The Cancer Code: A Revolutionary New Understanding of a Medical Mystery

Dr. Jason Fung goes on a deeper dive with this, his third “Code” book. This time he travels a slightly different path than his previous books, taking he readers on an interesting, detailed journey into the history and rational of the many treatments for cancer, explaining where we came from and where we are going with regards to this terrible disease.Along the way he covers the familiar questions: What causes it? How does it develop? What makes it progress? What are the old and new treatments? Alas, finally coming to the one we need to understand now, before we can more forward: Do we understand it at its core?In getting to its core, he reacquaints us with an old nemesis - hyperinsulinemia. For insulin is not just limited to our blood sugar levels, but plays a significant role in cell growth. He reveals for the last ten years we have been in another paradigm shift, now giving us the theory of evolution and a new turn of “seed” and “soil” concept. So, we get to ask ourselves a more critical question: How do our nutrition and environment, as well as how frequency we eat, affect not only our insulin levels and obesity, but our risk of cancer?I love Dr. Fung’s lack of adherence to traditional “scientific beliefs” and his willingness to look beyond scientific studies, while gaining insight from them. There are some nice diagrams and explanatory charts and a detailed “Notes” section of all referenced research articles at the back of the book. While he speaks easily to the layperson, I’m sure he’ll also hold the scientific and medical communities equally fascinated.And best of all, in the end he gives us hope. ❤

This book has more useful information about cancer than I learned in 4 years of medical school and 4 years of pathology residency. I was already aware of most of this information, but it is so elegantly presented in this book, in a way that people who are not medical doctors can easily understand. I sadly participated in some of the pointless "cancer research" he describes in this book - how I wish I had spent that time warning people about processed carbohydrates/sugars and seed oils instead! Jason Fung's 3 "Code" books should be required reading for every medical student, though most crusty medical school administrations are so set in their calcified ideas that this is unlikely to happen.

Contrary to my expectations from reading all of Dr. Fung's previous books, this one does not focus on eating frequency. Nor does it endorse fasting as a cure. Instead it is a somewhat detailed look at the history of cancer research followed by a lot of detail on the current state of knowledge. However, in keeping with themes from his earlier books, problems with metabolism, particularly hyperinsulinemia, with or withut obesity or diabetes, are seen as pushing cancer rates higher. Dr. Fung does go into great detai on this theme. Cancerous cells are always around, but are usually harmless unless their growth is stimulated.While some of the history of cancer research is familiar, much is not. There's a lot of media attention when new (and extremely expensive) research initiatives begin but not nearly as much when they fizzle out. This is particularly true with the Human Genome Project and the follow-on Cancer Genome Atlas. Both produced a tremendous amount of information, but most of this information is of limited utility for understanding or treating cancer.By far the most interesting section of the book deals with the current unerstanding of cancer as an atavism. Cells in an area of the body that is undergoing long duration stress, if they survive at all, may start to mutate. The mutation is not random. It is directed at freeing the cells from their unsustainable environment. It is a long and difficult process for the cells, and nearly all are killed in the effort. But the process appears to be programmed into the cells, a remnant of a time billions of years ago before cells joined together to form multicellular organisms. The cells gradually shed the characteristics that they had as a functioning part of the body and start to return to a state of relative self-sufficiency as single celled organisms. It's something of a Hobbesian world of each cell for itself in a battle for survival.

This is a fascinating look at the alternate view of cancer of not SOLELY a bunch of mutations, but as an evolution-driven epigenetic selection of cells that are cancerous to grow and thrive. Fung has already revolutionized diabetes care (I reversed my severe T2D within 2 months of reading his book The Obesity Code and I am now 3+ years healthier than I've ever been). Now he is applying his fundamental understanding of human physiology to another great scourge of our time.Fung lays out the arguments brilliantly, and in a way that the lay person can understand. He is a beautiful writer and sprinkles his prose with humor and analogies that make this difficult topic much easier to digest.It's not a typical self help book. He's not selling you a cure. There is no magic bullet. What you get out of this book is an understanding of the metabolic conditions under which cancer THRIVES, and how to change your lifestyle to potentially prevent early cancer cells from getting a foothold.Dr Fung is changing the world with his perspective on modern medicine. I highly recommend this book for a different rational perspective on cancer.

As a pharmacist that works in an oncology centre I enjoyed this book. The book starts in a very simplistic manner but after the first few chapters becomes fascinating. Linking cancer with the theory of evolution is a beautiful approach to this complex disease. His view on cancer is not only plausible but confirmed by science and (the developments and set backs that science had in this fight). Don’t expect to get clear instructions or advice on what to do and not do to cure cancer. Jason Fung wisely doesn’t cross that line of directing readers what to do. However with the understanding of how cancer works, certainly I’m much better informed to make correct lifestyle choices.Will keep the book and read it again some time in the future.

So I bought this book because I’m interested in the link between central obesity, insulin and cancer but WOW! What a rollercoaster, a whodunnit So very interesting @drjasonfung and mostly not about sugar. Well done👏👏I have bought 3 more copies for friends

Another amazing book by Dr Fung. My wife is fighting stage 1v cancer. This book has been invaluable in helping us understand cancer and more importantly how to attack its weak points.

Having been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer I want to know why I had it, and what I can do to stop it’s advancement.This book makes sense. It give plausible explanations of how cancer grows. I did find it quite depressing, but have since read other books such as Cured by Dr Jeff Rediger, which give hope.Iif you want to know why cancer doesn’t seem to be able to be cured by our medical systems, then I thoroughly recommend reading this book

Dr Fung covers the history of cancer treatments comprehensively, before discussing newer strategies. I found the entire book very interesting indeed.