MAIN IDEA:

This book seems to be about fat, but it is really not. It is more about government science, which is not science, but rather the method of transferring public money to government scientists. The author reviews the history of how fat became something bad and how the government created the fat-free industry, making many people rich at the expense of making many people sick.

MY TAKE ON IT:

As a history of mass deception, I think this book is very educational and nicely demonstrates the methods and means of such campaigns. The critical points of the process are:

• Pseudo-scientific studies in which the results are predefined and data massaged until they fit into the required framework.
• Suppression of any contrarian views with personal attacks and the use of all means available from label to government power
• Use of mass media to create a narrative that supports whatever is promoted.

The sad results of such science conversion into an ideological tool are recommendations and, recently, even the use of government force that cause considerable damage to the people. These results are pretty obvious. One need only look at any photo or documentary from the 1950s and 1960s to see how fit most people were at the time. Now just look around, and you will see how many people become fat. So the main inference is not to trust government science unthinkingly but rather do your own check on any ideas promoted.