by that logic... wrote:
the problem you just brought up has to do with "risk" - and that's what the insurance bases its rates upon. overeating and bad food choices won't necessarily cause heath problems, (though you make the claim that it will) but the risk increases.
likewise with runners. the one guy who said he's never had to seek professional help for any running related problem may think he's the heathiest guy in the world - but the RISK, for having problems like stress fractures, pulled muscles, sciatica, joint problems, etc. is higher than it is in the general population.
so, if we're going to evaluate fat people on the basis of risk of future heath problems, we should do it for other habits as well - like running more than you need to for basic CV health, or drinking in excess.
Yes they do increase risk (bad food choices). That's why it's called a "risk factor". This means that this one thing will contribute to the disease state. Maybe not in every case, since individuals react differently to environmental stressors, but in the population as a whole there is a direct correlation between the type and amount of food we eat and the resultant obesity and related disease states. Remember, we aren't talking about the exceptions but the norm. The obese, diabetic, and heart disease prone American norm.
By the way, running has very few cardiovascular risks and there are very few cases of runners with cardiovascular disease when compared with the non-running population. I've asked many cardiologists who've worked in our lab and none have ever preferred diet to exercise as a healthy lifestyle habit.