The Inflammation Syndrome: The Complete Nutritional Program to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Allergies, and Asthma

by Jack Challem

Early Acclaim for The Inflammation Syndrome

"Challem's new book hits a home run-with the latest research on what to eat and take to defeat our real number-one cause of health problems-inflammation. It's a message of the utmost importance."
-Jean Carper, New York Times bestselling author of Stop Aging Now! and Your Miracle Brain, and columnist, USA Weekend magazine

"Treating and preventing inflammation has become a major priority and a breakthrough in today's medicine. Many of our most debilitating diseases can be traced to an inflammatory cause. The program Jack Challem outlines in The Inflammation Syndrome is a great first step in ridding your body of this deadly problem."
-Fred Pescatore, M.D., author of Thin For Good, The Allergy and Asthma Cure, and Feed Your Kids Well

"The Inflammation Syndrome compellingly shows how the typical Western diet promotes inflammation and disease. In a scientifically accurate and easy-to-understand manner, Jack Challem lays out the basic nutrition plan for good health and weight loss-a plan that mimics many features of the ancestral and native human diet."
-Loren Cordain, Ph.D., author of The Paleo Diet

"Jack Challem has hit the bull's-eye when it comes to identifying the root cause of chronic inflammation-our pro-inflammatory Western diet. Following Challem's recommendations will not only relieve inflammation, it will lay the groundwork for optimal health."
-Jo Robinson, coauthor of The Omega Diet and principal investigator of eatwild.com

"In this book, Jack Challem focuses on inflammation, the most important underlying factor in health and disease. Anti-inflammatory strategies can slow the chronic and degenerative diseases of aging-even aging itself. Jack Challem shows us how the antioxidant vitamins E and C, modifying lifestyle factors, food and nutritional supplements, and nutraceuticals can be useful in reducing the risks of inflammatory disorders."
-Lester Packer, Ph.D., the world's foremost antioxidant research scientist and lead author of The Antioxidant Miracle

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Food, Nutrition, Reference, Science, Audiobook

Paperback

First published March 1, 2003

Reviews

[William Lawrence · Rating 1 out of 5]

As soon as this guy said with such certainty and absolutely no cited references that the paleolithic diet was mostly animal fats, I knew this entire book was bogus. Challem's opinions on the origins of our diet are wildy in contrast to peer reviewed work in the fields of paleontology and anthropology. 1.) They did not all or even mostly animals. 2.) We have no access to the true foods they ate and they had no access to the foods we now choose from. 3.) Even if this guy's opinions were true, do you really want to follow a group of people whose lifespan was under 30 years old?

His opinions on diet are wildly in contract to reports from researchers in the fields of medicine and nutrition. He demonizes potatoes and tomatoes, which have been shown to be two of the healthiest foods in study after study.

I was sad to find that this author passed away last year at just 66 from cancer, but that doesn't change how much I abhor the dishonest and dangerous advice he gave in this book. His book on sugar was a bit more realistic, but to call this "science-based reporting" is disingenuous. He was not a medical doctor, nor did he have a doctorate in any field, and he was not reporting any peer reviewed scientific studies.

[Shanon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Learned a few things but never really determined what “the diet plan in this book” is. Everything is piece milled throughout. I think it has some solid advice and appreciate the references to specific studies that I was able to look at individually as a result.
The book itself though is disconjointed and the order doesn’t necessarily flow well.

[Noor Saadeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good read on the subject. Clear, concise explanation of why we're hurting and ways to reduce inflammation and allergies. Lots of books on this subject but the author is very straight forward and clear.

[Indra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up The Inflammation Syndrome out of curiosity. I had once watched a video of Vidya Balan where she spoke about how her body changed after following an anti-inflammatory diet. That got me thinking — what exactly is an anti-inflammatory diet, and is Functional Medicine genuinely science-based or just another trend? This book promised to explain how chronic inflammation might be at the root of many health issues.

Right from the start, I found the book quite informative. It’s full of explanations that make you pause and reflect on what’s really happening inside your body. A good place for anyone to understand the link between nutrition and chronic disease — especially those who like blending science with common sense. The book does suggest solutions. But I personally would make it a point not to take any of the health advice at face value — and would consult my physician before following any of the recommendations.

