Page 50 - Winter2010
P. 50

All Thumbs Book Reviews







                                    The Obesity Epidemic:                      impressive to the uneducated, but it is incorrect.
                                    What Caused It? How Can We Stop It?           Where does the formula “one pound equals
                                    By Zoë Harcombe, BA, MA                    thrity-five hundred calories” come from? Har-
                                    Columbus Publishing, 2010                  combe went to significant effort to trace that no-
                                                                               tion back to its origin. She researched the studies.
                                        Near the start of this book we see a list  She checked with all the major expert organiza-
                                    of very good questions relating to the topic of  tions in Britain, including the British Dietetic
                                    obesity: Does energy in equal energy out? Do  Association and the Department of Health. The
                                    the laws of thermodynamics apply to humans?  straightest answer she got was, “We don’t know,”
                                    Where does the formula “one pound equals  and it went down hill from there. It turns out that
                                    thirty-five hundred calories” come from? Are  no one even knows exactly how the formula is
                                    obese people always greedy or lazy or both? Can  calculated. The closest approximation Harcombe
                                    you prove saturated fat causes heart disease?  could come up with assumes there are 9 calories
                                    How does exercise relate to weight loss or gain?  per gram of fat. One pound of fat would be 454
                                        There are other good questions, and their an-  grams. Human adipose tissue is approximately
                                    swers may surprise a lot of people. To answer the  87 percent lipids, so 87 percent of 454 is 395.
                                    first two questions in the list above, Harcombe  Multiply 395 grams by 9 calories per gram and
                                    untangles  some  widespread  misinformation  you get 3555 calories. This equation is further
                                    about the first law of thermodynamics. That first  muddied by the fact that 9 calories per gram is
                                    law does not say energy in must equal energy out.  merely an estimate. Scientific experiments have
                                    It says that energy in a closed system at thermal  measured anywhere from 8.7 to 9.5 calories
                                    equilibrium is neither created nor destroyed.  per gram. When multiplied out, the answer lies
                                    Energy can be transformed. Is the human body a  somewhere between 3436 and 3752 calories per
                                    closed system? No. So anytime you see “energy  pound (in fat round numbers). The difference
                                    in equals energy out” in an obesity discussion,  between those numbers is 316.
                                    you are seeing a misapplication and misinterpre-     If you enjoy all this math, there is even
                                    tation of the laws of thermodynamics. It may look  more in the book for you to pig out on. If your


                                      CHANGING COURSE FOR LIFE: Local Solutions to Global Problems
                                                           By Sir Julian Rose

                    “Continuously accepting ever more restrictive clamps upon our civil liberties and human aspirations ultimately weakens
                and confuses us, making us cannon fodder for all the consuming appetites of corporate pirates and political apologists.
                There is nothing more important to do now than to take the authority to control our lives out of such people’s hands, and
                to pour our energies into securing a resurgent future for largely self-governing human scale communities throughout the
                world.” So writes Sir Julian Rose, who urges his readers to reconnect with farmers, the land and small-scale communities,
                and what better way to start than by obtaining our food from farmers and artisans. In this way we help build a just eco-
                nomic system, “one which establishes the best means for as many people as possible to realize their potential, and helps
                to build the shared goal or ideal of a caring society.”
                    Reductionist science, agricultural policy, environmental destruction, the role of the arts, modern medicine, and the
                trend to globalization are some of the themes Rose illuminates with his insight in this excellent little book. Says Rose, “All
                infrastructure should serve the purpose of helping humanity—and nature—to reach a healthier, more subtle and more
                dynamic state of self realisation.” That’s a goal we can all eat for! New European Publications. THUMBS UP.
                                                                                               Review by Sally Fallon Morell
               50                                         Wise Traditions                                WINTER 2010





         74240_text.indd   50                                                                                     12/13/2010   2:14:10 AM
   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55