In this course, we will answer the question “how does obesity develop?” We will begin by examining obesity in the context of public health—how and why the rate of development of obesity has changed over the past few decades both in the United States and around the world. We will define and investigate the metabolic parameters and physiological causes of obesity. We will discover how obesity relates (and can contribute) to the development of diseases like diabetes and atherosclerosis. This course will also highlight relatively new findings that impact our current understanding of obesity: the microbiome and epigenetics.
Pre-requisites: It is recommended that students have a basic understanding of the biochemical pathways that harness energy from the nutrients we eat and how those pathways are controlled. This information is covered in BIED 261, “How do cells use nutrients to make energy?”