Topic “Metabolism”

By Laura Hambleton (Special to The Washington Post)

Maureen Michael likes food. Most days, she has three or four meals, and on occasion she eats yet another in the middle of the night. But she rarely worries about her weight, and at 5-foot-8 and 155 pounds, she looks quite trim.

“I eat anything, and I eat a lot,” the 51-year-old District of Columbia resident said. “I like large portions....

By Karen Garloch (McClatchy Newspapers)

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — The room isn’t much to look at. Small and plain, with a twin bed, a chair, a dorm-size refrigerator, a sink and a toilet.

But the spartan appearance is deceiving.

This “metabolic chamber” at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute has cost about $1 million to build and maintain. It’s the newest and most sensitive...