Understanding Human Metabolism

Describes the metabolic processes that underlie our daily lives and dispels common misconceptions related to diet, nutrition and exercise.

Written for anyone interested in how diet, nutrition and exercise affect our metabolism, this concise book explains clearly the metabolic processes that underlie all aspects of our daily lives. It dispels common misconceptions about human metabolism and enables readers to approach critically information about diet and lifestyle.Does eating more carbohydrates, or fats, cause one to put on more weight? Are ketone bodies toxins or vital products that keep us alive during starvation? Does the concept of 'fat-burning exercise' hold true? In this game-changing book, Keith Frayn, an international expert in human metabolism and nutrition, dispels common misconceptions about human metabolism, explaining in everyday language the important metabolic processes that underlie all aspects of our daily lives. Illustrated throughout with clear diagrams of metabolic processes, Frayn describes the communication systems that enable our different organs and tissues to cooperate, for instance in providing fuel to our muscles when we exercise, and in preserving our tissues during fasting. He explores the impressive adaptability of human metabolism and discusses the metabolic disorders that can arise when metabolism 'goes wrong'. For anyone sceptical of information about diet and lifestyle, this concise book guides the reader through what metabolism really involves.