How every major media outlet is mis-handling the 'Stress-Obesity' story; The danger of waiting for the "Patented" magic pill

Stress + “comfort” foods = excess weight gain

Virtually every major news organization is reporting on a press release issued by Georgetown University Medical Center ("Scientists discover key to manipulating fat"). In our opinion, all of them are botching the story.

A sampling of headlines:

Shots may help you lose that pot belly (Reuters)
Stress can be fattening, study finds (Los Angeles Times)
Way to Shrink, Grow Fat Is Found (Washington Post)
Drug could move bum fat to breasts (Melbourne Herald Sun)
Scientists discover how stress leads to obesity (Daily Mail)

The news contained in the Georgetown press release (self-described by the researchers as a "stunning research advance") is that they have succeeded in using simple, non-toxic chemical injections to add and remove fat in targeted areas on the bodies of laboratory animals. They also found that "stressed mice on high calorie diets gained twice as much fat as unstressed mice on the same diet. The novel and unexpected finding was that when stressed and non-stressed animals ate the same high calorie foods, the stressed animals utilized and stored fat differently."

This can be summarized as eating junk food is bad, eating junk food when stressed is worse.

Professor Zofia Zukowska of Georgetown University was quoted in the release saying:

“There are millions of people around the world who have lived with high levels of stress for so long their bodies think it’s ‘normal’. If these people also eat a high fat and high sugar diet, which is what many do as a way to reduce their stress, they will become obese.”

“Until now, the pharmaceutical industry has focused on appetite suppressants with only moderate success. Our hope is that in the near future pharmaceutical companies, using the results of our research, will develop antagonists against the Y2 receptor that will bring about a reduction in fat cells.”

The most stunning part of the release is the ignorant manner in which it perpetuates the obesity epidemic. The Georgetown professors and every single media outlet reporting on the findings appear to believe that obesity (and presumably stress) is solely a pharmaceutical problem requiring a pharmaceutical solution. Not a single major outlet covering the issue suggested that instead of waiting years for the potential development/approval of a drug that people work on reducing stress in their lives as well as the consumption of junk food in dealing with such stresses.

None of the media outlets mentioned exercise, meditation, yoga, proper diet, counseling, stress coping skills, walks, etc. Worse, should a pharmaceutical product be developed it would reduce one of the big motivators people have for adopting a more healthy lifestyle. The proposed drug would reduce fat cells but that is only one aspect of maintaining a lifestyle that includes exercise and a proper diet. It's not all about weight and calories.

The underlying message from the researchers basically is saying:

"...it's not your fault or responsibility you are obese and more importantly it is not in your power to do anything about it. Don't worry though, we'll develop a pill for you so that you can maintaining fueling your stressful life with junk food."

Some people smoke cigarettes to deal with stress and we tell them they should stop smoking. Isn't eating junk food the same thing? Evidently not in the eyes of the Georgetown researchers and the media outlets covering them.

A cynic might attribute this to the report that the researchers have applied for a patent for a drug based on this work and have already begun negotiating with drug companies to license the technology.

The absolute worst possible outcome of their publicity push is that people will believe the futility of given maintaining proper body weight given the stresses of modern life and will wait for big pharm to develop a pill that will allow them to look the way they want while maintaining an exceptionally unhealthy lifestyle.