One doesn’t need a medical background to understand his writing — it’s clear, practical, and easy to connect with. Some parts of the book felt like reading a nutritional encyclopedia.

After finishing the book, I wanted to know more about the author, and that search turned out to be quite revealing. Challem, known as “The Nutrition Reporter,” wasn’t a medical doctor but had built his expertise through years of research, writing, and learning from other pioneers in nutrition. His personal motivation — losing his older brother to cancer at a young age — seemed to have deeply shaped his mission to help others live healthier lives. I was also shocked to know that John Challam died at the age of 66 due to cancer.

[Ryan Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book in November 2017, got to about 30 pages left, and then never finished it. I recently saw it on my shelf and decided to finally finish it. It honestly wasn't that great. I enjoy reading books on nutrition, food, and health, and was excited about the idea here, but it wasn't executed well. Some of it was practical--like his 14 steps against inflammation--but even that was pretty typical.

More could be said, but it simply wasn't that good of a book. I didn't highlight much at all--which is rare for me! I'm sure there's much better books on inflammation, and there's certainly better books on nutrition and health. It is interesting, on Amazon this got good reviews, but it looks like Goodreads is a more reliable source here, as this book is averaging 3.5 stars here. That seems more accurate.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very informative (if repetitive)book written by a nutritionist whose main goal is to explain how to combat inflammation that is a cause for a whole host of illnesses. His information was compelling. I was a little uncomfortable with the fact that he is not a doctor, but he did steep his explanations with science. Aside from changes in diet, a main focus is nutrition supplements. He names a host of them with explanations of how they promote health. My only concern is, can you combine all of them or are there interactions? He didn't address that. I used the Web Md website to see about how long or in what combination of supplements can be used. The most valuable piece of information was the naming of specific supplementary brands. I went out and bought some of them and am planning to follow a regimen in the hopes of being healthier and helping my husband's inflammation symptoms. I recommend this book as a guide to supplements and understanding the nature of inflammation.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the many books I have been reading about inflammatory diseases (arthritis, allergies, cancer, autoimmune disease, and inflammatory bowel disease). It's shocking how closely related these things are...

[P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read Myers Way and Wahls Protocol, I quickly realised that his AI diet has pretty much the same elements. Nevertheless, I learnt a few things in the Supplements part.

1. Soft cheeses have additives and partially hydrogenated oils mixed in them. Avoid.
2. NFkB activates inflammatory response.
3. Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) is a superb anti-inflammatory substance. A study with 345 mg for 12 weeks showed good results. Can treat brain cancer. Usually obtained from Borage or Primrose Oil, but make sure to check the exact amount of GLA in primrose oil supplements. They can be very low.
4. Curcumin can reduce inflammation through at least 97 biological pathways.
5. Pycnogenol (French pine bark) can help bring down blood glucose levels in T2DM patients. 100mg for 12 weeks is the recommended dose.
6. The best version of Vit E is tocopheryl or d-alpha-tocopherol.
7. Devil's Claw and Cat's Claw - not sure what the active ingredients are. Need to look it up.
8. Fish oils protect the eye from macular degeneration.
9. Selenium binds mercury rendering it non-toxic so if you're worried about mercury poisioning from fish, take Se supplement.

[Debbie Blane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was quite helpful. The author was very good at making the connection between inflammation and the diseases that he discussed, and he gave brand names for supplements that can help with the conditions. Even when I could not find the supplements, knowing the names of the ingredients enabled me to find a similar supplement. I have discovered, for instance, that Costco has quite a few supplements that are vegetarian. This is important to me. I do recommend this book to anyone that is struggling with health issues, or knows someone who is.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most illnesses have a component of inflammation. I was interested because we have a lot of RA in our family. Author is an advocate of using food as medicine. Shopping around the outer edges of the grocery store. He emphasizes organic grass fed meats, fresh produce, reducing grains and sugar and most cooking oils (EVOO recommended), and eating whole foods, not processed. I knew most of this….

Also, advocate for supplements. He recommends lots of different combinations. I’ve never been into this, but it made me think more about it.

[Ajinkya Jadhav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good primer for someone starting out on the journey to a better long-term health by making subtle diet changes.
Gets jargon-y at times n fairly academic, but should be on the to-do list at least as a one time read !

