You're just replacing a question with a nonanswer.

Imagine, say, a physicist who is doing groundbreaking work to explain superconductivity. Luckily, some brilliant HN commentator comes in and says, "This just sounds like a hunt for a way to explain superconductivity as something other than a simple property of some materials conducting with zero resistance beneath some critical temperature."

On the one hand, it's a literally true statement. On the other hand, it's worse than worthless, because it's an attempt to derail from figuring out underlying causes, which is what provides actionable information for further research and improving human wellbeing.

"People overeating" needs, itself, to be explained. Why are some populations so much more susceptible than others? Why is it exploding now, and not last century? If you want to answer those questions, you're forced to reckon with all of the other explanations.

Except it doesn't sound like that, it sounds a study to better understand why people are overeating so much, and maybe find some new ways to address the problem other than sticking our fingers in our ears and shouting "STOP EATING SO MUCH!" Everyone knows overeating is the problem, and that if overweight people simply ate less calories than they expended, they wouldn't be overweight. Amazingly, this knowledge has not solved the obesity epidemic, nor does it typically help individuals struggling with obesity.