The politics and science of obesity

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Anyone who doesn’t know there’s a obesity crisis going on has no doubt been living their entire life on a catwalk. Adults are fat, kids are fat, there seems no end in sight, and a McDonald’s Crispy Ranch Snack Wrap has 340 calories and 17 grams of fat.

For those who hunger to understand the physiological, political and cultural implications of obesity, the California Science Center is sponsoring a panel discussion titled ‘The Science and Politics of Obesity: Who’s Policing Your Plate?’ as part of the center’s Science Matters speakers program. It’s being held Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the center’s Wallis Annenberg Building.

‘A lot of issues have been in the paper recently about obesity,’ says Diane Perlov, senior vice president of exhibits. ‘This seemed like a very timely issue — New York passed a ruling on transfats, and there are other legislative issues dealing with obesity.’ Panel members include Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic, who will speak on the toll obesity takes on the body; Dr. Antronette K. Yancey of UCLA’s department of health services, who will address the disparities in communities that don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables or safe parks; Manal Aboelata, program director of the Prevention Institute in Oakland, who will tackle corporate and government responsibility; and J. Justin Wilson with the Center for Consumer Freedom in Washington, D.C., who will examine consumer responsibility. KNBC-TV Channel 4’s reporter Conan Nolan will moderate.

The panel coincides with ‘Body Worlds 3’, a reprise of a provocative exhibit at the science center featuring plastinated cadavers and body parts, the better to see what’s really inside the human body (it runs through Sept. 7). One particular specimen is a cross section slice of a 300-pound man whose fat encroached upon his vital organs. Seeing that is a wake-up call for many who see the exhibit. Says Perlov, ‘You think of fat as being just underneath the skin.’

Reservations are required; register online, or call (213) 744-2420.

--Jeannine Stein