Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine

Almost one in three Australians struggles with obesity and its related health conditions, including heart disease and diabetes. It affects life expectancy and quality of life, and yet for decades medical bias and societal pressure have left many feeling judged, confused, and often left behind.

Now former US Food and Drug Administration commissioner David A. Kessler urges us to see obesity in a new light. He 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 outlines what we can learn from addiction science to change our relationship with food and free ourselves from the lifelong battle.

Kessler offers a clear-eyed view of the recent, much-publicised medications promoted as a solution to obesity, and a critical examination of this new class of drugs.

Eye-opening, provocative, and empowering, Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine is a must-read for anyone who has ever struggled with their body weight—which is to say, everyone.