Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great book that covers all aspects of obesity and its causes
Comment: Millions of dollars are spent every year on diet books, personal trainers, weight loss pills and gym memberships so what is stopping people from shedding the extra pounds? America is the most highly developed country in the world so why can a reliable weight loss method not be devised? These are the sorts of questions that baffled and frustrated scientific journalist and author Robert Pool to the point that he was determined to find answers. Years of research and hundreds of interviews later, Pool would publish his remarkable findings in a topical, research-based book titled Fat: Fighting the Obesity Epidemic. Pool uses fascinating research stories as he unravels the history of obesity research. He discusses the environmental, psychological and biological factors that must be taken into consideration when searching for the cause of weight problems. Pool concludes that while genetics, heredity and other factors play a significant role in body size, the unhealthy environment that Americans are forced to face daily is the culprit responsible for the current "obesity epidemic." Although, professionals such as personal trainers, medical professionals and dieticians are probably the most likely to read and benefit from Fat, anyone with an interest in the history and science behind the obesity epidemic would enjoy this book. Pool uses minimal amount of scientific terms as he states personal stories, historical facts and medical findings to prove his theories on the obesity epidemic. Fat offers a great alternative to the current fad diet books that do not even touch on the science or underlying causes of weight problems. It is hard to find un-biased books dealing with weight loss which makes Fat very different from other books of the same topic. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Well-written research thesis!
Comment: I couldn't put this book down, it was very interesting and showed some amazing discoveries in the field of obesity research. We are learning so much about why we overeat but we have yet to conquer 'FAT'. The author of this book explores the 'lighter' side of being heavy. It is beautifully written and reads more like a work of science fiction than non-fiction. Not a boring page in the whole book. Laymen will especially appreciate some of the intriguing studies on 'fat rats' and 'skinny rats'. Well worth the investment, especially if interested in losing weight.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The basic premise of this book is false.
Comment: This book should be considered fiction because it has no basis in fact or science. Using leptin injections to reduce weight has been proven in tests to be a big failure. Using leptin and dietary fats as the cause for obesity is false and sidetracks one from the real reason for obesity, excessive consumption of carbohydrates.Robert Pool uses the Pima Indians in Arizona and Mexico to explain why the Arizona Pimas are the fattest in the United States verses their relatives in Mexico who are much thinner. Mr. Pool states that the Pima Indians were given bacon and cheese in the 1930's which started them on the weight gain. This is FALSE. Mr. Pool wrongly believes, as many still do today, that weight gain and diabetes is caused by the consumption of fats. Bacon and cheese has a very short shelf life and the Pimas did not have refrigeration. These were very expensive commodities which were NOT given to the Indians in those times. Excessive carbohydrates in the diet was and continues to be their problem. The Pimas were given sugar, white flour and canned goods like highly sweetened fruit in sugar sirup, jams and jellies. Mr. Pool did not even mention the sugar and white flour in the list of foods give to the Pimas.
One can read the truth about the demise of the health of Indians in the book, "Nutrition and Physical Degeneration" by Weston A. Price, D.D.S., ISBN 0879838167. Dr. Price traveled the world in the 1920's and 1930's to compare the health differences between isolated and modernized societies and tribes. He absolutely proved that excessive carbohydrates caused their decline in health while the healthy diet of the isolated groups was very high in fats and animal products. Dr. Price lived in that time period and studied the Indians directly to obtain factual data. Mr. Pool is just making up things to fit his premise.
The best book about fat in the diet is "Know Your Fats" by Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. Dr. Enig correctly describes how dietary fats are necessary for good health and are not the cause of obesity.
Other very good books which accurately describe why people gain weight and how they can loose the weight without harsh low calorie diets are:
Syndrome X by Jack Challem, Burton Berkson, M.D. and Melissa Diane Smith
Protein Power by Dr. Michael R. Eases and Dr. Mary Dan Eades
Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution by Dr. Robert C. Atkins
Don't buy Robert Pool's book unless you enjoy reading fiction.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This book does not explain the REAL cause of obesity.
Comment: This book should be considered fiction because it has no basis in fact or science. Using leptin injections to reduce weight has been proven in tests to be a big failure. Using leptin and dietary fats as the cause for obesity is false and sidetracks one from the real reason for obesity, excessive consumption of carbohydrates.Robert Pool uses the Pima Indians in Arizona and Mexico to explain why the Arizona Pimas are the fattest in the United States verses their relatives in Mexico who are much thinner. Mr. Pool states that the Pima Indians were given bacon and cheese in the 1930's which started them on the weight gain. This is FALSE. Mr. Pool wrongly believes, as many still do today, that weight gain and diabetes is caused by the consumption of fats. Bacon and cheese has a very short shelf life and the Pimas did not have refrigeration. These were very expensive commodities which were NOT given to the Indians in those times. Excessive carbohydrates in the diet was and continues to be their problem. The Pimas were given sugar, white flour and canned goods like highly sweetened fruit in sugar sirup, jams and jellies. Mr. Pool did not even mention the sugar and white flour in the list of foods give to the Pimas.(...)
Don't buy Robert Pool's book unless you enjoy reading fiction.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good summary of research on obesity
Comment: Robert Pool's Fat: Fighting the Obsesity Epidemic is a very accessible review of research on obesity. He covers the history of obesity research and explains how various research studies have influenced attitudes towards obesity and how to treat it. Contrary to what another review states, this book is not based on the premise that leptin is the cause of obesity. This was merely an illustration of current research that Pool uses to open the book.Fat is not a guide to weight loss for individuals. The research is very discouraging for anyone currently obese -- most studies show that weight can be lost, but no one knows how to help people keep it off. However, Pool discusses some of the research that investigates why people cannot keep off weight they lose, including studies demonstrating that those who lose wait not only have slightly slower metabolisms, but they also burn fewer calories through fidgeting, etc.
Pool also discusses obesity from a public health perspective. Given that losing weight and keeping it off is so difficult once one becomes obese, he argues that some effort should be paid to keeping the population from becoming obese in the first place. In this discussion, he looks at studies examining when and how various populations became obese. Such studies -- like that of the obesity difference between Pima groups in the US and Mexico -- provide clues for how the current environment could be modified to prevent some obesity.
