Nutrition & Health News This Week

A new (century-old) theory of obesity in which how much we eat is not the cause

The nature of obesity is a critical issue in all nutrition science. It’s a frequent subject of discussion at Unsettled Science. I like to think of it in terms of any number of very simple questions. The simplest: Why do we get fat? Or, why do some of us get fat in this modern ultraprocessed food environment and others don’t? What’s the difference between those of us who do and those who don’t? Any viable theory of obesity should answer these questions.

The conventional thinking is that some of us just eat too much, consciously or unconsciously, while others remain lean by successfully eating in moderation. This is known as the energy balance model, and it has never seemed (to me, anyway) particularly useful. If nothing else, it seemingly contradicts the one conclusion on which obesity researchers are now willing to universally agree: that willpower and personal failings are not a factor.¹  

What’s the alternative?