[Mohamed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative

I like the book, quite informative.
Would've been better if the author gave more about supplements recomended dosage in one table (it was all over the place).

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched, with a long bibliography. This book doesn't include many recipes, so look for those in other books.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful, but I fond this quite hard to stick to as have multiple chronic conditions, so one would be stable, but another would not.

[Jojo · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF - literally impossible to listen to as an audiobook

[Melanie O’Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long on audible and lots of medical references but informative and well structured.

[Rachel B · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was disappointing.

There were many typos, which is frustrating in any type of book, but especially disconcerting when the book is on a scientific subject like this one.

I also did not appreciate that the author kept referring to the evolution theory as fact, with no references cited. If you're going to claim that you know the earth is millions of years old, and you know everything about people who lived tens of thousands of years ago, you had better have some solid evidence to back up your preposterous claims. The evolution theory is just that... a theory.

The reading itself is fairly dry - it reads like a very boring textbook. I enjoyed the bios of various individuals' "before and after", but each story did seem to be a case of the individual changing everything - all aspects of diet, lifestyle, instead of just the one aspect that is credited (in one chapter, it may have been fish oil, in another, Vitamin E).

I would say the main point of this book and the recommended diet is simply "Eat healthily", and this particular author believes that to mean, "Eat paleo". The one work he does refer to many times is The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat by Loren Cordain.

My suggestion would be to skip The Inflammation Syndrome. If you're interested in eating Paleo, go straight to the source and read Cordain's book, since obviously Challem got most of his ideas there anyhow. I haven't read it myself, though, so I can't vouch for the readability.

If you're simply wanting to read a book about eating healthily, I really like Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck. This book is very informative, but also very lay-person friendly.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

My version doesn't say AARP but the rest of the title is the same, so just assuming I read a book for older people, but hey I feel old so who knows! Anyways, the AI diet is basically only eating the things that God created (more or less, you know - no processed food that doesn't look like its natural form). So it's all good in theory but will be really hard to practice I think. I am going to try it for the 14 days like suggested but I am not sure I can permanently live without normal bread and sugar (like for coffee even? Hmmm.) But if I do feel better then I will be more apt to make a permanent change. I do like his suggestions on herbs and since my bloodwork came back positive for infammatory something or other (they don't know what still) I am willing to try it! I also suffer from many of the symptoms mentioned in the book. I do like all the suggestions he gives on herbs and alternative supplements too. I do have to say I didn't read the entire book, I skimmed the parts that explain the "whys" because I am not really interested in why my body needs DHA. I'm sure that's bad of me and maybe when I get a chance I will go back and read more thoroughly. If it works, I will give it 5 stars for sure!!

[Alexandra Scarborough · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever taken so long to complete a book, and I blame it solely on the audio version of this title.

The text was worthwhile and comprehensive, and the companion piece accessed via Internet at Tantor Books provides useful resources for living more healthfully; however, (and this is a *big* however) the voice artist reading this book bordered on intolerable. Where do I start? First: his deliberate and painful delivery of sentences was maddening; it made listening an unpleasant task. Next, his pronunciation (god, his pronunciation!--my "favorite" being "AL-TIMERS" for "Alzheimers")--seriously, guy, how did you ever become a voice actor? Or, perhaps Tantor should better vet its talent.

Nevertheless, I finally completed it, and for those who wonder why I didn't just *read* the book--I reserve non-fiction of an informational nature for audio, to listen while I get ready for work, do housework, et cetera. If I wish to commit content to memory or feel it would be more suited to careful study, I visually read rather than listen. And voice talent runs the gamut in terms of level of expertise, but this one took the cake. I advise reading with the eyes, no matter what!

I would give the text version three stars.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit too technical/doctor-speak for my liking, this book was pretty much a much more in-depth look at what I previously read in "Anti-Inflammation Diet for Dummies." Mr. Challem's diet varies slightly from the Dummies version in that it follows more of the Paleolithic caveman diet that has become so popular lately. I get that organic is healthier for you, but it is also more expensive and with the cost of grocery products rising every day, it is sometimes hard to justify the cost. Also as much as I like fruit and veg, I don't see myself getting 5-10 servings per day. Other than a couple good recipes, the only other good thing I got out of this was the section on fish oils improve mood, which detailed how "omega-3 fish oil supplements were helpful in treating depression, reducing impulsive behavior and hostility, and those that take it are less likely to develop cognitive problems and Alzheimer's disease." 2 stars.

