random rants and references

There's been a lot of high profile publicity given to a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine that states that life expectancy in the United States may decrease due to increasing levels of obesity, particularly among children. Indeed, obesity may be a serious problem; but there may also be a good deal of overselling and some non-medical political agendas in play.

While there are quite a few articles on this topic, the question is concisely treated by ABC News: Will Obesity Shorten Life Expectancy?:
"Life expectancy in the United States is at an all-time high, according to recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Deaths from heart disease, cancer and diabetes are down, the agency reports, contributing to an average life expectancy of 77.6 years for Americans. ....

But some health experts are not optimistic. ....
'Obesity is like a tsunami heading to the U.S.,' said Dr. David S. Ludwig, pediatric endocrinologist at the Harvard School of Medicine in Boston and contributing author of the article.
'Our goal for this article is to make people aware that we all have underestimated the negative impact of obesity,' said S. Jay Olshansky, epidemiologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and lead author.

The Social Security Administration has predicted that the anticipated rise in life expectancy may also contribute to the bankruptcy of Social Security funds.
But the authors think these predictions should be reconsidered given their calculations. The article cites that, with the predicted increased prevalence of obesity, the decline in life expectancy will actually conflict with the estimates given by the administration.
'I want this article to play a major role in the Social Security debate,' said Olshansky."

Well, that last direct qoute from Dr. Olshansky certainly says something about his political agenda; and Dr. Ludwig's comparison of obesity to a "tsunami" says something about his flair for the dramatic. Unfortunately, those quotes do leave one wondering - whatever happened to the old-fashioned image of scientists working quietly on unbiased investigations to discover truth?

Perhaps that answer is found in the balance noted by article that :
"Some health experts believe these predictions about obesity's health effects may be unnecessarily dire, citing advances in technology that can provide early detection and treatment."
And that :
"The journal article also notes that "a leveling off or decline in life expectancy in the United States is not inevitable."
"So we are getting fatter, and that is bad, but the sky is not falling," said Dr. Tim Byers, professor of preventive medicine and biometrics at University of Colorado Health Science Center in Denver.""

Indeed ! One must take obesity opining with a grain of salt. (Is that fattening?)