Gradually, it dawned on Dr. Fung that he was practicing medicine exactly as he had been taught: by reactively treating the symptoms of complex diseases without first trying to understand or correct their root causes. (Location 42)

In the science of nutrition, there is rarely any consensus about anything: (Location 146)

To discover the answers, we need to turn to evidence-based medicine rather than vague opinion. (Location 153)

The major problem is the complete lack of a theoretical framework for understanding obesity. (Location 157)

I will reference only studies done on humans, and mostly only those that have been published in high-quality, peer-reviewed journals. (Location 174)

As much as possible, I try to focus on causal factors rather than association studies. (Location 183)

PART ONE The Epidemic

( 1 ) HOW OBESITY BECAME AN EPIDEMIC

PROXIMATE VERSUS ULTIMATE CAUSE (Location 232)

The proximate cause is immediately responsible, whereas the ultimate cause is what started the chain of events. (Location 235)