Is obesity a choice?

It is clear that the cause of obesity is a result of eating more than you burn.  It is physics. What is more complex to answer is why some people eat more than others? Differences in our genetic make-up mean some of us are slightly more hungry all the time and so eat more than others. In contrast to the prevailing view, obesity is not a choice. People who are obese are not bad or lazy; rather, they are fighting their biology.

Speaker: Dr Giles Yeo

Giles Yeo has 20 years’ experience studying the genetics of obesity & brain control of food intake. He got his PhD from the University of Cambridge in 1998 and he currently focuses on the influence of genes on our feeding behaviour & body-weight. Giles is also a broadcaster and author, presenting science documentaries for the BBC’s ‘Horizon’ & ‘Trust Me I’m A Doctor’. His first book ‘Gene Eating: The Science of Obesity & the Truth About Diets’ was published in December 2018.

This talk will be followed by a drinks reception from 17.00.