[Heidi Cullinan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more in the beginning than the end. I appreciated being educated on the potentially inflammatory foods, but midway in the book became less about education and more about the particular way the author believes we all should eat. Which seems to be the way of most of these kinds of books: they eventually turn into Join My Religion. It also becomes far too restrictive. If I hadn't known so much already on my own, I would have walked away from this book feeling discouraged and frustrated, that I couldn't do what the author suggested.

Taken with a grain of salt, it's a very helpful book. But everyone choosing to eat for health issues should do their own research and use the kind of diet modification which helps them the most. Especially when it comes to how much alteration one should do and what kind and when.

[Susanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book because I've been testing positive for inflammation for years with the (ultrasensitive) Protein C Reactive test. For the past six months there was a big jump and the doctor's only advice is to lose weight (which makes sense), followed by a shrug.
I did my first research on the internet and bought nutritional supplements, which actually match all the ones the author suggests. So I don't feel it was necessary for me to have read this book, as I learned nothing new. Perhaps doctors should read it though - if they ask for the test they should know what it is for, and what to do when levels are high.
I'll get tested again in two to three months and see if the vitamins and supplements combined with diet and lifestyle changes worked.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book includes some pretty loose science (e.g. it works on viruses, so it might work in people) and treats associations with results as if they were causative. The author also repeatedly cites one particular pricey manufacturer of supplements, making one quite suspicious about product placement contributions.

He also cites pretty much the same supplements for everything that ails you, so the content of the book could be realistically condensed into a single page (or truly, even just one sentence: "Eat real and varied low-glycemic foods and take the following supplements: omega 3, GLAs, pycnogenol and so on..." I read the entire book, and there is very little difference in advice for specific problems.

Not worth the money; fortunately for me this was a library loan.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Junk. I'm supposed to get all my protein from animal sources??!! Nothing on the roles of stress, exercise, sleep, exhaustion. Only a little on the role of infection. Food-scare tactics - all these diseases are supposedly caused by unknown food allergies or food addictions to healthy foods (is that really true? I could be allergic and addicted to foods like paneer tikka masala that I crave and consume once every two months!) I love tomatoes but might only have them a few times per month, it's called a VARIED DIET which he never mentions. And he's not a DR. So he can only "prescribe" expensive herbal supplements.

[Rachel Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awful narration which nearly put me off completing the book. Some interesting references and claims but nothing completely new (e.g. trans fats are bad, antioxidants are good, anti-inflammatory drugs aren’t safe to use long term and don’t cure problems). I wasn’t totally convinced by the advice and found it hard to use the book to make changes to my way of eating. The structure didn’t work for me either. It might have been better to read this rather than listen to it.

[HannaH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Challem does a succinct job of outlining how the foods we eat (or rather, do not eat) can affect our body's ability to regulate inflammation. The first chunk of the book reads like a fast-forward version of Omnivore's Dilemma, esp. the section on corn (ha ha). As for the recipes at the end, eh, they seem kind of dull but still, serve as good jumpstarts for your culinary creative juices!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good, basic book talking about inflammation in the body. I like that Challem includes information about the effects of not only diet but also pharmaceutical meds. He also discusses various diseases in relation to inflammation. Overall a good overview with practical information. He also includes a few recipes.

[Whitney Ford · Rating 1 out of 5]

decent advice overall on basic nutrition but loses credibility being too quick to recommend a lot of supplements and for mentioning homopathy in a case study without noting that it is junk..also don't trust tendency to blame inflammation on food allergies or claim that inflammation as the root cause of so many health issues

[Diane C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me much food for thought in my increasing mindfulness to eat in a non-inflammatory way. Paints things with a broad brush now and then, but over all very good.

A powerful indictment of "value added" foods and sugary ones and how they are making us very sick, costing our health care system billions.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful topic. Provides a lot of knowledge and is easy to read and understand. The food lists were specifically helpful. Foods I thought were healthy can cause inflammation. I started the supplement from Carlson Labs he recommends, Inflammation Balance. I have also tweaked my diet and I believe I am starting to reap the benefits. I lost 4 lbs just be making a few minor changes.