[stephenhess]

With you until that last part.. older populations that go through diabetes prevention / weight loss programs actually do better than younger folks. Also, "if they actually care enough to do so" is a tricky statement. Many folks that are overweight have tried losing weight numerous times only to gain it back and have leaned on confusing (and often incorrect) advice about diet, exercise and its relationship to weight loss (e.g. the food pyramid). They go through waves of motivation like anyone else. There's a good opportunity for the healthcare industry to engage with people at that level, in the way mental health professionals support people battling anxiety and depression. Would love to see more research targeted at that motivation point because I agree with you that the physiological mechanisms are pretty well understood at this point (at least in comparison).