Some fat lies

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The Centers for Disease Control announced in June plans to dispatch "disease detectives" in states to adopt for obesity some methods used to investigate disease outbreaks.

In April, CDC disease detectives descended on West Virginia, examining businesses' plans to promote exercise and dropping in on randomly selected supermarkets and restaurants to see if they offered fruits, vegetables and skim milk.

Ironically, the announcement came on the heels of new findings the CDC recklessly overestimated mortality rates associated with overweight and obesity. Earlier estimates claimed obesity kills 400,000 Americans yearly, but a recent Journal of the American Medical Association study concluded the obesity-related mortality is closer to 25,000 -- one-fifteenth the original estimate.

But despite mounting scientific evidence against obesity's "epidemic" proportions, the CDC refused to admit its mistakes and instead declared a redoubling of its efforts to fight fat. What's worse, the CDC plans to redirect some of its resources away from a legitimate public health purpose -- fighting infectious disease -- in order to do so.

The shift away from traditional public health efforts toward lifestyle-induced "epidemics" is startlingly evident when looking at questions from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), an annual survey the CDC and states use to track weight and height in adults.

In the name of "public health," the BRFSS pumps its participants for information on binge drinking habits, tobacco use, firearms possession and reactions to race.

And thanks to the CDC's massive anti-obesity hysteria, nanny-state politicians around the country have introduced hundreds of big-government proposals to fight the Battle of the Bulge.

Seventeen states have imposed "fat taxes" on soft drinks, candy, and snack foods that generate more than $1 billion annually. Many more have attempted to restrict junk food advertising during children's television programs and require that broadcasters provide equal time for messages promoting healthful eating and physical activity.

Earlier this month, Texas Agricultural Commissioner and self-proclaimed "Food Czarina" Susan Combs assessed more than $8,000 in fines to 12 public schools that violated her nutrition rules. One middle school was fined $371 because its "Fritos, Funyons, and SunChips were too big." Another elementary school was reprimanded because a "parent gave his child's friend a Dairy Queen soda."

Yes, there may be certain health threats caused by eating too many chips or not exercising. But only personal responsibility for health care decisions -- not taxpayer-funded, government-imposed behavior modification -- will provide incentives for individuals to make healthy choices.

That's because 3 in 4 health-care dollars are paid by someone other than the person who incurs the bill, meaning irresponsible people can impose their health decisions on the rest of us and send costs skyrocketing. To fix these perverse incentives, individuals should self-fund a significant portion of their own health-care dollars through market-based plans such as health savings accounts.

Only market forces will encourage health consumers to lower their own costs and, most importantly, reward them for healthy living. Here's hoping the CDC will stop politicizing public health and allow Americans to take personal responsibility for their health decisions.

Christie Raniszewski Herrera is director of the Health and Human Services Task Force at the American Legislative Exchange Council.