Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Audiobook11 hours
Too Much of a Good Thing: How Four Key Survival Traits Are Now Killing Us
Written by Lee Goldman
Narrated by Dan Woren
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Dean of Columbia University's medical school explains why our bodies are out of sync with today's environment and how we can correct this to save our health.
Over the past 200 years, human life-expectancy has approximately doubled. Yet we face soaring worldwide rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, mental illness, heart disease, and stroke. In his fascinating new book, Dr. Lee Goldman presents a radical explanation: The key protective traits that once ensured our species' survival are now the leading global causes of illness and death. Our capacity to store food, for example, lures us into overeating, and a clotting system designed to protect us from bleeding to death now directly contributes to heart attacks and strokes. A deeply compelling narrative that puts a new spin on evolutionary biology, TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING also provides a roadmap for getting back in sync with the modern world.
Over the past 200 years, human life-expectancy has approximately doubled. Yet we face soaring worldwide rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, mental illness, heart disease, and stroke. In his fascinating new book, Dr. Lee Goldman presents a radical explanation: The key protective traits that once ensured our species' survival are now the leading global causes of illness and death. Our capacity to store food, for example, lures us into overeating, and a clotting system designed to protect us from bleeding to death now directly contributes to heart attacks and strokes. A deeply compelling narrative that puts a new spin on evolutionary biology, TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING also provides a roadmap for getting back in sync with the modern world.
Unavailable
Related to Too Much of a Good Thing
Related audiobooks
The Bible Cure for High Cholesterol: Ancient Truths, Natural Remedies, and the Latest Findings for Your Health Today Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Saved by Science: The Hope and Promise of Synthetic Biology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Reversing Diabetes: Discover the Natural Way to Take Control of Type 2 Diabetes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Jorge Cruise's The 100 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Eat to Beat Disease by Dr. William Li Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet: How to Beat Diabetes Fast (and Stay Off Medication) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary Bundle: Nutrition & Biography: Includes Summary of Grain Brain & Summary of Grant Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPath to Excellent Health Bundle, 2 in 1 Bundle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Inflammation Syndrome: Your Nutrition Plan for Great Health, Weight Loss, and Pain-Free Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of James DiNicolantonio's The Obesity Fix Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Magic of Food: Live Longer and Healthier--and Lose Weight--with the Synergetic Diet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary Bundle: Nutrition & Energy: Includes Summary of The China Study & Summary of The Clarity Cleanse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSkinny Liver: A Proven Program to Prevent and Reverse the New Silent Epidemic - Fatty Liver Disease Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Yin-Yang Diet: For Balanced Nutrition, Health and Harmony Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Taking the Heat: How Climate Change Is Affecting Your Mind, Body, and Spirit and What You Can Do About It Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe New Sugar Busters!: Cut Sugar to Trim Fat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cancer Diet: Cancer Diet For Beginners Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End of Craving: Recovering the Lost Wisdom of Eating Well Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fast Carbs, Slow Carbs: The Simple Truth about Food, Weight, and Disease Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Summary Bundle: Health & Memoir: Includes Summary of How Not to Die & Summary of In Cold Blood Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Smart Sugars Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Wellness For You
The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Not Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Silent Patient Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You, Happier: The 7 Neuroscience Secrets of Feeling Good Based on Your Brain Type Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Do the Work Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Highly Sensitive Person Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health With Facts and Feminism Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last House on Needless Street Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Morning, Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Happiness Makeover: Overcome Stress and Negativity to Become a Hopeful, Happy Person Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Am I Doing?: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Switch on Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in ""Healthy"" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Moneyzen: The Secret to Finding Your ""Enough"" Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Too Much of a Good Thing
Rating: 3.8125 out of 5 stars
4/5
8 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beyond dull and I'm not sure who the audience is. Full of very obvious points. I recommend "The Wild Life of Our Bodies" by Rob Dunn which covers much of the same territory but is infinitely more lively.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dr. Goldman delves into evolutionary biology and explains how and why key survival strategies that have evolved over the millennia are now the leading global causes of illness and death. He focuses on diabetes, obesity, stroke and heart attack, and mental illness.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beyond dull and I'm not sure who the audience is. Full of very obvious points. I recommend "The Wild Life of Our Bodies" by Rob Dunn which covers much of the same territory but is infinitely more lively.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Evolution adapted us to survive in a harsh environment...at least long enough to reproduce. But we don't live in that environment any more. Our world is less violent, food and water are readily available (for most of us), childbirth is far safer, and we're less likely to die prematurely from injury or disease. The genetic adaptations that once helped protect us from starving or bleeding to death are now contributing to obesity, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, and (the author argues) anxiety, and depression. In this book, Lee Goldman points out some genetic traits that are now seemingly maladaptive and what we can do to live with them. It's well-written and informative.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What an irresistibly interesting contradiction—four traits that evolved in early humans to increase survival are killing modern humans. This book goes heavy on genetics, statistics and medical studies. If you enjoy science books that dig deep into a subject and logically lay out arguments and supporting evidence, you’ll enjoy this. The writing is clear and concise, and there isn’t much obscure terminology, so even if you don’t consider yourself scientifically minded but find your curiosity piqued, you should give it a go. It’s a lot of information to absorb, so it’s not a quick read (took me over a week to finish), but, hey, info laden books aren’t meant to be devoured in only one or two sittings.Goldman’s explanation of how four evolutionary traits couldn’t keep up with the sudden and drastic changes in our environment and society over the past few hundred years and now work “too well” in such a way to be detrimental really made me look at modern diseases and health problems in a whole different light. I think one of the book’s most important takeaways is that some of today’s health problems aren’t a result of people being weak and lazy, but a result of the way our bodies evolved thousands of years ago. That isn’t to say the health problems are solely to blame on genetics, but we should be compassionate with the understanding that our genes make getting certain health problems under control an uphill battle. Although the prognosis seems pretty grim, the book does end on a hopeful note by discussing how we treat diseases and health problems today, and what treatments the future may hold.