The Nature of Nutrition: A Unifying Framework from Animal Adaptation to Human Obesity

Overview

Stephen J. Simpson and David Raubenheimer develop a framework for studying nutrition across organisms and ecological settings. The book introduces the Geometric Framework and examines how nutrient interactions relate to physiology, health, behavior, and the environments in which animals feed. Its discussion of human obesity sits within this broader biological argument, making it distinct from a conventional clinical nutrition or weight-management manual.

What this book covers

• The Geometric Framework as an approach to analyzing nutritional interactions.
• Relationships between nutrient intake, physiology, health, and lifespan.
• Connections between individual feeding behavior, groups, and ecological systems.
• Applications to animal nutrition, conservation, and questions about human obesity.

Who it’s for

Students and researchers in nutritional ecology, biology, animal science, and nutrition who want a theoretical framework spanning species. Readers focused only on clinical protocols may prefer a more practice-oriented reference.

How to study with this book

Read the framework chapters before the applications. For each example, identify the nutrients, constraints, and outcomes being modeled, then consider which assumptions may or may not transfer to a different organism or setting.

Digital format

PDF. This listing is for a digital resource. Publisher-platform subscriptions, activation codes, and supplementary materials are included only when expressly listed with this product.