re: Study of Biggest Losers finds that the body wants and will fight to be Fat

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I'm not sure you quite understand how research like this works. This was a longitudinal cross-sectional study and not a clinical trial. It was not the aim of the study or the paper to do what is ideal. There is no problem with the data. The data is what it is. Their goal was to examine it and report what it showed. It is also not their goal to tell the show what they should or should not do. They saw what is an excellent source of data and took advantage of it. They did mention that they did not find significant difference in hormone levels but the study was not powered to detect these.

What you are saying goes into the discussion section of the paper. That is where you can point out things that could possibly change the results. I think Dr. Ryan is trying to convey the message that a lot of people are too focused on looks. Looks does not always equal health. I have a feeling they probably left out a lot of what she said in that interview but none of what she said is incorrect, imo. You have to also realize that most research studies are not truly meant for the general public. I don't think any of those authors intend the paper to be an "excuse" for overweight or obese people.

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No i didn't misunderstand it, its what I figured it was. I was just hoping I was wrong lol and it wasn't simply a look at those contestants in a vacuum with no regards on how they get to where they were.

and although it was not meant as an excuse one look at the NYT article comments proves it is and will be used as that.