Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19970622220713.006a0614@osf1.gmu.edu>
Date: Sun, 22 Jun 1997 22:07:13 -0400
To: socgrad@csf.colorado.edu
From: "Jeanne A.B. Calabro" <jcalabro@osf1.gmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Obesity and Discrimination
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>I was under the assumption that genetics merely contributed to a 
>propensity to be obese, or a pre-disposition to be obese, but that this 
>could be offset by diet and exercise.
>
Assumptions never suffice to answer empirical questions. There are a lot of
physically fit, well exercised, healthy, low fat and low calorie dieted,
overweight  people. Moreover, there are a lot of recently completed and
reported studies that rebut the common assumptions you share, that also has
dominated the medical understanding of the subject. This may be slow to
change, even with the large-scale, multi-center, longitudinal, "conclusive"
study that was just reported out that showed that neither diet, nor
exercise are predictive factors for obesity, but rather that genetics is
ephiphenomenal in predicting obesity. This agrees with laboratory findings
as well. (My husband is a biomedical researcher, which is how I get updates
from that arena.) 
	The medical assumptions may be slow to change for the reason that
"everybody knows (or assumes)" that dieting and exercise are determinants
of obesity, and that genetics are just predisposing factors. This is not to
say that there are some people genetically programmed for medium or low
weight who  might put excess pounds on by inactivity, lack of exercise, or
compulsive eating. The findings do indicate, however, that the majority of
obesity is not caused by these behaviors. The current advice is that obese
people should follow a diet and exercise program to benefit their health,
even if it is not expected to result in significant long-term enduring
weight loss. Obesity may be like brown hair or blue eyes. There are also
studies that indicate that women who are blond are also stereotyped.
Jeanne Calabro
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Jeanne A.B. Calabro		Home Phone:  703/450-5460
104 Norwood Place		E-mail:      jcalabro@osf1.gmu.edu
Sterling, Virginia 20164-8503	Affiliation: Brandeis University
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"Sociology changes the world." Personal opinion
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