Link to the external article on WABE.ORG

The center’s mission is to promote interdisciplinary, collaborative research focused on obesity and related diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic inflammation and some cancers. Researchers from diverse backgrounds will focus on two ways to reduce obesity, decreasing food intake and increasing energy expenditure, with a primary focus on the mechanisms underlying the control of food intake and energy expenditure.

The obvious solution to obesity would be for people to eat less and expend more energy, but exercise doesn’t cause enough energy expenditure to make a huge difference. An average sized man who eats about 3,200 calories (approximately their daily intake) would need to run a marathon or 26.2 miles to expend all of the calories. While exercise is helpful to maintain a healthy body weight, a person needs to decrease food intake for a substantial weight loss, said Timothy Bartness, Director of the Center for Obesity Reversal.