Review of The Nutrition Solution: A Guide to Your Metabolic Type (Paperback)

A key tenet of Dr Kristal's book is that no specific diet is right for everybody and that one's optimal diet can be determined by metabolic typing. His book builds upon information slowly developed over more than 40 years by a variety of practitioners. Another key tenet is that a healthy body has an ideal blood pH of 7.46, varying only within a narrow range. One of Dr Kristal's personal contributions is the development of simple and inexpensive quantitative procedures to determine a person's blood pH and metabolic type. They avoid the previous invasive taking of large venous blood samples over 14 hours by standard phlebotomy techniques. Instead he takes 4 drop-size blood samples from the finger over about 2 hours during a modified fasting glucose challenge test. He also tests samples of urine and saliva, measures blood pressure and pulse, both standing and lying down, respiration rate, time of holding one's breath, body fat, and weight. He also records self-reported observations at specific times during the glucose challenge, and takes a short personal history. The book explains how this information is used.
While the reason is currently unknown, each individual has a dominant mechanism controlling their metabolism. The two most fundamantal control mechanisms that regulate blood pH are the rate of oxidation and the actions of the autonomic nervous system. Each of these two metabolic types has two sub-types: fast or slow oxidative-dominant, and sympathetic or parasympathetic autonomic-dominant. From the test information, one's dominant metabolic sub-type can be determined, which then determines the optimum diet.
A major discovery is that most food items will have opposite effects on the blood pH of the major metabolic types, oxidative and autonomic. A food or drink that acidifies the blood of one type will alkalize the blood of the other. This is also true for many vitamin and mineral supplements. This knowledge, which has been verified by tests and clinical results, runs counter to bothorthodox and alternative medical beliefs.
Fast oxidizers and parasympathetic autonomics have blood that is too acid; slow oxidizers and parasympathetic autonomics have blood that is too alkaline. Because of the opposite effects mentioned above, nutrients are catagorized as Group I for slow oxidizers and sympathetics and Group II for fast oxidizers and parasympathetics. To greatly oversimplify (read the book for details), Group I people should have a diet dominated by complex carbohydrates and Group II should have a diet dominated by protein and fat. Each type emphasizes specific vegetables, fruits, and proteins. Thus no popular weight-loss diet can work for everybody, but by chance may work for some.
Using vitamin C as an example, ascorbic acid will acidfy oxidative metabolic types and alkalize autonomic types, while calcium ascorbate does the opposite. Group I requires the ascorbic acid form because it acidfies the slow oxidizer, but alkalizes the sympathetic. Group II requires the calcium ascorbate form because it alkalizes the fast oxidizer and acidifies the parasympathetic. Among foods, brocolli is a Group I food and cauliflower is a Group II food. Again, see the book for details.
The first three chapters of the book cover the theory and practice of metabolic typing. The next four cover weight control and other health issues; cancer (Dr Kristal recently discovered that nearly 80% of his clients presenting with cancer were Group I, and nearly 80% presenting with diabetes were Group II); general nutritional information; and dental toxicity (his training was as a dentist). The book includes an appendix explaining the details of metabolic typing, and another in which an MD examines cancer and metabolic typing.
The book discusses literature published in 2002. The authors acknowledge when they don't know the answer to some issue, and they discuss rate of success. When I was typed, Dr Kristal discovered that I was insulin resistant and on the verge of being diabetic. My HMO had not found this. His book is much like him: unpretentious, caring, very knowledgeable, and not driven by a need for fame or money. He is 77 years old, still works 5 days a week, and gives seminars on the weekends. He plays tennis an hour a day and works out in the gym another hour. Using his own recommendations that he gives to his clients, he put his own injury-induced liposarcoma into remission 4 years ago. He practices "Physician, heal thyself!"

Product Description
What constitutes healthy eating, and a healthy weight, has become a hugely complex - and too often vexing - question for those looking to discover, attain, and maintain their ideal weight. The Nutrition Solution takes a fresh approach. Based on the idea that no single diet is universally applicable to everyone, the book first shows readers how to determine their body type. Next, Dr. Kristal, who runs a nutritional clinic, outlines the appropriate diet for each type, including which foods to include and which to avoid. Dr. Kristal worked extensively with William Wolcott, the originator of metabolic typing, and draws on scientific studies to show struggling dieters the way to practical, healthful eating for each metabolic type. Included are detailed strategies for finding freedom from out-of-control food cravings - the downfall of many a dieter.

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