Comments on: Fat, fate, and disease http://blog.oup.com/2012/02/fat-fate-disease/ Academic insights for the thinking world. Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:01:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Beth@WeightMaven http://blog.oup.com/2012/02/fat-fate-disease/#comment-249866 Beth@WeightMaven Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:36:02 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=20906#comment-249866 You write: "Although being fat is not automatically linked to illness, it does increase dramatically the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other so-called non-communicable diseases." Is it that "being fat" increases the risk? Or is that what makes us fat -- such as an energy dense, nutrient-poor diet -- increase the risk? Semantic quibble ... and of course, the answer may be "both" as fat is not inert tissue. Pottenger and his cats certainly show that there is a way out of this, but there is a considerable challenge to do so! You write: “Although being fat is not automatically linked to illness, it does increase dramatically the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other so-called non-communicable diseases.”

Is it that “being fat” increases the risk? Or is that what makes us fat — such as an energy dense, nutrient-poor diet — increase the risk? Semantic quibble … and of course, the answer may be “both” as fat is not inert tissue.

Pottenger and his cats certainly show that there is a way out of this, but there is a considerable challenge to do so!

]]> By: Chet http://blog.oup.com/2012/02/fat-fate-disease/#comment-249857 Chet Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:15:25 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=20906#comment-249857 I don't think the focus on childhood is the right answer, either. The evidence is that <a href="http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/721613" rel="nofollow">obese children are actually eating less</a> than their healthy-weight peers. If the adult's obesity is determined by the child, but the child's obesity doesn't seem to have anything to do with diet, then we reach the point either where we're supposed to believe that the problem is a nation of sinful, gluttonous infants, or that this obesity crisis is almost entirely the result of genetics. I don’t think the focus on childhood is the right answer, either. The evidence is that obese children are actually eating less than their healthy-weight peers.

If the adult’s obesity is determined by the child, but the child’s obesity doesn’t seem to have anything to do with diet, then we reach the point either where we’re supposed to believe that the problem is a nation of sinful, gluttonous infants, or that this obesity crisis is almost entirely the result of genetics.

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