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Diet, Drugs and Dopamine: The new science of achieving a healthy weight
'An important and illuminating book.' - Chris van Tulleken, author of Ultra-Processed People
For decades, the medical establishment has been giving us the wrong advice on what to eat; and when we put on weight we are made to feel it's our own fault.
In Diet, Drugs and Dopamine, Dr. David A. Kessler, a leading medic and former head of the US Food and Drug Administration, sets the record straight, sharing new evidence that obesity is not just a disease of the body, but also one of the brain.
He explains how processed food has changed our brain chemistry, creating compulsive cravings that not only cause us to eat more but rob us of the ability to feel full. As someone who has struggled with his weight all his adult life, Dr Kessler trials the latest weight loss drugs, and brings his unique perspective to evaluate their real impact. While these medicines, which work by suppressing appetite, will offer miracle results for some, they are not a cure-all.
Drawing on cutting-edge research on the many factors that influence weight - from neuroscience to nutrition - Kessler presents a new way forward. Eye-opening and empowering, this book is a must-read for anyone who has ever struggled to maintain a healthy body weight - which is to say, everyone.
About the Author
DAVID A. KESSLER, MD, served as Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration under presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. He was the chief science officer In the Joe Biden administration during Covid-19 and co-leader of Operation Warp Speed.
Dr. Kessler is a pediatrician and has been the dean of the medical schools at Yale and the University of California, San Francisco, where he is currently a professor in the departments of pediatrics and epidemiology and biostatistics. A graduate of Amherst College, the University of Chicago Law School, and Harvard Medical School, he and his wife are the parents of two and the grandparents of three.
Watch author David. A. Kessler's book talk and reading at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.
FDA Petition Could Redefine the Future of America’s Food System
Read Dr. Kessler's petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove processed refined carbohydrates from the U.S. food supply by revoking their “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) status.
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