Gary Taubes's NIH lecture and book research on pre-WWII obesity science

In June 2026, Gary Taubes spoke at the National Institutes of Health on how pre-WWII medical scientists in Germany and Austria dismissed the idea that people get fat simply because they eat too much, instead framing obesity as a disorder of fat storage. He announced the talk in his June 14, 2026 “Uncertainty Principles” Substack post, and expanded on it in a 2026 interview with LowCarbUSA.

Taubes told LowCarbUSA that he now has access to more of the original German literature, aided by modern translation tools, and is examining that history in depth. He said the material “may also shape his next book” — the one he “feels compelled to write” — making the historical research an active book project rather than a one-off lecture.

Timeline

• June 2026 — Taubes delivers the NIH lecture on pre-WWII German and Austrian obesity science and its fat-storage view of obesity.
• June 14, 2026 — Announces the NIH talk in his “Uncertainty Principles” Substack post (“I spoke at NIH on Friday…”).
• 2026 (LowCarbUSA interview) — Tells LowCarbUSA he is working through the original German literature with modern translation tools and that it may shape his next book, the one he “feels compelled to write.”