Preface p. ix
Acknowledgements p. xiii
About the authors p. xv
Problem statement p. 1
Facts and figures p. 3
Introduction p. 3
Causes of obesity p. 7
Medical issues p. 11
Facts and figures p. 12
The cost of obesity p. 14
Conclusion p. 16
Defining the problem? p. 19
Weight p. 20
Quality control of testing systems p. 21
Body mass index p. 22
Other measures of adiposity p. 26
Central obesity p. 30
Other clinical tests p. 34
Conclusion p. 37
The cost and the diseases p. 39
Type 2 diabetes mellitus p. 40
Cancer p. 43
Cardiovascular disease p. 45
Metabolic syndrome p. 46
Fertility p. 47
Obesity and mental health p. 48
Respiratory conditions p. 50
Skin diseases associated with obesity p. 51
Musculoskeletal conditions p. 52
Liver disease p. 53
Mortality p. 53
Conclusion p. 55
Public health and the politics of food p. 57
Public health p. 58
Short history of food policy p. 60
Politics of food p. 65
Conclusion p. 73
Metabolic basis p. 75
Carbohydrates p. 76
Fats and Cholesterol p. 79
Proteins p. 86
Hunger, appetite and satiety p. 91
Physiological factors p. 91
Strong and weak signals p. 94
Genetics p. 100
Towards management p. 105
Prevention and interventions p. 107
Public health campaigns p. 108
Obesity management services p. 110
Diet trials p. 114
Primary care based programmes p. 115
Conclusion p. 126
Behavioural interventions p. 129
Role in weight management p. 129
Behaviour choices p. 130
Changing behaviour p. 132
Conclusion p. 145
Activity and exercise p. 147
A diet or exercise problem? p. 147
Exercise patterns p. 149
The environment and obesity p. 150
Why activity matters p. 151
Avoiding injury p. 157
Keep it up p. 158
Nutrition and diet p. 161
Getting the message p. 162
Starvation diets p. 163
Food energy p. 164
Protein foods p. 166
Dairy products, fats and added sugars p. 166
Red-green-amber food labelling p. 167
Dietary advice p. 169
Vitamins and minerals p. 172
Other foodstuffs p. 176
Tips for a healthy diet p. 177
Pharmacological interventions p. 181
Who should use pharmacotherapy? p. 182
Nice guidance p. 184
Orlistat p. 185
Sibutramine p. 188
Rimonabant p. 191
Combination drug therapy p. 194
Use in adolescents p. 194
Other pharmacological agents p. 194
Bariatric surgery p. 201
Does surgery work and is it safe? p. 201
Who gets surgery? p. 202
Cost-effectiveness p. 204
Role of primary care and pharmacy p. 206
Cautions and contraindications p. 207
After surgery p. 208
Procedures p. 210
Conclusion p. 216
Fad diets p. 217
Historical background p. 218
Whay fad diets can fall p. 219
The ideal diet p. 221
Diet books and programmes p. 222
Low-carbohydrate diets p. 222
Other diets p. 228
How do the diets stack up? p. 231
Conclusion p. 233
Over-the-counter slimming aids p. 235
Historical background p. 235
Lack of evidence p. 236
Marketing genius p. 237
OTC diet-aid products p. 239
Conclusion p. 250
Index p. 253