Gut Reactions: The Science of Weight Gain and Loss

As a nation, the United States is among the most obese (if not the most obese) in the world. Some health professionals claim the obesity levels have reached epidemic levels, and we should be addressing obesity as a national crisis. People every day are also trying to lose weight, restrict their diets, and eat healthily. However, as a nation we continue to become fat. Gyms, the food industry, nutritional diet plans, and books and blogs on healthy eating abound, but their impact on curtailing obesity has yet to be felt across the American population.

This book delves into the mechanisms of how our bodies digest food and the signaling mechanisms that are inherent in the body which signal hunger and satiety. After the introductory chapter, the next two chapters cover sugars, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins from the perspective of how our bodies process these foods. The focus of these chapters is to explore how what goes into our bodies affects us. Chapter 4 is a discussion of factors that impact our diet and eating habits. Some of these we can control, while others we cannot. Of the ones we can control, lifestyle and diet figure prominently. The next three chapters discuss what in our bodies reacts with what we put into our bodies. The main chapters explore hormones, gut microbes, and genetics. Chapters 5 to 7 can be seen as what our bodies bring to consumption, while Chapters 2 and 3 are what the environment offers us for consumption. Now the science is fully explained.

Chapters 8 and 9 explore how environmental factors and some of our actions intensify or diminish obesity. As there could be several factors affecting our diet, obesity level, or physical health, Chapter 10 tries to isolate some of these main factors at the individual level. Chapter 11 then offers possible remedies.

For readers who want to understand the multiple causes of obesity and poor general health, this is a good book. For those only wishing to get to the cures, the final chapter is the most useful. However, without understanding the causes, the remedies may not be as effective or as permanent as one would like. The book has high-gloss pages, making it difficult to highlight or mark up without smudging. Overall, a good book for those who want to understand the science behind obesity.