Waisted: The Biology of Body Fat outlines the fascinating, often misunderstood and sometimes controversial biology of fat, otherwise known as adipose tissue. It provides a comprehensive, evidence-based perspective on fat biology and its crucial role in human evolution, health, disease, and society. The content draws upon biomedical, epidemiological, social and evolutionary research to understand the striking relationship between body fat distribution and health outcomes. Using digestible analogies, real-world examples and images, it highlights the multi-faceted relationship between adipose biology and society. Waisted clearly conveys the key concepts and assumptions that can lead to negative perceptions of fat, and reframes these challenges to highlight the underappreciated importance of adipose tissue in humans. Waisted is an accessible yet in-depth exploration of the subject that is suitable for both specialists and non-specialists alike. It is a highly valuable resource for clinicians, health practitioners, biomedical researchers, and students who study adipose biology, obesity, and diseases related to fat dysfunction. This book also provides an interesting sociological and anthropological read for anyone who wants to gain a broader and deeper appreciation of the unique role that adipose tissue plays in human evolution and society, by considering how biological and social factors intersect.

Integrates medical and evolutionary data on the role of body fat in human biology, including the current obesity epidemic.

The International Bestseller, as featured in The Times Fat is a vital yet hugely under-rated organ. Fat has become a dirty word, but we know so little about how it really works. In Fat, expert doctors and obesity researchers Dr Mariëtte Boon and Professor Liesbeth van Rossum present the ground-breaking research which explodes many of the myths and prejudices surrounding body fat and will make us completely rethink our relationship with it. Making use of the cutting-edge research in this specialist field, this fascinating and entertaining book will explain how fat generates important hormones, communicates with our brains and is, indeed, essential for staying alive. Informative yet accessible, Fat: The Secret Organ is important reading, not only for people who have struggled with their weight, but for everybody who is serious about their health.

This book is designed to provide a comprehensive insight into current perspectives and challenges in adipose tissue biology. In Adipose Tissue Biology, scientists and clinicians discuss adipocyte precursors, differentiation and growth, brown and white adipose tissue, gender, inflammation, dietary and genetic determinants of fat mass, together with evolutionary and developmental aspects of adiposity.

The past decade has seen an exponential increase in our knowledge and understanding of adipose tissue biology. This has coincided with the continued rise in obesity across all generations. Clearly despite substantial advances in research into adipose tissue this still has had limited impact on the on-going obesity epidemic across a majority of countries in the world. This book brings together many leading experts in the field to provide an up to date and comprehensive review of the key aspects of adipose tissue. It therefore includes chapters on evolution, development and inflammation together with a detailed review of brown and beige adipose tissue biology and their potential significance in preventing or combating obesity. These chapters are complemented by those on genetics and gender influences, together with nutrition through the life cycle. Ultimately the book provides an overview of the complexities of adipose tissue biology and the continuing challenge to combat obesity in the 21st century.

A biochemist shows how we can finally control our fat—by understanding how it works. Fat is not just excess weight, but actually a dynamic, smart, and self-sustaining organ that influences everything from aging and immunity to mood and fertility. With cutting-edge research and riveting case studies—including the story of a girl who had no fat, and that of a young woman who couldn’t stop eating—Dr. Sylvia Tara reveals the surprising science behind our most misunderstood body part and its incredible ability to defend itself. Exploring the unexpected ways viruses, hormones, sleep, and genetics impact fat, Tara uncovers the true secret to losing weight: working with your fat, not against it.

This book aims to fill the gap between unscientific comments about the hazards and benefits of high-fat or low-fat diets and weight control found in magazines and technical and medical reports about lipid biochemistry and obesity. It aims to explain in simple language the biology of feeding and fasting, fattening and slimming in wild animals as well as people. Topics include where fat comes from and how animals and plants handle them, their natural roles in migration, mating breeding and living in unpredictable habitats such as deserts and arctic regions, and their contributions to our cookery, paints and medicines. The physiological mechanisms of digesting, transporting and utilising energy stores are discussed, along with the contribution of fatty tissue to body insulation and the protection of delicate organs. Archaeological, anthropological and physiological evidence is assembled to explore how, when and why people have become fat, and how evolutionary forces have determined the modern diversity of body shape and size. The book ends with a brief account of the contribution of dietary fats and obesity to health in the modern world.