Gina Kolata: Thinking Through Thick and Thin
Friday, May 18, 2007
Gina Kolata, science writer for the New York Times and author, Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss--and the Myths and Realities of Dieting (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007), challenges the conventional wisdom about weight loss, including research that shows weight is more a matter of genetics than willpower.
Rethinking Thin is available for purchase at Amazon.com
Rethinking Thin is available for purchase at Amazon.com
Comments [7]
I agree that this all seems kind of fishy. It was interesting to hear how in the interview Gina Kolata sidestepped the question about differing rates of obesity depending on socioeconomic status--crudely put, the poor tend to be fatter than the rich. We're not just talking here about differing positions within a relatively narrow range of "normal" weights. It's a matter of significantly higher rates of morbid obesity among the poor. Genetics alone can't explain this, unless you want to fall back on the social darwinian notion that the rich really are better than all the rest. So Gina ducked the question and veered off into an account of the origins of the Atkins diet. In general, she has a point--a person's weight does tend to hover within a certain range. But she pushes it much too far, excluding the possibility that diet, exercise and environment can reset the thermostat. But if it's next to impossible to break out of the confines of one's ideal weight, what on earth happened to Al Gore?
Gina's facts are very suspect. You can not dismiss the fact that obesity is much more prevalent than it used to be, and that this correlates with much larger portion size and much more sedentary lifestyles. Heart disease is plummeting due to improved medical care, not due to our larger sizes. This is not good science!
What Gina Kolada is not answering is whether people with obesity have a fulfilling, productive life? Modern medicine can keep a lot of people alive. Nobody is talking about the obsession with a perfect body shape. However how can anyone doubt that people who lead a healthy lifestyle (good diet and exercise) lead a much more productive and fulfilling life?
We tried to find a photo of the author, out of curiosity...we wondered if she was "thin"... the photo we found looked quite old...so we're still wondering...
What Gina Kolata is saying is (at least this is what I got) that IF one eats healthfully, and exercises regualrly, THEN whatever weight one is at, is one's "natura' weight.
has anyone ever done a study comparing weight of families who eat home cooked meals everyday with some exception and those who eat randomly ie take out (wether it;s expensive take out or deli)every day with some exception
How does Gina Kolata and all her studies account for the HUGE (pun not intended) rise in the numbers of obese people everywhere?
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