ATKINS DIABETES REVOLUTION: The Groundbreaking Approach to Preventing and Controlling Type 2 Diabetes

Having been marketed to millions as a weight-loss solution, the Atkins diet is now presented as a means of preventing type 2 diabetes, a disease whose rates are skyrocketing, thanks to the prevalence of risk factors such as obesity and high lipid and blood sugar levels. The authors clearly outline their interpretation of the path to diabetes, arguing that carbs cause blood sugar spikes, triggering the release of more insulin—the hormone that regulates blood sugar—than the cells need. Blood sugar ends up stored as fat and the body's cells start responding more slowly to the insulin, which leads to elevated blood sugar levels. But the tone the authors adopt when touting their low-carb, high-protein, high-fat approach may arouse some skepticism and even fear. "In the end, only you can decide what's best for your health," they warn. "You can choose the Atkins approach and improve your health, or you can choose the ADA [American Diabetes Association] approach and descend into more and more medications and poor health." While studies now demonstrate low-carb dieting can lead to weight loss and cholesterol control over the short term, experts tend to agree that diets that demonize one food group aren't easy to stick to over the long haul. Still, the work includes valuable nutritional information and sounds a needed alarm about the diabetes epidemic. (On sale Aug. 3)

Forecast: With national TV, radio and print ads, as well as online promotions, this latest Atkins guide should have no trouble climbing bestseller lists.