Determined to have non-biochemists follow the scientific evidence for the effect of diet, supplements, and drugs on health, the husband and wife team of Fred and Alice Ottoboni has provided informative diagrams of metabolic pathways on digestion and beyond, along with clear descriptions in their book "The Modern Nutritional Diseases: Heart Disease, Stroke, Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity, Cancer, and How to Prevent Them."

And all of this is done without using a single chemical structure--quite a shock to an organic chemist such as myself, but certainly a welcome feature to most lay readers.

The Ottobonis have shown how common supplements and drugs influence these metabolic pathways, and they expose the biggest fraud in the history of medicine and diet without restraint. I am referring of course to the fraud that claims that dietary fat is dangerous and causes heart disease.

Despite the contrarian viewpoint of the book, most of their sources and references are from mainstream biochemistry texts and medical journals. Yet their interpretation of the science differs from the desperate defense of the deceptive dictatorial directives of the dons of diet dogma so much that the Ottobonis call their recommendations "alternative nutrition."

This is not to say that their tone is anything but sweet and reasonable, and it is gratifying to see their contempt for the low-fat fools emerge just a little here and there.

The authors' advice, which is possibly the most experimentally valid advice ever given on healthful behaviors, diet, supplements and drugs is given with solid citations and great clarity.

Dozens of their paragraphs are gems of clear, truthful and practical correlations, which should be prize quotations verbatim for many years to come. For example, here are just a few of their accurate observations, which are presented with ample evidence:

• Acetaminophen is not innocuous
• Fats made from the 12-carbon lauric acid are very beneficial
• Children on low-fat diets can be harmed seriously
• Certain vitamins and supplements (but relatively few herbs) can be very beneficial
• A vegetarian diet is not a healthy one
• Cholesterol-lowering drugs are dangerous
• A good cholesterol supply in the human body is a vital necessity

Certainly, there is broad agreement with the principles in Dr. Mercola’s "The No-Grain Diet" (which I have not yet read, but am familiar with the basic principles of it, being a regular reader of his newsletter).

The biochemical path from high glycemic index carbohydrates to high insulin to undesirable eicosanoids (prostaglandins, etc.) is presented in the clearest manner I have yet seen. For those who cannot accept experimental evidence without a plausible theory, the Ottobonis provide both.

The Ottobonis correctly expose the National Cholesterol Education Program Guidelines on diet as an attempt by those with ulterior motives to use the U.S. government umbrella of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to make it appear that the guidelines have government sanction, and that the process of generating them was the open and complete process we have a right to expect, which would have included public hearings and publication in the Federal Register.

Flaws in dietary studies connecting consumption of saturated fats with the chronic Western diseases are explained. Many examples of better studies are provided, and the contradiction with the Unified Dietary Guidelines of The American Heart Association and other groups still in the Dark Ages regarding glycemic index are exposed fearlessly.

Despite the fact that the book is excellent, I doubt that a book could be possibly written that I would be in 100 percent, complete agreement with. Perhaps the Ottobonis’ homage to Barry Sears, author of "Into The Zone," should have been qualified. In addition, the first edition of the book had less-than-perfect proofreading and some minor errors in chemistry, both of which were eliminated in the second printing in February 2003. However, these minor complaints did not alter the validity of the conclusions and advice in this marvelous book.

The bottom line is that "The Modern Nutritional Diseases" is an essential part of any health library, and it gets a perfect score of five out of five stars.

For additional accurate diet information see www.THINCS.org.

Joel M. Kauffman, PhD. is professor of chemistry emeritus, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (e-mail: kauffman37@yahoo.com)

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