Obesity = 'Severe Brain Degeneration'

KSH - 2009-08-25 2:20 PM http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090825/sc_livescience/obesepe...

gearboy - 2009-08-25 4:29 PM

The study looked at brains of people in their 70's.  So really, I don't know that we can generalize the conclusion to young or middle aged people.  Ironically, being overwieght after 40 makes your facial features look younger. So would you rather look younger or be smarter as you get older?

puellasolis - 2009-08-25 5:41 PM

It's worth remembering that correlation is not causality. As far as I can tell, this study is a snapshot in time. It tells you nothing about how the degenerated brains got that way, and therefore one cannot draw conclusions about whether or not the subjects' weight caused the brain degeneration. (Or, plausibly, the other way around: could poorer brain function cause, in any number of different ways, an increase in weight?)

I'm no biologist, but one thing that's true across the sciences is that the coexistence of two characteristics at one moment in time tells you nothing about any kind of causal relationship between the two. Let's avoid leaping to conclusions here.

puellasolis - 2009-08-25 6:41 PM

It's worth remembering that correlation is not causality. As far as I can tell, this study is a snapshot in time. It tells you nothing about how the degenerated brains got that way, and therefore one cannot draw conclusions about whether or not the subjects' weight caused the brain degeneration. (Or, plausibly, the other way around: could poorer brain function cause, in any number of different ways, an increase in weight?)

I'm no biologist, but one thing that's true across the sciences is that the coexistence of two characteristics at one moment in time tells you nothing about any kind of causal relationship between the two. Let's avoid leaping to conclusions here.

jimbo - 2009-08-25 8:03 PM

  x2 more broadly, how about we lay off of fat people for a few days?

TriToy - 2009-08-25 7:47 PM

isn't that what the reduced sexual activity refers to?

puellasolis - 2009-08-25 6:41 PM It's worth remembering that correlation is not causality. As far as I can tell, this study is a snapshot in time. It tells you nothing about how the degenerated brains got that way, and therefore one cannot draw conclusions about whether or not the subjects' weight caused the brain degeneration. (Or, plausibly, the other way around: could poorer brain function cause, in any number of different ways, an increase in weight?) I'm no biologist, but one thing that's true across the sciences is that the coexistence of two characteristics at one moment in time tells you nothing about any kind of causal relationship between the two. Let's avoid leaping to conclusions here.