The Cancer Code

A Revolutionary New Understanding of a Medical Mystery

By: Dr. Jason Fung

Narrated by: Brian Nishii

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Author of the international best sellers The Diabetes Code and The Obesity Code Dr. Jason Fung returns with an eye-opening biography of cancer in which he offers a radical new paradigm for understanding cancer - and issues a call to action for reducing risk moving forward.

Our understanding of cancer is slowly undergoing a revolution, allowing for the development of more effective treatments. For the first time ever, the death rate from cancer is showing a steady decline...but the “War on Cancer” has hardly been won.

In The Cancer Code, Dr. Jason Fung offers a revolutionary new understanding of this invasive, often fatal disease - what it is, how it manifests, and why it is so challenging to treat. In this rousing narrative, Dr. Fung identifies the medical community’s many missteps in cancer research - in particular, its focus on genetics, or what he terms the “seed” of cancer, at the expense of examining the “soil”, or the conditions under which cancer flourishes. Dr. Fung - whose groundbreaking work in the treatment of obesity and diabetes has won him international acclaim - suggests that the primary disease pathway of cancer is caused by the dysregulation of insulin. In fact, obesity and type 2 diabetes significantly increase an individual’s risk of cancer.

In this accessible listen, Dr. Fung provides a new paradigm for dealing with cancer, with recommendations for what we can do to create a hostile soil for this dangerous seed. One such strategy is intermittent fasting, which reduces blood glucose, lowering insulin levels. Another, eliminating intake of insulin-stimulating foods, such as sugar and refined carbohydrates.

For hundreds of years, cancer has been portrayed as a foreign invader we’ve been powerless to stop. By reshaping our view of cancer as an internal uprising of our own healthy cells, we can begin to take back control. The seed of cancer may exist in all of us, but the power to change the soil is in our hands.

©2020 Jason Fung (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Most fascinating medical book I have read as a physician

I’m a practicing ophthalmologist with a friend who is CEO of biotech company that is doing clinical trials for a novel drug for brain cancer. I decided to read this book to have more intelligent conversations about his therapeutic. But I realized that almost everything I learned about cancer when in medical school 25 years ago is outdated and way off target for what cancer is. The entire medical profession was, and still is for the most part, way off base. If you are a seeker of knowledge this is a fascinating book even if you are not particularly interested in medical topics.

No More Sugar and Processed Carbs

Let me just quote a passage that show the level of this book:

"Specifically, long-term metformin use in women with type 2 diabetes was associated with a more than 50 percent reduction in breast cancer risk.30 Metformin works by reducing glucose to the growing cancer without the pro-growth effects of the insulin/IGF-1/PI3K pathway. It also activates AMPK, an important nutrient sensor and growth pathway, which rapidly inhibits cellular protein synthesis and growth."

I have read all of Dr.Fung' books. I watch his videos and interviews. As a science person I am always skeptical. in five years (2016-2021) I have nothing to make me doubt him. He is "popular" but never "info-mercial." He does use testimonials. they are not important to me. My personal experience is: A1C 8.7 to 5.9, lost 40 lbs at a rate of 1.7lbs/week in about 24 weeks. That was 3 years ago. Average over that time: about -30 lbs A1C 6.8. so no meds yet. Metformin looks like a great medicine. So, I am no longer afraid of it.

Facts not opinion

Great knowledge to have. I like the idea of helping myself and my family. Thank you Jason

Eye Opening

Fulsome and accessible account of causes, problems, difficulties with treatments, and assorted issues surrounding the topic of cancer. I needed to go back and repeat several passages for my layman's ear, but think I grasped most of the essential points.

Narrator Nishii needs to review pronunciation of words he does not know before committing the text to audio. He stumbled over the name of John Maynard Keynes, (Kānes not Keenes), changed Wimbledon to Wimbleton, (unfortunately, a rather common error) and struggled with Madame Curie's surname, altering it to Cur-ée. However, he did correct himself when her name came around again in a later chapter. There were a few other quibbles with pronunciation but these were the most distracting. Otherwise ok.

Great Perspective

This book helped me understand why there are so many different opinions on what causes cancer and how to treat it. There are enough studies to support many theories, but our understanding continues to evolve.

Very informative

The information contained in this book is very informative. Well exposed topics that span almost 100 years.

So informative of the origin of cancer

I learned so much about cancer which I didn't know. Well researched and written. I couldn't stop listening.

learned more than when I started

I like the analgies to explain complex subjects and clarifying how statistics in cancer studies can be misleading. The Cochrane Library did not find mamograms to be helpful or evidence based yet why it is still widely promoted? I can only conclude to follow the money.

Dr Fung relies on Darwinian evolutionary theory for some explanations of cancer which I disagree but overall enlightening read on historical research trials and putting them in perspective.

I've read elsewhere that we've all had cancer 4 or 5 times in our life and never known it because our immune system fights it off. Best advice, keep insulin levels low to lower cancer risk low, and maintain normal weight.

Fascinating read!

Dr. Fung, once again, didn’t disappoint with the Cancer Code! Very well written and read, and although very scientific (as was expected), I had no trouble grasping all of the information Dr. Fung laid out. Understanding the evolution of cancer and the resulting treatments throughout history is no less than remarkable! Highly recommend this book.

Insightful for a fresh learner of cancer.

Now that I've learnt that cancer is among everyone of us, and it's a natural phenomenon, it's a story of multi cellular being revert back to its single cell survival strategy, I'm not that afraid of cancer. We can reduce it's chances of taking over our body by staying healthy, exercise and eat well. Even when we got cancer, we will limit it's growth by being healthy physically.