Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine

A deep dive into the most talked about health issue currently facing the world from the bestselling author of The End of Overeating.

Almost one in three Australians struggle with obesity and its related health conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. It is a health care crisis that affects life expectancy and quality of life, and yet for decades medical bias and societal pressure has left many feeling judged, confused and often left behind.

Now New York Times bestselling author and former US Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr David A. Kessler urges us to see obesity in a new light. In Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine, he shares new evidence that obesity is not only a phenomenon of the body, but one that starts in the brain.

In this groundbreaking book, Kessler-a lifelong public health advocate-explains how processed food has changed our brain chemistry, creating both an addiction to highly rewarding foods and compulsive cravings that cause us to eat more. But this change doesn`t have to be permanent. Illuminating cutting-edge research on the many factors that influence weight-from neuroscience to nutrition-Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine explains why maintaining weight loss is almost insurmountably difficult and what we can learn from addiction science and eating-disorder-recovery protocols to forge a new way forward.

Kessler offers a clear-eyed view of the recent, much-publicised pharmaceuticals promoted as a solution to obesity and a critical examination of this new class of drugs. While these drugs will offer a panacea to some, they also carry serious and potentially long-term risks that must be seriously investigated before we regard them as a sustainable option.

Eye-opening, provocative, and empowering, this book is a must-read for anyone who has ever struggled to maintain their body weight-which is to say, everyone.