Book excerpt: Highly Commended in the 2006 British Medical Association Book Awards (Endocrinology) This Second Edition brings together more than 20 internationally recognized experts in the field to provide a timely review of current knowledge. The text remains an invaluable resource for all healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients who are obese. New features of this Second Edition include: Addition of two new co-editors – Professor Bill Dietz, USA and Professor Ian Caterson, Australia Increased number of contributors from around the globe – providing a truly international perspective Includes new information about the causes of obesity, its complications and new (and novel) methods of prevention and treatment Reorganized into sections that address obesity and its social and cultural aspects, biology, associated diseases, life stages (pediatric and adult), management, and environmental and policy approaches