Michael Brownlee – författare

It is estimated that 1-5% ofthe world''s population is affected by some form of diabetes. Patients with these disorders are highly likely to develop microvas­ cular pathology in the retina and glomerulus and they are at a 2--6-fold greater risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease than individuals without diabetes. In addition, hypertension is far more prevalent in patients with diabetes than in the general population. As a consequence of these complications, diabetes is a leading cause of blindness and renal failure in young and middle-aged adults and it is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease in the Western world. An understanding of the relationship of these vascular complications to diabetic hyperglycemia has become a critical issue for clinicians in recent years, since the prevalence of diabetes appears to be increasing dramatically world-wide. In addition, it is now possible to achieve improved glycemic control in many patients-although not without incurring other risks. This volume explores two principal hypotheses concerning these complications. One is that hyperglycemia underlies or at least contributes to the pathogenesis of both micro- and macrovascular disease in patients with diabetes. The other is that it does so by producing specific metabolic and biochemical alterations in the vascular wall that lead to abnormalities in its function and ultimately its structure.

Demonstrating that humanity faces an imminent and prolonged global food crisis, Michael Brownlee issues a clarion call and manifesto for a revolutionary movement to localize the global food supply. He lays out a practical guide for those who hope to navigate the challenging process of shaping the local or regional food system, providing a roadmap for embarking on the process of righting the profoundly unsustainable and already-failing global industrialized food system. Written to inform, inspire, and empower anyone—farmers or ranchers, community gardeners, aspiring food entrepreneurs, supply chain venturers, commercial food buyers, restaurateurs, investors, community food activists, non-profit agencies, policy makers, or local government leaders—who hopes to be a catalyst for change, this book provides a blueprint for economic action, with specific suggestions that make the process more conscious and deliberate. Brownlee, cofounder of the nonprofit Local Food Shift Group, maps out the underlying process of food localization and outlines the route that communities, regions, and foodsheds often follow in their efforts to take control of food production and distribution. By sharing the strategies that have proven successful, he charts a practical path forward while indicating approaches that otherwise might be invisible and unexplored. Stories and interviews illustrate how food localization is happening on the ground and in the field. Essays and thought-pieces explore some of the challenging ethical, moral, economic, and social dilemmas and thresholds that might arise as the local food shift develops. For anyone who wants to understand, in concrete terms, the unique challenges and extraordinary opportunities that present themselves as we address one of the most urgent issues of our time, The Local Food Revolution is an indispensable resource.