The fact that about 30-40% of the adults in the Western world are overweight or obese testifies to the frequency of the disturbances in body weight regulation. Scientists have established that caloric intake, macronutrient composition of the diet, basal and resting metabolic rate, thermic response to food, energy expenditure associated with movement and physical activity, and preferential storage of the surplus of calories as fat or lean tissues are critical determinants of energy balance and body weight. While much has been learned, the field is poised for major advances with the advent of a variety of imaging techniques, progress in quantitative and molecular genetics, use of transgenic rodent models and of breeding experiments with informative inbred strains, availability of stable isotopes for metabolic and behavioral studies, and a growing number of useful experimental animal and human models. This volume takes an integrative approach to obesity. It is structured around four major topics: (1) the animal and human models currently available for the study of body weight regulation with their strengths and limitations, (2) the molecular and genetic basis of the regulation of body weight, (3) the metabolic and physiological mechanisms involved, and (4) the behavioral and social determinants. The 13 background papers provide a critical overview of the present knowledge base while the group reports summarize the extensive deliberations of 38 international experts. Particular emphasis has been given to promising research areas and on the advances needed to ensure a better understanding of the biological and behavioral mechanisms of the regulation of body weight, with a particular emphasis on overweight and obesity.

When an excessive proportion of the human energy requirement is derived from fat, the likelihood of obesity increases. Any such individual is at risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease- grave and costly health hazards. The selective control of fat ingestion is a promising solution to these concerns. Existing data suggests that macronutrient intake can be manipulated. Further research is working to create pharmacological tools that will suppress fat consumption. It will also be possible to fight obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Neural and Metabolic Control of Macronutrient Intake systematically discusses the known physiological mechanisms involved in macronutrientselection, including their molecular, genetic and neurochemical aspects. The book is also a critical review of the hypothesis that ingestion of the three nutrients is regulated by separate neural control mechanisms, leaving open the possibility that strategies could be devised to intervene in bodily control systems and alter the proportion of fat in the diet. This reference provides three types of information: First, the basic background of the biochemical and physiological systems as they relate to macronutrient selection. Second, opinions and data concerning to what degree animals and humans show evidence of macronutrient selection. And, third, evidence about how the central nervous system might be involved in the choices animals make among macronutrients.

Understanding the relationship between energy balance and obesity is essential to develop effective prevention programs and policies. The International Agency for Research on Cancer convened a Working Group of world-leading experts in December 2015 to review the evidence regarding energy balance and obesity, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries, and to consider the following scientific questions: (i) Are the drivers of the obesity epidemic related only to energy excess and/or do specific foods or nutrients play a major role in this epidemic? (ii) What are the factors that modulate these associations? (iii) Which types of data and/or studies will further improve our understanding? This book provides summaries of the evidence from the literature as well as the Working Group's conclusions and recommendations to tackle the global epidemic of obesity.

Presents the State-of-the-Art in Fat Taste TransductionA bite of cheese, a few potato chips, a delectable piece of bacon - a small taste of high-fat foods often draws you back for more. But why are fatty foods so appealing? Why do we crave them? Fat Detection: Taste, Texture, and Post Ingestive Effects covers the many factors responsible for the se

Obesity is one of the relevant public health concerns and it is evident that body weight control is achieved through highly integrated physiological interactions like nutrient selection. Presenting an account of the roles of specific peptides in energy balance, this title provides an understanding of the patho-physiology of energy balance.

Promotes the recognition, treatment, and prevention of conditions of overweight and obesity in the United States.