Obesity -- that never-ending “battle of the bulge”-- dates back to the Stone Age and yet is emerging today as a modern health epidemic. While its root cause is as simple as calories consumed versus calories burned, it’s cure is knotted somewhere in a complex web of biology, psychology and culture.

And there’s the rub, note UC Davis nutritionists Judith Stern and Alexandra Kazaks in their newly published book “Obesity,” a thoughtful overview of the science and sociology of weight management.

“If weight control were simply a matter of willpower, obesity would not be a problem, because few people would choose to be fat,” they write in the general-audience reference book, released this month by publisher ABC-CLIO as part of its Contemporary World Issues series.

“We wrote this book to answer the common questions related to obesity,” said Stern, an internationally known obesity researcher and a distinguished professor of nutrition and internal medicine at UC Davis. “In it we examine why people gain weight, why they succeed or fail in their attempts to lose weight and who bears the responsibility.”

The book opens with a look at the history and definition of obesity, as well as its causes and consequences. The authors then dive into the controversies surrounding obesity, from its status as a disease to the diet foods, drugs, surgeries and other invasive procedures available for treating it.

A worldwide perspective is also offered that touches on international patterns, gender issues and childhood obesity. And the authors provide a modern chronology of obesity from 1942 to 2008.

The book also includes a who’s who in the world of obesity, 50 brief biographies of notables including Hippocrates; Bill Clinton; Jared Fogle, who lost 250 pounds on a Subway sandwich regimen; and Oprah Winfrey, who has said that if there were a pill or diet that magically caused weight loss, she would certainly take it.

Readers looking for more detail will find chapters on obesity-related data and documents; print and electronic resources; and a roundup of governmental, nonprofit, professional and trade organizations involved with obesity issues.

“There are no simple solutions because obesity is a complex disease that requires complex solutions,” Stern said. “Our biology, the influences of food advertising and our customs of social eating act together to make obesity hard to prevent and treat.

“We hope that this book provides readers with a general understanding of the many facets of obesity and brings home the importance of continuing to pursue solutions through scientific research.”

Stern, who is an elected member of the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, is co-founder of the American Obesity Association and served on the National Institutes of Health Obesity Task Force.

Co-author Alexandra Kazaks is a nutrition researcher at UC Davis and a respected consultant for two national health organizations. Her research has focused on diabetes, weight management, and complementary and alternative health issue.

About UC Davis

For 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has 31,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $500 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges — Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science -- and advanced degrees from six professional schools — Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.