Book Review: Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine

Diet, Drugs, and Dopamine: The New Science of Achieving a Healthy Weight by David A. Kessler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

David A. Kessler, MD, argues that today’s food environment is engineered to overstimulate the brain’s reward pathways—particularly dopamine—making it easier to overeat and harder to stay at a healthy weight. He explains how highly processed foods, created to reach “bliss point” combinations of sugar, fat, and salt, act like addictive substances by triggering cravings and reinforcing habitual eating patterns. Dr. Kessler stresses that this isn’t about weak willpower; it’s about a biological response to foods intentionally crafted to keep us coming back for more.

The book also offers practical strategies to help readers regain control. Dr. Kessler emphasizes the importance of reducing exposure to hyperpalatable foods, establishing structured eating routines, choosing whole and minimally processed ingredients, and becoming aware of environmental cues that trigger overeating. The inclusion and detailed analysis of new weight loss drugs, along with the author’s personal experience, are very informative.

The main message is empowering—understanding how dopamine-driven reinforcement works, people can reshape their food environment and behaviors to promote healthier, more sustainable eating patterns. The book is divided into four parts: Part I: Addiction; Part II: The New Understanding of Energy and Weight; Part III: The Path to Sustainable Weight Loss; and Part IV: The Road Ahead.

The author includes quotes from sources instead of merely summarizing information. If you are considering or currently using an anti-obesity drug, you will find Dr. Kessler’s personal account of deciding, taking, and stopping a GLP-1 regimen very useful. His perspective, both as a doctor and as a patient, is very enlightening.

The text is scientifically dense and may become overwhelming for some readers. If you have no interest in learning more about GLP-1 drugs, you may end up skimming several sections.

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