Jason Fung

Last updated
Jason Fung
Born1973
Occupation(s)Nephrologist, writer

Jason Fung (born in 1973) is a Canadian nephrologist and functional medicine advocate who promotes a low-carbohydrate high-fat diet and intermittent fasting. [1] [2] [3] Fung disputes the current saturated fat guidelines.

Contents

Biography

Fung graduated with his medical degree from the University of Toronto, [4] and completed his residency and fellowship in nephrology at the University of California, Los Angeles. [5] [3] He is the director of the nonprofit organization Public Health Collaboration. [1]

Fung is an author of many low-carbohydrate diet books. [6] His first book, The Complete Guide to Fasting, [7] co-authored by Jimmy Moore was published in fall 2016 [8] and offered insight to all aspects of fasting culture. [9]

The Obesity Code and The Diabetes Code were subsequently published in 2016 and 2018. [10] [11] His book The Obesity Code Cookbook was published in 2019. [12] In 2021, Fung co-authored The Diabetes Code Cookbook with Alison Maclean. [6] In 2020, Fung co-authored with naturopath Nadia Brito Pateguana The PCOS Plan: Prevent and Reverse Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Through Diet and Fasting. [13] [14] His book The Cancer Code, published in 2020 advocates intermittent fasting and a low-carbohydrate diet to reduce cancer risk. [15]

Reception

Fung's book The Obesity Code received a 31% score for scientific accuracy and an overall score of 60% by Red Pen Reviews. [16] The reviewer Seth Yoder commented that several of the main claims of the book are poorly supported by science including the idea that elevated levels of insulin are the primary cause of obesity. Yoder concluded that intermittent fasting may be useful for weight loss, "but most people will not find it as effective as claimed in the book". [16]

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycystic ovary syndrome</span> Set of symptoms caused by abnormal hormones in females

Polycystic ovary syndrome, or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. The syndrome is named after cysts which form on the ovaries of some people with this condition, though this is not a universal symptom, and not the underlying cause of the disorder.

Insulin resistance (IR) is a pathological condition in which cells either fail to respond normally to the hormone insulin or downregulate insulin receptors in response to hyperinsulinemia.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metformin</span> Medication used to treat diabetes by reducing glucose levels

Metformin, sold under the brand name Glucophage, among others, is the main first-line medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, particularly in people who are overweight. It is also used in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome. It is sometimes used as an off-label adjunct to lessen the risk of metabolic syndrome in people who take antipsychotics. Metformin is not associated with weight gain and is taken by mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-carbohydrate diet</span> Diets restricting carbohydrate consumption

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Anovulation is when the ovaries do not release an oocyte during a menstrual cycle. Therefore, ovulation does not take place. However, a woman who does not ovulate at each menstrual cycle is not necessarily going through menopause. Chronic anovulation is a common cause of infertility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyperandrogenism</span> Medical condition

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Ovarian diseases refer to diseases or disorders of the ovary.

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Infertility in polycystic ovary disease (PCOS) is a hormonal imbalance in women that is thought to be one of the leading causes of female infertility. Polycystic ovary syndrome causes more than 75% of cases of anovulatory infertility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonid Poretsky</span> American endocrinologist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cortisone reductase deficiency</span> Medical condition

Cortisone reductase deficiency is caused by dysregulation of the 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 enzyme (11β-HSD1), otherwise known as cortisone reductase, a bi-directional enzyme, which catalyzes the interconversion of cortisone to cortisol in the presence of NADH as a co-factor. If levels of NADH are low, the enzyme catalyses the reverse reaction, from cortisol to cortisone, using NAD+ as a co-factor.
Cortisol is a glucocorticoid that plays a variety of roles in many different biochemical pathways, including, but not limited to: gluconeogenesis, suppressing immune system responses and carbohydrate metabolism.
One of the symptoms of cortisone reductase deficiency is hyperandrogenism, resulting from activation of the Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis. The deficiency has been known to exhibit symptoms of other disorders such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in women. Cortisone Reductase Deficiency alone has been reported in fewer than ten cases in total, all but one case were women. Elevated activity of 11β-HSD1 can lead to obesity or Type II Diabetes, because of the role of cortisol in carbohydrate metabolism and gluconeogenesis.

Obesity is defined as an abnormal accumulation of body fat, usually 20% or more over an individual's ideal body weight. This is often described as a body mass index (BMI) over 30. However, BMI does not account for whether the excess weight is fat or muscle, and is not a measure of body composition. For most people, however, BMI is an indication used worldwide to estimate nutritional status. Obesity is usually the result of consuming more calories than the body needs and not expending that energy by doing exercise. There are genetic causes and hormonal disorders that cause people to gain significant amounts of weight but this is rare. People in the obese category are much more likely to suffer from fertility problems than people of normal healthy weight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HAIR-AN syndrome</span> Medical condition

The HAIR-AN syndrome is a rare subtype of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) characterized by hyperandrogenism (HA), insulin resistance (IR) and acanthosis nigricans (AN). The symptoms of the HAIR-AN syndrome are largely due to severe insulin resistance, which can be secondary to blocking antibodies against the insulin receptor or genetically absent/reduced insulin receptor number/function. Insulin resistance leads to hyperinsulinemia which, in turn, leads to an excess production of androgen hormones by the ovaries. High levels of androgen hormones (hyperandrogenism) in females causes excessive hair growth, acne and irregular menstruation. Patients with both underlying mechanisms of insulin resistance may have more severe hyperandrogenism. Insulin resistance is also associated with diabetes, heart disease and excessive darkening of the skin

References

  1. 1 2 "Jason Fung, MD". The Institute for Functional Medicine.
  2. ↑ Bowyer, Jerry. "Is Fasting The Cure For Bloated Healthcare Costs?". Forbes.
  3. 1 2 "Dr. Jason Fung, MD". Diet Doctor.
  4. ↑ "Why outdated information is to blame for weight gain". Fox News. September 23, 2016.
  5. ↑ "About". Dr. Jason Fung.
  6. 1 2 "Books". Dr. Jason Fung.
  7. ↑ Khazan, Olga (November 21, 2016). "People Are Voluntarily Going Months Without Food". The Atlantic.
  8. ↑ "Complete Guide To Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-day, And Extended Fasting". indigo.ca.
  9. ↑ "Jason Fung". www.swissre.com.
  10. ↑ "The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss". redpenreviews.org. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  11. ↑ Scherger, Joseph E. (2019). "The Diabetes Code". Fam Med. 51 (3): 286–287. doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2019.998853 . S2CID   76663782.
  12. ↑ "International: 30 bestselling books for the week of Dec. 21". vancouversun.
  13. ↑ "Doctor Nadia - PCOS". doctornadia.
  14. ↑ "The PCOS Plan: Prevent and Reverse Polycystic Ovary Syndrome through Diet and Fasting". indigo.ca.
  15. ↑ Fung, Dr Jason (November 10, 2020). The Cancer Code by Dr. Jason Fung. ISBN   9780062894007 – via www.harperwave.com.
  16. 1 2 Yoder, Seth (2019). "The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss". Red Pen Reviews. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022.
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