Includes bibliographical references (pages 211-224) and index.

Prologue: Skinny jeans -- Introduction: Our changing views of fat -- I: All about fat. The foundation : fat does more than you think ; Fat can talk ; Your life depends on fat ; When good fat goes bad ; How fat fights to stay on you -- II: It is not only food that makes us fat. Bacteria and viruses : microscopic in size, giant in effect ; I blame my parents : genes in obesity ; I am woman, I have fat ; Fat can listen -- III: So what is the solution?. Fat control I : how you can do it ; Mind over fat ; Fat control II : how I do it ; The future of fat.

Blends historical perspectives with cutting-edge research to examine body fat as a critical endocrine organ that can be better understood and managed when recognized as a necessary component of human health.

Biochemist Sylvia Tara explores the surprising science behind our most hated body part. Fat is an obsession, a dirty word, a subject of national handwringingand, 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.--Dust jacket.

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