Worldwide, more than half a billion people are now obese.īesides getting fatter, we are also developing more metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, which is marked by hormonal abnormalities in the processing and storage of nutrients and is far more common in obese individuals than in lean ones. Today more than a third of Americans are considered obese-more than twice the proportion of 40 years ago. The eat less/move more prescription has been widely disseminated for 40 years, and yet the prevalence of obesity, or the accumulation of unhealthy amounts of body fat, has climbed to unprecedented levels. The reason to question this conventional thinking is equally self-evident. So the solution is also obvious: eat less, exercise more. By this logic, any excess of calories-whether from protein, carbohydrate or fat (the three main components, or “macronutrients,” in food)-will inevitably pack on the pounds. “The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight,” the World Health Organization says, “is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended.” Put simply, we either eat too much or are too sedentary, or both. |a Originally published in slightly different form by Alfred A.

He also answers the most persistent questions: Why are some people thin and others fat? What roles do exercise and genetics play in our weight? What foods should we eat, and what foods should we avoid? Persuasive, straightforward, and practical, 'Why We Get Fat' is an essential guide to nutrition and weight management.

He reveals the bad nutritional science of the last century-none more damaging or misguided than the 'calories-in, calories-out' model of why we get fat-and the good science that has been ignored. |a Building upon his critical work in 'Good Calories, Bad Calories' and presenting fresh evidence for his claim, Gary Taubes revisits the urgent question of what's making us fat-and how we can change. |a Includes bibliographical references and index. |a Why we get fat : |b and what to do about it / |c Gary Taubes.