The Fats of Life

A popular science account of fat, its biology and effects of feasting, fasting and slimming, by an expert biologist.

Caroline M. Pond (Author)

9780521583213, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 13 August 1998

344 pages, 15 b/w illus.
23.6 x 15.9 x 2.8 cm, 0.67 kg

'The Fats of Life' is a most entertaining read - so much so that, once started, I found it hard to put down.' Per Björntorp, Obesity Matters

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.

Prologue
1. Introduction to fats
2. Introduction to fatty tissues
3. Diverse fatty acids
4. Lipids in action
5. The functions of fattening
6. The functions of fat
7. Fat people
8. Fat and health
Epilogue
Index.

Subject Areas: Animal physiology [PSVD], Popular science [PDZ]