go for it.

[Celeste Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first chapter," The Power to Nurture Nature," they ask the question, "Is it the hand we are dealt or how we play it that counts?" I tend to believe it is how we play the hand. Many people with chronic pain, my specialty as author and patient, have the power to give in or learn healthy ways for coping. When we talk about our health, verbs are always more empowering than nouns. Nouns help us identify goals and verbs give us the power to act on them. Even if we can't change a disease, we can change the way we react to it.

"Most diseases are not random occurrences but the consequences of the things people do every day. They are the intermediate step between lifestyle habits and infirmity or death." I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in what they can do to improve their health, because in the end, that is all we really have.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a lot of new information in this book and not really "remarkable", but it does contain some sound advice. The author of this book helped to come up with the NuVal food nutrition value rating system that is used in some grocery stores and is partially listed in the back of the book. The book has a nice chart of Ten Rules of External Discipline for Healthy Living which I like. There are a few recipes that do not impress me, and it explains what some of the claims on food labels mean - like, "All Natural" does not mean anything - it is just put on the label to make the food sound healthy. I personally think if a food product has to label itself as "natural" or "healthy", it probably is not. So, basically, eat healthy and exercise.

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

A solid book about ways to help your health. Nothing earth-shattering. Indeed, if this is a genre you read often, none of this advice will be new to you.

I was hoping for more of Katz's acerbic wit, which you can find in the many many articles he publishes on the Huffington Post and on LinkedIn. He writes short articles, that are to-the-point, interesting, and very pointed. It seems like Disease Proof was endlessly edited to make it palatable to a wide audience, and in doing so, he removed all of the reasons I like his writing in the first place.

I was disappointed in this book. There is no new information, and it's missing what makes Katz's writing memorable.

[Marc · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected more from this book, but since I've already made most of these changes due to my genetically-inherited high cholesterol, I found little of value. The NuVal system is decent, if slightly flawed (like not taking into account artificial sweeteners according to some researchers), and it would be useful for them to put up a master list of all food that have been rated on their website.

That being said, if one eats "like the average American" and has a sedentary lifestyle, this book will give a lot of food for thought and provide tips of how to make important life changes for one's health.

[Sheehan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say I read anything I had never heard of, except maybe the existence of the NuVal scoring system to evaluate and compare products for nutritional advantage; which sadly has not been adopted by many Bay Area stores.

Most of the book refreshes what is best for a diet and exercise, and how when done properly this maximizes health.

These sorts of books are good to read occasionally to right off-course eating and exercise habits, but ultimately there is nothing a reader is gonna get from this that they couldn't get from a basic nutrition.

Glad I read it, wish it was offered to me twenty years ago, it's a good resource for those looking to correct course.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I think it is important to note where my perspective on this book is coming from. I am a health care professional reading this book with the goal of picking up some tips to help patient's in the future who are struggling with weight and eating issues. I thought this book was an easy read which is important I think in this type book. There was some more detailed information, science and such, which I liked. I would have liked more of that but understand that this book isn't written to physicians. The ideas and steps he has I do think are good. I would like to see them working in person to better be able to evaluate. Good place to start I think for someone struggling.

[Hanako · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kind of forgot I was reading this. It was not very exciting or compelling. No new information and somehow one of the biggest points seemed to be "don't smoke." Seems like it would be hard to find anyone who didn't know that would lower your disease risk. Nevertheless, I think this book could be great for some people. It has specific steps for how you can improve your health in many different areas of your life. So if you need that - it would be perfect. I was just looking for a different type of book I guess.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ordered this book for our academic library, and looked forward to being inspired by its contents. But 280 pages later, the 'news' about maintaining a healthy lifestyle is really not news - good nutrition, exercise, rest, stress management, and social connections remain the essential ingredients, with this just one more book to encourage us to behave. There are multiple chapters on the "how to" of fitting in exercise and healthy eating that some may find helpful.

[Sey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broad, yet accessible advice. Katz offers insights, and statistics, that will give you basic skills on improving your overall health. Diets are fads and seldom have long-term success. The key is to incorporate healthy habits to increase longevity and reduce the chance of contracting diseases. Chapters 4 and 13 are worth highlighting.

[Charityk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much new here for those who often read about nutrition and health. However, while not very "sexy", it is well-written and researched. Dr. Katz provides no-nonsense practical advice on how to be healthy for a lifetime, and he does not prescribe to the ongoing nutrition and fitness book obsession of quick-fix, silver bullet, one-size fits all solutions.