The empire strikes back II

Weighing a little too much may not kill you, but there is nothing healthy about it, the head of the nation's health agency said yesterday, distancing herself from a controversial report suggesting that being overweight is not so bad.

At a news conference, CDC Director Julie L. Gerberding acknowledged potential flaws in the study and pledged to get scientists and the public back on track.

This issue will sort itself out over time with more studies. I'd just point out that Julie Gerberding is head of the CDC, but is not involved in the research or a particular expert in this area. Her hedging in no way means the actual authors of the study are reconsidering their conclusions. Second, so far most of the vocal critics of the study have their own reason to oppose their findings, mostly because they have done studies that came to different conlcusions.