Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy
by Herman Pontzer · Avery (Penguin Random House)
An evolutionary anthropologist presents doubly labeled water studies of energy use in the Hadza and other populations. He explains the constrained energy expenditure model, why exercise alone rarely produces lasting weight loss, and how diet and metabolism interact.
This link may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate disclosure
More resources on Obesity Medicine & GLP-1 Drugs
The Hungry Brain: Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat
A neuroscientist explains how the brain controls appetite and body fat, covering the hypothalamus, leptin, reward and satiety signals, and why modern food environments lead to overeating. The book is grounded in obesity research and gives background for why appetite-targeting drugs work. This is the best book-length introduction to how appetite and body weight are regulated.
Daniel Drucker: Illuminating the GLP-1 Drugs' Break Out (Ground Truths)
This is the best free, non-technical explanation of how GLP-1 drugs work, given by someone who helped discover the biology. It covers mechanism, muscle loss and stopping treatment without influencer or telehealth bias. It dates from April 2024, so it predates some newer trials, but the explanation of how the drugs work still holds. Eric Topol interviews Daniel Drucker, one of the scientists who discovered how GLP-1 works, about how the drugs reduce appetite through the brain, lean-mass loss, what happens after stopping, and the anti-inflammatory effects linked to heart, kidney and liver benefits. A free transcript is included.
Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes (SELECT Trial)
Cardiovascular outcomes trial of semaglutide 2.4 mg in 17,604 adults with heart disease and overweight or obesity but no diabetes. It found 20% fewer heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths, the first such result for an obesity drug. SELECT is the key trial showing they reduce serious health events, which is essential for judging benefits beyond the scale.
Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity (SURMOUNT-1 Trial)
This is the original evidence for the most effective approved obesity drug. Read alongside STEP 1, it shows how a dual GIP/GLP-1 agonist compares with semaglutide alone. 72-week phase 3 trial of tirzepatide, a drug that activates both GIP and GLP-1 receptors, in 2,539 adults without diabetes. Mean weight loss was 15% to 20.9% depending on dose, versus 3.1% with placebo, with side-effect data for each dose.
Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (STEP 1 Trial)
This is the original evidence for semaglutide's weight-loss effect, and nearly every guideline and review cites it. The main 68-week randomized controlled trial of semaglutide 2.4 mg in 1,961 adults without diabetes. Mean weight loss was 14.9% versus 2.4% with placebo. The paper also reports gastrointestinal side effects and why participants stopped treatment.
Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guideline
This one free source covers the whole topic: medications, lifestyle treatment and surgery, all judged against the same evidence standard. Regularly updated clinical guideline in 19 chapters covering the science of obesity, assessment, nutrition, physical activity, psychological therapy, medications (updated 2025 with semaglutide and tirzepatide) and bariatric surgery, with graded evidence and plain-language key messages.