X-Message-Number: 24289 Subject: Re: better to be obese than thin From: Michael Hartl <> References: <> Date: 22 Jun 2004 13:40:53 -0700 > Given the money to be made and power to be gained from publishing the > obesity epidemic, it is probably unreasonable to hope we might be spared > a costly, intrusive and ultimately unsuccessful war against fat. This doesn't follow; in fact, the financial incentives point strongly in the other direction, due to life and health insurance. Insurance companies are in the business to make money; to the extent that current insurance premium rates don't reflect reality, they create an opportunity for profit. In other words, if obesity isn't a strong risk factor for disease and premature death, then there is big money to be made by selling overweight people cheaper health and life insurance. If the current conventional wisdom is wrong, expect a contrarian insurance company to reap a windfall by pricing its insurance correctly. Other insurance companies would quickly follow suit, and it would then become obvious that there's something fishy about the conventional wisdom. Incidentally, if transhumanists are correct in their belief that lifespans are set to increase dramatically over the next fifty years or so due to technological advancements, then life insurance is currently badly overpriced, at least for young people. Be on the lookout for an insurance company that realizes this; it might make for a wise investment. -- Michael Hartl http://michaelhartl.org/ Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=24289