Customer Reviews

The Anti-Aging Zone

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I don't quite agree with the January 30 1999 review that this is the book Dr Sears should have written in the first place - I'd consider it a rough draft for that book; Dr Sears needs a competent editor!

This is the hardcover edition of the book that has been republished in paperback under the title of "The Age-free Zone". I think it is better to read "Enter the Zone" instead of or before reading this one. I have reservations about recommending this book because there are some obvious mis-statements that should have been caught by an editor, a great deal of boring repetition, and some very stretched analogies (e.g. pages 32 and 50). The persistent reader might reach a point where they are rewarded by more details of biochemical mechanisms than are given in the earlier book. The tables of food amounts are different from those in the other books and appear to be intermediate between the earlier version of "Enter the Zone" and the later amounts of "The top 100 zone foods".

This is Barry Sears' most technical book so far about the biological principles behind his Zone diet.

He describes biological markers of aging and mechanisms of aging. He also gives a short course in hormones, which are strongly involved in aging.

Sears explains his anti-aging pyramid, which consists of meditation, moderate exercise and his Zone diet. Unlike the US Department of Agriculture food pyramid, which put bread, grains and starches at the bottom, to be eaten in big amounts, Sears' pyramid puts these at the top, to be eaten very sparingly, to reduce insulin secretion.

Insulin is so important to his Zone diet that he devotes an entire chapter to its effects on the body. He also devotes a chapter to cortisol, a hormone important in stress reactions. Plus, he has a chapter about eicosanoids, which are hormones that are very important in coordinating important body functions.

Insulin strongly affects the output and mix of eicosanoids. Since maintaining the correct amount of insulin in one's body is fundamental to his Zone diet, Sears gives a list of 14 different signs that one has the right amount and kind of eicosanoids active in one's body.

These signs consist of such varied things as hair strength and texture, appetite for carbohydrates, length of time of appetite suppression between meals, sleeping time and grogginess on awakening.

If all of these 14 different signs have the right status, it's an indication that one has had the right amount of insulin in one's body recently.

Sears ranges widely enough to get into trouble. For example, he recommends Coleus forskohli as an anti-cancer agent. Actually, it's catnip for some kinds of cancer.

For several years I have had high triglycerides (TGL). Two and half years ago, my TGL/HDL ratio was 25. My doctor said I could either follow the American Heart Association (AHA) diet, or start taking medication. I choose the AHA diet, and after following the high carbohydrate, low fat diet for a year, my TGL/HDL ratio was 42. My doctor was alarmed and strongly advised taking Gemfibrozil in addition to the AHA diet. Last November after a year of Gemfibrozil and AHA diet, I was developing muscle pain in my legs where I had never had pain, lower back pain, and was gaining weight. My TGL/HDL ration was only down to 8.8. My doctor told me I had bad genes and was destined to have heart problems, and should continue with the medication to minimize the problem. I discussed the problem with my boss at work and he told me about the "Entering the Zone" book. I read most of it and on November 20th, 2000 I stopped taking Gemfibrozil and I started the Zone Diet. At the end of January after being on the Zone diet for just over 8 weeks, my TGL/HDL ration was down to 2.2. For me, a side affect of the Zone diet has been the loss of a little over 30 lbs since starting the diet. The real benifit has been to reverse my aging metrics. The Anti-Aging Zone book isn't easy reading, but is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. I highly recommend you read it and try it. It has improved my health in many ways mot mentioned in this summary.

Thanks to Mr. Sears for the insights in explaining to the layman the intricacies of the body's hormonal functions and the aging process. For those of us who wish to accept our years and get on with it, I recommend Grace Lee's no-nonsense best seller -"On The Way To Over The Hill; A Guide To Aging Gracefully.

There is a lot of pseudo-science out there. This one's for real. The problem with the world today is nobody accepts what you say but everyone swallows what you write. Check it out for yourself. When your hair gets thicker and you have to cut your nails twice instead of once a week then you know something is happening.

Fat is good for you. Just remember:

No pizza No pasta No noodle No rice No bread No noodle No pizza No rice

It's a simple diet and you'll live never to regret it.

After having read "Growing Yound with HGH" (prior to Dr. Sears, "Anti-Aging Zone) I must admit.....many of the same philosophies of anit-aging translated better with Dr. Klatz's book . Maybe it's me, but I felt I needed to go the library and read the book in the reference section for back-up. Dont get me wrong...it has a great deal of good information for turning back the biological clock...you just may have to re-read a couple of chapters....after having done a little research on terminology, biology, and human nutrition. That's my opinion...and I'm sticking to it.

Techically, not a "Diet" by a system to moderate your "autocrine" hormones. It made the difference between my wife having moderate asthma to no asthma (ongoing 14 months). But it's more than that. If you would like to choose to maximize the likelihood of not getting the major civilization diseases, i.e., heart attack, stroke and cancer--read this book. If you want your brain to last as long as your body--read this book. Your choice: live well or die gruesomely.

As a zoner for nearly 2 years, I can personally attest to Dr. Sears scientific evaluation of America's high carbohydrate - low fat diets, and the current government dietary pyramid scheme. His latest book describes the hormone system and how sustained high insulin levels accelerate aging. This book explains in great detail how Dr. Sears, through the empirical results of his own studies and research of others, formulated the "Zone Diet". This book should give those who believe in the current wisdom of high carbohydrate - low fat diets pause. The book is not an easy read, but given the complexity of his subject I don't see how it could be more simply written. Just do like I did; read it twice.

I'm 35 and bought a copy of the Anti-Aging Zone for my parents. They loved it and I got a second copy for myself. I've always been in decent shape, but I've seen some stunning changes in the last two months. I'm about 30% stronger and considerably faster. I've lost about 12-15 lbs of fat and have gained about 5 lbs of muscle.

The serious athletes among you might want to use the Zone and supplement with glutamine and creatine (both essential amino acids which are shown to increase lean/fat ratios). Dr. Klatz's book on HGH is a good companion to the Zone series. When there is a disagreement between the two, I've usually found the Zone to be more accurate.

I've seen some other strange effects from being in the Zone, like grey hairs being replaced by brown ones and a marked reduction in muscle soreness after workouts.

This is a great book to get for your parents, if you want them to be around for a long time. I'll be first in line for Athletes in the Zone, if Mr. Sears ever gets around to writing one.

I discovered the zone diet over 1yr. ago. After doing a little research I soon realized that we ate this way durring hard training in the mid-70's. My most resent goal was to compete in the 40+ masters world cycling championships. The 30/30/40 plan helped me to recover amazingly well week to week after hard training. The results at the World's were fantastic, and now I continue to eat in the zone for every day activities.

Highly recommended

Gordon Singleton

World cycling Champion 1982 World Masters Champion 1998