Rating: 
Summary: Excellent info for the thinking woman looking for options
Review: This is a well written book that includes scientific information in a conversational style that is quite easy to read. The book offers options for women to make their own decisions. Being in the healthcare field myself, I have not been surprized to find that there have been criticizms of Dr. Arnot's work. What has been disappointing has been the patronizing tone of those criticizms. Primarily, the objections have been that reading the book "might confuse a woman's healthcare priorities", or give someone false hope.I believe that anyone who actually reads Dr. Arnot's book will realize that he is saying that women have a right to know about the latest findings of research and make their own decisions about how to proceed. He discusses risks and what his recommendations would be to his own wife and daughter. Far from being a wild presciption for a new age fad diet, it is a thoughtfull look at improving one's diet and incorporating promising research. After all, many physicians are on the tamaxofen band-wagon, yet, in the same breath are unwilling to look at natural methods that might yield similar results with fewer side effects and less risk. I believe that women should be just as wary of a doctor patting her on the head and telling her that she's not smart enough to set her own priorities, as someone selling a "cure all". This book does neither. It's important reading, and I hope will encourage people to learn more about how their bodies work, the role nutrition plays in health, and the politics as well as the science of research.
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Summary: It's a good start, but...
Review: I recently had a benign lymph node removed from my breast (I'm 25) and received this book as a Christmas present. I will incorporate several of Arnot's recommendations into my currently unhealthy diet (soy, fish oil supplements, more vegetables, omega-3 fats, etc.), but this is something that I have been meaning to do anyway. I'm not necessarily convinced after reading this book that this is something I must do only for my breast health. I will do it because it makes sense that eating better is good for your overall health. The most disappointing part about this book is that Arnot lists several meal plans at the end (Asian, Mediterranean and New American), but no recipes. How am I supposed to incorporate these meals into my diet if I don't know the ingredients or instuctions for preparing them? This book was informative for me simply because I have never explored the subject before. However, I was left with the feeling after reading this book that I should do some more research to see how valid his recommendations really are. I had this nagging feeling throughout the book that he was one of those 'self-help' gurus that promises magical results that typically don't pan out.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Book
Review: Finally someone has the good sense to focus the public's attention towards prevention of this terrible disease. Dr. Bob clearly articulates a sensible approach towards reducing ones chance of contracting breast cancer. The controversy surrounding this book reminds me how 10 years ago the tobbacco industry was arguing that their was no evidence linking smoking and lung cancer. Should millions of women continue to suffer for another 20 years while scientist wait for conclusive evidence that diet can reduce ones chance of contracting breast cancer.
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Summary: "How To Make Money off Cancer Patients"
Review: should be the title of this book. There is NO data backing up Arnot's ridiculous diets. There is also no link between diet and breast cancer. I found it diappointing and, as other reviewers mentioned, overtly oportunitstic.
Rating:
Summary: informative but not well organized
Review: there is a lot of information piled on and i didn't find it well organized. It would have been nice to have it summarized with normal measuring amounts ... i'm glad i read it, but it was dry dry dry.
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Summary: A good book advocating a healthy diet
Review: Honestly, I don't understand what all the controversey is about. This is an extremely well-written book advocating a nutritious, low-fat diet. Dr. Arnot never once claims that this diet is guaranteed to prevent breat cancer. He admits that someone could do everything right and still get this disease. But his recommendations MAY help, and WON'T HURT anyone. Anyone who has done a lot of reading about nutrition will have heard most of these recommendations before: choose whole grains over white flour; eat less fat; increase the amount of soy in the diet... I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Get the facts first
Review: This book wrongly suggests diet can prevent breast cancer. As was mentioned in the New York Times' article describing the scandle surrounding this book, Bob Arnot has been asked to retract much of the scientific information he stated. There's no scientific data linking diet and breast cancer
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Summary: Excellent. Take command of your own HEALTH.
