Food Diet and Obesity

Citation

Mela, D.D. (2008), "Food Diet and Obesity", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 38 No. 3, pp. 298-299. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2008.38.3.298.4

Obesity is a major problem in the developed world. Excellent information is given in an introduction on statistics for global levels of obesity and factors contributing the increase in obesity levels.

Each part of this book contains sections from world recognised experts. The book is edited by Dr David J Mela who is a Senior Scientist and leader of the Energy, Weight Control and Performance expertise group at the Unilevel Health Institute in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands. He has an international reputation for his research on the relationship between consumer behaviour, food intake and weight control.

The book is in a number of parts

Part 1 covers facts which contribute to obesity from the less well known gene effects to the much better known ones of activity. There is also an obesity section on the psychology of overeating.

Part 2 covers macronutrient influences on weight loss including the effect of the glycaemic response which is popular today.

Part 3 examines commercial strategies, functional targets and agents in weight control.

This is an extremely useful book for anyone involved in obesity management whether from the slimming industry, clinical perspective or food production.

However, the text does come back to the well known conclusion that the equation for weight maintenance is very simple and the amount of calories required must equal the amount expended.