lack of real progress in obesity research

A researcher in obesity, well-known in the "paleo blogosphere," is celebrating because his hypothesis has become very popular among his peers.  It's a sad day for progress.  In fact, i see him as another Ancel Keyes -- so determined to prove himself right and "important" and listened-to, he's doing his fellow humans a grave disservice.

It's not news that researchers can have problems doing relevant work, because those who are willing to finance their experiments and trials don't have altruistic goals.  Most "angels" represent the pharmaceutical industry, or food processors, or other self-promoting interests, and what THEY want the researcher to find is a short-cut to the consumer's wallet (or cost-savings for themselves).

Add to this, the pressure from the peer-review system, luxuriating in its insulated, womb-like atmosphere of group-think and professional jealousy -- if the in-crowd doesn't accept you, you'll NEVER make your mark.  New, simple, vibrant ideas, it's said, don't stand a chance because it would make the old guard look bad.  Pity.  That means, we ALL lose, as a society, while the world gets fatter and sicker, and thinks that any day now, there'll be a pill that fixes everything.

So while this blogger-researcher crows, and revels in the accolades of the like-minded, he is completely letting down those for whom he theoretically chose this field of endeavor.  For the ALREADY METABOLICALLY-DAMAGED, his "finding" that a high-unrefined-carb diet does not automatically induce obesity is IRRELEVANT.  We KNOW how to make mammals fat, that's HISTORY.  Research is about the FUTURE -- how to fix the millions of overweight, diabetic, diseased people who have already sustained the damage inherent in the perverted diet of the modern world.

For this, he and his mentors and his sycophants are doing NOTHING.  Zilch, nada, niente, bupkis.  His work is WORTHLESS, meaningless to the people he entered this field to help.  I hope he's very proud.