Review: Dr. Robert Arnot is affectionately known to millions of American tv viewers as "Dr. Bob" because of his accessability given the medium. Do not use this familiarity as an excuse to belittle or undermine his scientific and/or medical integrity.This book is a concisely written, highly readable GEM. Arnot's recommendations are easy to implement, and will definitely result in improved nutritional status for women who currently "enjoy" our Standard American Diet (SAD). (Which is notoriously nutrient, phytochemical, and fiber poor, while being replete with saturated and damaged fats, as well as with nutrient depleting and insulin-stimulating simple sugars.)If you are truly interested in the maintenance of health and prevention of cancer (as well as heart disease), not merely with "early detection" or "improved drug treatment protocol" buy this book - read, study and learn.Honor your body and its femaleness. Send love to your breasts. Follow Arnot's well-researched, well-documented recommendations: Enjoy a high-fiber, low GI, phytochemical and soy rich diet that is rounded out with healthful fats.THRIVE, and LIVE to tell your daughters, sons and granddaughters about it all.
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Summary: There is no such thing as a breast cancer prevention diet
Review: There is no such thing as a breast cancer prevention diet. Dr. Arnot's book is a set back to all of us in the scientific and advocacy communities who have worked hard to fund quality research and spread the message about the importance of a low-fat diet and exercise. This book is based on Dr. Arnot's conjecture and speculation and not on valid scientific findings. It is additional ammunition for those who would paint all research in this area as quackery. Rather than being helpful, the specific recommendations in this book could, in fact, be harmful to women - not just for the false hope it holds out or the fact that it undermines good science - but also because when you mistakenly believe you have the answers you stop asking the questions. In fact, this book goes far beyond simply recommending exercise and a healthy diet. Dr. Arnot makes specific recommendations for drastic changes in diet that could prove physically harmful to women. There is reason to believe that following some of the books' advice could result in adverse side effects. Breast cancer is an extremely complex disease. This book does a great disservice to those in the scientific community painstakingly looking for real answers. The book also reduces complex issues to brief sound bites that misrepresent the science and mislead women. Information about breast cancer must be rooted in good science. The information in this book is not. The data upon which Bob Arnot bases very specific recommendations, are very preliminary - based on studies done on laboratory rats or on a very small groups of women - and extrapolated in ways that the scientists never intended. This is worse than bad science. In fact, several of the scientists whose work is referenced have disassociated themselves from the book. Unfortunately, the answers to breast cancer are not simple. We are all looking for the answers and are impatient to get them, but we are impatient for the truth - not hype. The information in Dr. Arnot's book is both premature and irresponsible and can be harmful to women
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Summary: "misleading," "dangerous," "premature," "irresponsibe"
Review: Before you buy this book PLEASE read the Wall Street Journal article from November 30, 1998 by Greg Critser regarding this book. The article notes that several prestigious medical groups have, variably, called this book "misleading," "dangerous," "premature," "irresponsible" and "a disservice to American women". On the "Today" show, Dr. Arnot "admitted that the title oversold the book, which he said should have been called 'The Breast Cancer Risk-Reduction Diet,'" not "Prevention Diet." Also noted in the WSJ article was that "central to Arnot's argument is his citation of the work of U. of Toronto's Lillian Thompson, which Dr. Arnot says shows 'breast cancer size actually decreased with a daily course of flaxseed.' BUT Dr. Thompson has only obtained these results in RATS. As me--and I was very clear that this work is ongoing and that we don't know yet if the findings in animals will apply to humans.'" The article goes on to state that Dr. Arnot "began, in Dr. Thompson's words, to 'pressure' her into 'backing him up.'" "'I told him I didn't have ANY results' regarding human breast cancer response to flax seed,' Dr. Thompson told [Mr. Critser]. 'He keeps calling me and pressing to say I'm seeing the same result in humans...I told him no, no, no--and then, the next day, he goes right back on TV and tells people not only did I confirm what he says--but he says 'now that this book is sort of up for attack, she's backing up. I never said anything to back up from.'" Books like this make me angry because they make extraordinary claims without solid research to support those claims. They sell to people who are most This book is a marketing ploy on a serious, horrible life-and-death matter and that is very, very sad
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