3 ms·

what a terrible headline. a subset of mice have a predisposition towards obesity, so america's exploding obesity epidemic may not be the individuals fault desp

by autokad 12y ago

what a terrible headline. a subset of mice have a predisposition towards obesity, so america's exploding obesity epidemic may not be the individuals fault despite: #1 genetic ratios couldn't possibly be changing that much #2 most people who do go on diets and exercise DO lose weight. #3 as the article points out, the gene in study is rare in humans.

DanBC 12y ago
We know that dieting is a terrible method for losing weight. It's untrue to say thT most people who diet lose weight - they only do so in the short term while they maintain that diet. As soon as they stop they regain weight, often settling at a higher weight. Unless by "dieting" you mean "permanent lifestyle change" which is fair enough.
- autokad 12y ago
  I am addressing the article's statements about mice not loosing weight despite changing their diet and exercising. the length of time they loose the weight is less important, and the fact that the reason why they put the weight back on after reverting to their previous habits only works against the article that argues the obese may be at the mercy of their genes - diet and exercise wont help them.
glenra 12y ago
Your #2 point is false. Most diet/exercise programs appear to "work" in the short run, but fail in the long term. Very few people who diet haven't gained the weight back and then some within 3 years. The sad truth is that we don't yet have any GOOD advice to give overweight people who want to not be overweight. Telling them to diet to lose weight is, in practice, terrible advice. The headline is fine if you keep in mind that the subject of the study is only one of a number of mechanisms by which people could be not at fault for their weight gain. There's things like the "fat virus" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infectobesity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infectobesity). There are epigenetic factors - we're just learning that how well your grandparents ate can affect your health. There might well be chemical or medical factors too - overuse of antibiotics changing the bacterial load is a common suggestion.

by autokad 12y ago

DanBC 12y ago

We know that dieting is a terrible method for losing weight. It's untrue to say thT most people who diet lose weight - they only do so in the short term while they maintain that diet. As soon as they stop they regain weight, often settling at a higher weight. Unless by "dieting" you mean "permanent lifestyle change" which is fair enough.

autokad 12y ago
I am addressing the article's statements about mice not loosing weight despite changing their diet and exercising. the length of time they loose the weight is less important, and the fact that the reason why they put the weight back on after reverting to their previous habits only works against the article that argues the obese may be at the mercy of their genes - diet and exercise wont help them.

glenra 12y ago

Your #2 point is false. Most diet/exercise programs appear to "work" in the short run, but fail in the long term. Very few people who diet haven't gained the weight back and then some within 3 years. The sad truth is that we don't yet have any GOOD advice to give overweight people who want to not be overweight. Telling them to diet to lose weight is, in practice, terrible advice. The headline is fine if you keep in mind that the subject of the study is only one of a number of mechanisms by which people could be not at fault for their weight gain. There's things like the "fat virus" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infectobesity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infectobesity). There are epigenetic factors - we're just learning that how well your grandparents ate can affect your health. There might well be chemical or medical factors too - overuse of antibiotics changing the bacterial load is a common suggestion.