-- Posted by CocaMotive at 10:22 am on Dec. 17, 2006 This is possibly a little less interesting than the title might suggest, but this letter in the New Scientist caught my attention: While the authorities in the western world prepare to allocate fortunes in public funds to address a growing obesity problem... I would like to suggest an avenue of research that may not yet have been explored to explain such widespread ovesity. You could call this the "impending doom factor". Could the human animal be reacting to daily poundings of threats to its very survival? Be it cataclysmic climate change or Armageddon, such threats of impending doom can surely trigger behaviours meant to ensure survival. Just as animals make provision for winter (often in the form of body fat) couldn't we be unconsciously taking measures to withstand the threatened hardships? Louise Inkel, Quebec, Canada The letter then goes on to suggest that taking measures against obesity would be futile as trying to increase body fat is natural behaviour "in the face of a perceived peril". Worth thinking about, perhaps? -- Posted by old american century at 4:37 pm on Dec. 17, 2006 In other cultures, bigger women are sought after more than thinner women because it generally means they are wealthy enough to eat (excessively?). I think the big issue is not whether or not the obesity trend in western culture is natural, it's the fact that it costs a lot more money to treat obesity-related health issues.  This can come out of taxpayers dollars, and because the obese people don't actually need to be that big to survive, it's an unnecessary burden on the citizens. -- Posted by m16 at 6:57 pm on Dec. 17, 2006 There was a study done on a remote island where the men preferred 'big' women, because it was thought they were healthier. Then the scientists introduced the television. Within a month, all the men preferred thin women. I can't recall that study, but I'll see if I can find it.