. >> david kessler knows what greg's brain went through. though never obese, the former head of the fda says he too was a conditioned hyper eater. a term he coined in his new book "the end of overeating". >> i have suits in every size. what wassi what was -- what was going on, why does that chocolate chip cookie have that power over me? >> he first started to ask such questions as dean of yale's medical school and he got a group of colleagues together to figure it out. >> it's a major factor of the cardiovascular disease. >> and at the core is the weight. why was it so hard? that was the question. >> the answer says kessler is that for roughly 70 million people, their brains are wired in such a way that they are literally hooked on food. >> not because you're lazy or not self-disciplined. your brain is being activated. >> your brain has been hijacked by fat, sugar and salt on some level? >> that's exactly right. you get -- it could be the sight, the smell, just the location, the visual. >> we pulled together a panel of overeaters to help il

[applause] >> david kessler has been the dean of the medical schools of yale and university and the university of california san francisco. he served as commissioner of the u.s. food and drug at ministration under presidents george h. w. bush and bill clinton from 1990 to 1997. dr. kessler is a graduate of amherst college, harvard medical school and university of chicago. really rodale books is the publisher. to find out more, visit rodale.com. >>> pulitzer prize-winning journalist alex jones discusses what he sees as the demise of hard news and the diminished nature of journalism role as a government watchdog. this interview taped and new york city at the 2009 book expo america last about 15 minutes. >> outlook jones, and "losing the news" you refer to the first amendment as fragile. why? >> the first amendment is great bulwark in this country but it's only been the great bull word since the 1930's. for most of our history that a great bull work as we think the protections we think of as absolute have been very, very on certain and they are uncertain because in times of great national stress,

and new research, led by former fda commissioner, david kessler, sheds light on what exactly might bek at the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls our desires. for most of us, when we see a snack like a potato chip, this area of the brain will light up with activity, and send feelings of anticipation and craving. once we start eating, it shuts off. for the overeater, the amygdala, remains activated while eating. creating that want after 5, 10, even 50 chips. >> why does that chocolate chip cookie have such power over me? >> reporter: kessler says foods layered in sugar, salts and fat, trigger dopamine in the brain, making it particularly hard for overeaters to stop. these four people all struggle with that compulsion. >> i call it food porn because it excites me. >> i don't eat constantly. but when i do, i have a hard time stopping. >> reporter: we up the ante and put them in a room across from their biggest food weaknesses. what's going through your mind? >> i want to eat the whole bag. >> it's like bing, bing, bing. >> reporter: for mary crean, food has been a life-long com

david kessler is author of the book "the ends of overeating" he says by combining fat, sugar and salt in all different ways food makers are stimulating us to eat even when we are full. >> today food goes down in one or two chews. we get stimulated and we reach for more and more. >> reporter: we just can't help ourselves. just ask this 4-star chef. >> the spicy. crunchy. salty. >> reporter: a bite-sized symphony of sweet, salty and fatty foods. >> it is about fat. >> reporter: with every taste. >> this is so good. >> reporter: i fond myself. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: unable to stop eating. >> you don't know why but it feels good. >> reporter: like the short ribs that melt in your mouth and mashed potatoes with cheese inside. sometimes you don't even have to taste the food to know that you want it. >> sometimes it is the eyes. you cross the room with a beautiful souffle and everyone is looking saying i want that. >> reporter: he agrees with kessler that portion control is so important when it works. >> we don't go through that much of it. we just go through how much we give you. if yo

. >>> david kessler former commissioner of the u.s. food and drug at ministration explains how american bodies and minds have been reprogrammed by too much sugar, salt and john. politics and prose bookstore in washington, d.c. posted decedent. it lasts about one hour. >> it is very special to be here at politics and prose. to carla and barbara, the owners, the fact is this is without a doubt my favorite bookstore in the whole world. [applause] there's another reason why this is so special, and for those of you who are not part of the food and drug administration who are here, and told me if you would, this is a very special week and a very special people here that i've had the privilege over my life to be able to work with and in a week as you just heard where the united states congress voted 79 senators in the affirmative, and 307 members of the house of representatives in favor of fda regulation of tobacco. there are people here. i can't name all of you who spent much of your adult lives working on this, and my hat goes off to all of

david kessler is the author of the new book "the end of overeating" by combining fat, sugar, and saltof different ways, food makers are stimulating our desire to eat, even when we're full. >> the average bite had 20 chews. today food goes down. it's a wish, we get stimulated and we reach for more and more. >> we can't help ourselves. ask the four-star chef. >> spicy, sweet, the salty, the crunchy. >> he treated us to a tasting menu, a bite size symphony of sweet, salty, and fatty foods. >> it's about fat. >> tasty fat. >> every taste -- >> it's so good. >> reporter: i found myself unable to stop eating. >> you don't know why. but it's still good. >> reporter: like the short ribs that melt in your mouth and mashed potatoes with cheese inside. sometimes you don't have to taste the food to know that you want it. >> you cross the room with a beautiful souffle or something and everybody is looking and saying, oh, i want that. >> reporter: he agrees with kessler that portion control is so important when it works. >> we don't control how much you eat of it. we control how much we give you. i

david kessler, thanks for being here this morning. >> thank you. >> all right, well, former nfl quarter to death at a condo in chicago. what people are saying about the shooting. >> madonna staging a tribute to the king of pop on the same london stage where jackson was set to start his tour. first a look outside. >> a beautiful morning and going to be across the northeast. >> oh, my gosh, clayton, this looks good. ow, ow. >> did the surprise just attack rick? >> that's a great visual rick, thank you. we will be back with the surprise. [ female announcer ] does your dishwasher suffer from post party sickness syndrome? there's a revolutionary cure. it's called cascade all-in-one actionpacs. and it's like adding the ultimate button to your dishwasher. because it has the power to pre-wash... dissolve... and rinse the whole mess away. so in the morning your dishes will feel like new again. and so will you. cascade complete all-in-one actionpacs. for money-saving offers, visit theultimatebutton.com. >> i know. i think i get it from my dad. you don't like surprises? >> it's hard, because i'm l

then, david kessler's book "the end of overeating." also on book tv this weekend, and at book tv.org. bill o'reilly tells how his childhood made him who he is today in "a bold fresh piece of humanity." richard wolffe wrote about the candidacy of barack obama based on interviews conducted during the '08 campaign, in "renegade." and magnificent des relation," buzz aldrin's story of the lunar landing, his 8th. michael and elizabeth norman write a history of the world war ii baton death march called "tears in the darkness." and, david faber looks at the economic crisis in "and then the roof caved in." for more best-sellers go to nytimes.com. >> 2009 books expo america book sellers convention in new york city and here with stacy lewis out of san francisco, what do you have coming out this fall. >> this fall we have a couple books coming out from angela davis. a clicks of essays, her first book that has been published in four years that covers themes she's particularly interested in, racism, sexism, and the prison industrial complex. and the