The Carb Crisis

How the Modern "Balanced" Diet Is Fueling a Worldwide Epidemic—and How We Can Take Back Our Health

Foreword by Ken D. Berry
Published by BenBella Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

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About the Book

From the author of Why We Get Sick comes a bold, evidence-based exploration of how excess carbohydrates—even ones you wouldn’t expect—are fueling today’s chronic disease crisis.

Carbs make up over half of our daily routines, according to conventional dietary recommendations—despite decades of scientific research linking carbs to a spectrum of health issues including obesity, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune and metabolic disorders, and more. But carbs don’t actually fuel the body—glucose does, and it does it without causing inflammation, harming the gut, or inviting long-term disease.

In this persuasive, contemporary case against carbs, internationally renowned scientist Benjamin Bikman draws a clear line between carb-heavy diets and today’s most common health crises and demystifies the biochemistry that allows us to thrive on low-carb and even carb-free diets.

With clear, science-based recommendations for long-term wellness, The Carb Crisis empowers readers to take back their metabolic health to:
  • Understand how carbs slow metabolisms and hijack the body’s dopamine system to cause cravings and overeating
  • Practice intentional, strategic dietary choices to prevent heart disease, autoimmune disorders, inflammation, and other chronic health conditions
  • Proactively improve cognitive and mental health by stabilizing blood sugar and hormone levels
  • Control carb intake and replace refined carbs with whole foods, “anti-carbs,” and other healthier options better health, mental clarity, and longevity

Accessible, authoritative, and urgent, The Carb Crisis is more than a diet book—it’s a call to action that disrupts conventional dietary wisdom and reclaim our health and relationship with carbs.

About the Author

Benjamin Bikman earned his PhD in Bioenergetics and was a postdoctoral fellow with the Duke-National University of Singapore studying metabolic disorders. Currently, his professional focus as a scientist and professor (Brigham Young University) is to better understand the origins and consequences of metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes, with a particular emphasis on the role of insulin. He frequently publishes his research in peer-reviewed journals and presents at international science and public meetings.

Product Details

  • Publisher: BenBella Books (December 15, 2026)
  • Length: 272 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781637749722

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Raves and Reviews

"With his rare combination of rigorous science and practical wisdom, Bikman once again proves he’s one of the sharpest minds in metabolic health—The Carb Crisis is a simply indispensable guide to the current health crisis, how we got there, and what we can do about it.”
—Jason Fung, MD, international bestselling author of The Obesity Code

“Ben Bikman has been one of the most influential voices in metabolic health. In The Carb Crisis, he takes on one of nutrition’s biggest blind spots and gives us the science, history, and practical tools to rethink our relationship with carbohydrates. This book will challenge what you believe about food and empower you to take control of your health.”
—Dr. Mindy Pelz, New York Times bestselling author of Fast Like a Girl, Eat Like a Girl, and Age Like a Girl

The Carb Crisis is the conversation your doctor never had time for. Bikman names the real driver behind our modern epidemics and hands you the blueprint to take your health back . . . no prescription required. I have watched too many people battle conditions that were entirely preventable, and this is the book that should have come first: rigorous, clear, and built to help you rewrite your health story.”
—Nick Nwabueze, MD, primary care physician and founder of The Fittest You

“Professor Bikman makes a devastatingly simple case: carbohydrates are not essential nutrients, yet they sit at the center of our modern diet, driving disease and metabolic chaos. He also forces us to confront something most guidelines ignore entirely: that plant defense chemicals and agricultural residues can do real harm to human health . . . The Carb Crisis connects rigorous human biology to real-world outcomes in a way that is accessible, honest, and sorely needed.”
—Anthony Chaffee, MD, host of The Plant Free MD podcast

“Whenever I get stuck trying to explain the science behind a patient’s broken metabolism, I turn to Ben Bikman. I trust his teaching and research. This book answered so many of my questions that it’s now mandatory reading for every single one of my patients.”
—Annette Bosworth, MD, internal medicine physician at Meaningful Medicine

“Clear, engaging, memorable, and deeply instructive . . . This is a book that will help many readers think more carefully about nutrition, metabolic health, and the role carbohydrates play in that discussion.”
—John Schoonbee, global chief medical officer at Swiss Re

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