Speaker: Carson Chow, National Institutes of Health
Title: The dynamics of obesity

Abstract: The past two decades have seen a surge in the incidence of obesity in the developed world. Changes in body weight that can lead to obesity are known to result from imbalances between the energy derived from food and the energy expended to maintain life and perform physical work. However, quantifying this relationship has proved difficult. Here, I will show how simple concepts from dynamical systems can be used to provide a general quantitative description of how body weight will change over time. The model can then be used to answer open questions (and dispel some myths) regarding weight loss and gain and provide an explanation for the American obesity epidemic.

Time: Friday, Sept. 23, 2011, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Place: Science and Tech I, Room 242

Department of Mathematical Sciences
George Mason University
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