Understanding Human Metabolism (Understanding Life)

Does eating more carbohydrates, or fats, cause one to put on more weight? Are ketone bodies toxins or vital products that keep us alive during starvation? Does the concept of 'fat-burning exercise' hold true? In this game-changing book, Keith Frayn, an international expert in human metabolism and nutrition, dispels common misconceptions about human metabolism, explaining in everyday language the important metabolic processes that underlie all aspects of our daily lives. Illustrated throughout with clear diagrams of metabolic processes, Frayn describes the communication systems that enable our different organs and tissues to cooperate, for instance in providing fuel to our muscles when we exercise, and in preserving our tissues during fasting. He explores the impressive adaptability of human metabolism and discusses the metabolic disorders that can arise when metabolism 'goes wrong'. For anyone sceptical of information about diet and lifestyle, this concise book guides the reader through what metabolism really involves.

Keith Frayn is Emeritus Professor of Human Metabolism at the University of Oxford, UK. In a long and varied career studying human metabolism and nutrition, he has worked in various settings from diabetes clinics to Accident and Emergency departments and Intensive Care wards. His work has been widely recognised with awards including the first Blaxter Medal of the Nutrition Society, the David Cuthbertson Lecture at the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, and Honorary Fellowship of the Nutrition Society.