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Heh. To me, it indicates that success is a function of something other than self-control and determination (ie largely luck, circumstance and nepotism).

I think his point is that it also may indicate that it's not (simply) a function of wealth, as the article suggests.

Yup, eating to much and doing to little.

Nope.

There are many other reasons. The most obvious one is self-medicating, either stress or some undiagnosed condition. People are good at unconsciously developing coping mechanisms.

Some people have medical issues causing obesity, sure, but we’re the same species we were 50 years ago. Any physiological cause of obesity in people today was also present then, presumably at the same rates. But they didn’t have an obesity epidemic.

Whatever thing (or set of things) is driving the change in obesity rates, it is not a biological force that is outside of out control.

That may be a good enough explanation for why one individual is fat. It doesn't explain why whole societies are becoming heavier. Something must have changed other than our species as a whole just becoming lazier for no particular reason.