Product Description
In this sweeping exploration of the relatively recent obesity epidemic, Michael L. Power and Jay Schulkin probe evolutionary biology, history, physiology, and medical science to uncover the causes of our growing girth. The unexpected answer? Our own evolutionary success.For most of the past few million years, our evolutionary ancestors' survival depended on being able to consume as much as possible when food was available and to store the excess energy for periods when it was scarce. In the developed world today, high-calorie foods are readily obtainable, yet the propensity to store fat is part of our species' heritage, leaving an increasing number of the world's people vulnerable to obesity. In an environment of abundant food, we are anatomically, physiologically, metabolically, and behaviorally programmed in a way that makes it difficult for us to avoid gaining weight.Power and Schulkin's engagingly argued book draws on popular examples and sound science to explain our expanding waistlines and to discuss the consequences of being overweight for different demographic groups. They review the various studies of human and animal fat use and storage, including those that examine fat deposition and metabolism in men and women; chronicle cultural differences in food procurement, preparation, and consumption; and consider the influence of sedentary occupations and lifestyles.A compelling and comprehensive examination of the causes and consequences of the obesity epidemic, The Evolution of Obesity offers fascinating insights into the question, Why are we getting fatter?

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	The World is Fat: The Fads, Trends, Policies, and Products That Are Fattening the Human Race by Barry Popkin (Author) Fast Food Nation meets The World Is Flat in this eye-opening look at the obesity epidemic. Today, the planet’s 1.3 billion overweight people by far outnumber the 700 million who are undernourished. This figure would have seemed ludicrous just fifty years ago, when hunger was the world’s most pressing nutritional problem. In The World Is Fat, Barry Popkin argues that the fattening of the human race is not simply about that next cheeseburger; rather, it is a result of an...
	Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human by Richard Wrangham (Author) Ever since Darwin and The Descent of Man, the existence of humans has been attributed to our intelligence and adaptability. But in Catching Fire, renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham presents a startling alternative: our evolutionary success is the result of cooking. In a groundbreaking theory of our origins, Wrangham shows that the shift from raw to cooked foods was the key factor in human evolution. When our ancestors adapted to using fire, humanity began. Once our hominid ancestors...
	Globesity: A Planet Out of Control? by Francis Delpeuch (Author), Bernard Maire (Author), Emmanuel Monnier (Author), Michelle Holdsworth (Author) This book assesses the nature and scale of the obesity epidemic. It proposes that the causes are primarily socio-economic and the result of a distorted agricultural and food production and supply system. It argues that we should learn how to better manage our physical, social and economic environment rather than rely on individual lifestyle choices and behavior. The authors draw parallels between the obesity crisis and that of climate change, both being characterized by over-consumption of...
	The Fattening of America: How The Economy Makes Us Fat, If It Matters, and What To Do About It by Eric A. Finkelstein (Author), Laurie Zuckerman (Author) In The Fattening of America, renowned health economist Eric Finkelstein, along with business writer Laurie Zuckerman, reveal how the U.S. economy has become the driving force behind our expanding waistlines. Blending theory, research, and engaging personal anecdotes the authors discuss how declining food costs—especially for high-calorie, low-nutrient foods—and an increasing usage of technology, which make Americans more sedentary, has essentially led us to eat more calories than we burn...
	Principles of Evolutionary Medicine (Oxford Biology) by Peter Gluckman (Author), Alan Beedle (Author), Mark Hanson (Author) Evolutionary science is critical to an understanding of integrated human biology and is increasingly recognized as a core underpinning discipline by medical and public health professionals. Advances in the fields of genomics, epigenetics, developmental biology and epidemiology have led to the growing realization that incorporating evolutionary thinking is essential for medicine to achieve its full potential. This is the first integrated and comprehensive textbook to explain the principles of...