Why are we FAT?

In ten years, Americans put on a  billion pounds.  The step-up in weight started in the 1980s.  Why are we turning into a plus-size nation?

The New Yorker gives a good overview of recent books on the subject, calling out the usual suspects - evolutionary forces, psychology, financial motivation and corporate manipulation.

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2009/07/20/090720crbo_books_kolbert?printable=true

Meanwhile, progress is being made on two fronts.

Scientists have made "brown" fat from mice and human cells.  Brown fat is good fat - it turns our bodies into heat producing machines and burns white fat.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/07/29/scientists-find-way-to-make-good-brown-fat.html

And common allergy drugs have been found to reduce obesity in mice, by modulating inflammation in fat tissue. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090726150833.htm