Addicted to overeating!

In a sequence of short, readable chapters, Kessler lays out the science behind the obesity epidemic. Modern foods have become too palatable, he says. Rich in fat and sugar, they overstimulate the brain's reward pathways, conditioning us to seek more and more. Manufacturers of processed foods and major restaurant chains all exploit this neurological vulnerability by layering fat and sugar into foods to create "craveability". "Where traditional cuisine is made to satisfy, modern industrial food is made to stimulate," Kessler writes.

It gets worse. When we eat these hyperstimulating foods and experience the neural rewards they offer, the foods become even more stimulating the next time around. Eventually, the cues that accompany the foods - location, time of day, emotional state - become triggers that drive food-seeking behaviour. That habitual craving, Kessler says, is why he can't resist the plate of chocolate-chip cookies on the table during meetings.

The Chinese have been using a similar technique for years, with the aid of Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG), a very addictive hyper-stimulant that cane create hyper-activity in children and adults alike.