The Secret Life of Fat: The Science Behind the Body's Least Understood Organ and What It Means for You

Tara

ISBN 10: 0393244830 / ISBN 13: 9780393244830

Published by WW Norton, 2016

About this Item

2016. Illustrated. hardcover. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780393244830

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Secret Life of Fat: The Science Behind the Body's Least Understood Organ and What It Means for You
• Publisher: WW Norton
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0393244830
• ISBN 13: 9780393244830
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This groundbreaking work of practical, popular science reveals that fat is much smarter than we think.

Fat is an obsession, a dirty word, a subject of national handwringing―and, according to biochemist Sylvia Tara, the least-understood part of our body.

You may not love your fat, but your body certainly does. In fact, your body is actually endowed with many self-defense measures to hold on to fat. For example, fat can use stem cells to regenerate; increase our appetite if it feels threatened; and use bacteria, genetics, and viruses to expand itself. The secret to losing twenty pounds? You have to work with your fat, not against it. Tara explains how your fat influences your appetite and willpower, how it defends itself when attacked, and why it grows back so quickly. The Secret Life of Fat brings cutting-edge research together with historical perspectives to reveal fat’s true identity: an endocrine organ that, in the right amount, is critical to our health. Fat triggers puberty, enables our reproductive and immune systems, and even affects brain size.

Although we spend $60 billion annually fighting fat, our efforts are often misinformed and misdirected. Tara expertly illustrates the complex role that genetics, hormones, diet, exercise, and history play in our weight, and The Secret Life of Fat sets you on the path to beat the bulge once and for all.

About the Author

Sylvia Tara holds a PhD in biochemistry from the University of California at San Diego and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Tara was a consultant with McKinsey & Company and has worked at the world’s largest biotechnology companies. She lives in the Los Angeles area.