Obesity is one of the most visible public health problems right across the world.   

The World Health Organization started sounding alarm bells in the 1990s.  

But despite various interventions by governments, so-called “globesity” has continued its inexorable progress.

It is clear that our changing diet plays a role, and many experts have singled out highly processed and refined foods as a major problem, particularly in the West.

But in this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we ask: What is it about these particular types of food that contribute to obesity?   

And given the complexity of the issue, would eliminating them from our diets actually make much of a difference?

Professor David Raubenheimer, Leonard Ullmann Chair in Nutritional Ecology, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney  

Dr Amanda Grech, Research Fellow, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney