Biocultural Perspectives on Obesity and Nutrition

3 units

From pink slime to red wine, causes-and treatments-for obesity are constantly in the headlines. With more than 35% of Americans currently obese, this is a tremendous biological and social issue in the United States. Obesity rates are also increasing globally despite billions of dollars spent on diets and public health interventions. Why is this happening and what can be done to change this? Why are humans fat and prone to obesity? How do we interpret appropriate body size? These are some of the questions we will investigate in this class, specifically looking at the important physiological functions of adipose tissue and how both biological and cultural factors shape our perceptions of body image, health, and the obesity epidemic.