The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss (Why Intermittent Fasting Is the Key to Controlling Your Weight)

by Jason Fung

What causes weight gain? Contending theories abound: •Calories •Sugar •Refined carbohydrates •Wheat •All carbohydrates •Dietary fat •Red meat •All meat •Dairy products •Snacking •Food reward •Food addiction •Sleep deprivation •Stress •Low fiber intake •Genetics •Poverty •Wealth •Gut microbiome •Childhood obesity The various theories fight among themselves, as if they are all mutually exclusive and there is only one true cause of obesity. For example, recent trials that compare a low-calorie to a low-carbohydrate diet assume that if one is correct, the other is not. Most obesity research is conducted in this manner. This approach is wrong, since these theories all contain some element of truth. Let’s look at an analogy. What causes heart attacks? Consider this partial list of contributing factors: •Family history •Age •Sex •Diabetes •Hypertension •Hypercholesterolemia •Smoking •Stress •Lack of physical activity These factors, some modifiable and some not, all contribute to heart-attack risk. Smoking is a risk factor, but that doesn’t mean that diabetes is not. All are correct since they all contribute to some degree. Nonetheless, all are also incorrect, because they are not the sole cause of heart attacks. For example, cardiovascular-disease trials would not compare smoking cessation to blood-pressure reduction since both are important contributing factors. The other major problem with obesity research is that it fails to take into account that obesity is a time-dependent d...