86. The Hungry Gene: The Science of Fat and The Future of Thin - Ellen Ruppell Shell

This book, written by science journalist Ellen Ruppell Shell, is about why Americans are so fat, including the roles of genetics, drug companies, the food industry, and social class; and what crazy things we do to try to lose weight. $33 billion - yes, billion - a year are spent on weight loss products! - and bariatric surgeries like gastric bypass are becoming more common.

I found the first and last thirds (or so) of the book were the most interesting. The middle section on isolating leptin, the gene that helps to regulate energy intake and energy expenditure, including appetite and metabolism, got a bit dry. The first third talked a lot about the types of surgeries that people are going through to lose weight. Did you know that some doctors used to actually use a "slice and dice" approach - they'd actually cut you open and cut out layers of fat from your stomach!

The last third was definitely where I couldn't put the book down. One particularly interesting section explained how children of parents of ethnicities who tend to be smaller-framed (i.e. a lot of Hispanics and Asians) are especially prone to being obese when they start eating more Westernized diets (i.e. McDonald's, Coca-Cola, etc.). People in the Philippines have started drinking more Coke per capita than any other country - and their obesity rate has shot up dramatically in the past decade.

Shell also does a great job of uncovering the food industry. This part is so true:

Convenience is more than a buzzword in the food industry; it's a matter of life or death. Millions of advertising dollars are spent reminding us that we do not have the time or patience to shop for, cook, or thoroughly consume our meals. And we are convinced. In the 1960s homemakers spent about two and a half hours making dinner each night. In 1996, the latest year for which figures are available, dinner preparation had shrunk to fifteen minutes.

Another interesting thing to think about: why don't nice restaurants ever supersize, for example, your lobster tail? It's only the cheap places, like fast food restaurants, that do things like that. Well ...

"You're getting extra French fries, more soft drink, cheap stuff that is essentially filler ... You think you're getting a deal here, but you're really not.' Salads are rarely part of these "value meals" and for good reason - fresh vegetables are pricey to buy, prepare, and store. (Salads also take longer to eat, anathema to the fast food world.) Servers are trained to remind customers of the "good deal" they'll get by super-sizing their meal for the very sound reason that super-sizing is not a good deal ...

... because it only costs fast food places three more cents to add some more fries ... but just think of how many more calories that is for us!!

I'm definitely a fan of Shell's journalistic writing style - although to be completely honest, the chapters that talk about isolating leptin got a bit dry. I don't think it was her fault - she did the best job she could - it was just the material. Anyway, both books I've read by her have been great (this one and Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture), and I definitely recommend both of them.