Ravenous: Otto Warburg, the Nazis, and the Search for the Cancer-Diet Connection

A well written and researched book. I loved the book and highly recommend it. You won’t be disappointed and it might save your life.

I have been following the research on the metabolic theory of cancer, and wanted to learn more on the subject I found this to be a well-written book - half history and half science. Otto Warburg was quite a character; I had not heard much about him before. But this book also taught me a lot more about Hitler and what it was like to live in Germany during the Nazi regime.I also gained a greater understanding of how metabolism plays an important role in the development of cancer, and this made me curious to learn even more about the subject. I greatly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

This book fills in a huge void in the history of science and medicine, dredges up things that we collectively forgot. We believe that medical science is objective, but it turns out that it is tainted by politics just like everything else. Science is driven by very talented egotists, some of whom are partially right, and some who are dead wrong. Being right is not enough in science, you also need to be both right, have proof that you are right, and be on the right side of history. The first one is easier than the other two: convincing the scientific establishment is enormously difficult, even when evidence seems to be overwhelming. Scurvy was conquered by British sailors in 1700s, but early polar explorers put their faith in modern canning technology and rotted alive for the want of a little bit of vitamin c that they could have gotten from fresh lemon juice. While having a cure that worked, scientists did not understand why it worked, and at any chance chose faith in their own theories over experimental evidence. We might be experiencing a similar scientific disaster right now: there's very little understanding of the causes of the obesity epidemic, the metabolic syndrome, and the rampaging diabetes. It was strange that while I've learned about Hans Krebs in high school, and even had to memorize his famous cycle ( I can recall parts of it from memory 30 years later: oxalo acetate - acetyl coa - citrate - cis acanitate - oxalo suxcinate - fumrate - malate - and back to oxalo acetate ). But never once have I learned about his mentor, Otto Warburg. This book filled in this gap in my knowledge, and made me think deeply about the role of persuasion in science. It's an enjoyable read, an excellent, well researched, and lively pop science book.

Just finished the book. I saw this book as two parts one about Otto other about cancer and cancer research. Maybe I’m just too much of a simpleton but found the cancer terminology and research discussions over my head. I love reading about WW2 and how terrible the Nazis were and how calling anyone a Nazi in America is doing an injustice to the Jews of Europe.

The author of this book, Sam Apple, teaches science writing at John Hopkins, so no surprise that he writes well about science. But his writing shines even more -- his book reads like a novel, with suspense and intrigue, while the scientific issues are rendered with clarity and with the use of clever metaphors that help the lay reader understand complex topics without condescension.The book ostensibly concerns Otto Warburg, a gay Jewish Nobel Prize winner living in Berlin under Hitler. That it's actually about much more than that is a real credit to Apple, who helps us trace the line of scientific inquiry into the causes of cancerous tumors in humans, and how that line diverged, broke up, and came back together. The Warburg connection feels tenuous at times, but Apple finds a way to bring him back into the discussion, and notably, doesn't pretend Warburg was nicer than he was. But Warburg also gets his due -- he's a forgotten Nobel Laureate who deserves much more credit than he's received by the general public, and this book is going a long way to giving him the notoriety he deserves.Meanwhile, I can't look at food the same way any more, so whether your bag is nutrition, health, chemistry, cancer research, or stories about truly fascinating people, this great read is worth every dime and minute that you spend on it.

Yes, sugar can be a danger to your health. You may already know that.This book is not a science-class lecture: Rather a good read actually. You will be brought to think-about and learn to respect the physiology of YOUR body. We're not all the same. It's time to know your risks.The reading of this will not scare you to death: It's not science class. Very much like reading a good novel... You didn't expect that I'll bet. Not preachy. Definitely not boring. Again: science/war/intrigue.Will bring you to thinking about asking your doctor some real questions; and listening to her/him: With understanding. No doubt you'll mention this book.It's a fun read. Characters throughout. Intrigue and Nazis and all that is upside down in a terrible world war.

Ever wonder why cancer has become so common? Well, there's a metabolic connection ... At least 13 different cancers have now been strongly linked to excess body fat. This book explains it all. It's part biography (the story of Otto Warburg, scientist, who discovered how cancer cells eat), part history (Nazis), and most importantly, it explains how sugar consumption and obesity have led to the dramatic increase in cancer over the past hundred + years.If you are curious to learn how you have a chance at preventing cancer, this book is for you. If you are interested in history, it's also for you. It's dense material delivered in a wonderfully readable fashion. I highly recommend this book to everyone, and particularly to medical professionals who are seeking a more in depth look at cancer development. I already limit my sugar consumption. Now I'm going to make sure it's essentially zero. Thanks to the author, Sam Apple, for helping me on my journey to improve my health!