Fatness is contagious???

I was watching ABC 7 News Chicago here tonight and saw this story...

There may be some truth to it, but at what point will we begin to blame ourselves for our messes rather than blaming someone else. I can almost hear my mother's voice... "If all your friends jumped off the bridge..."

Here is a clip of THIS story...

"If your friends and family get fat, chances are you will too, researchers report in a startling new study that suggests obesity is "socially contagious" and can spread easily from person to person. The large, federally funded study found that to be true even if your loved ones lived far away. Social ties seemed to play a surprisingly strong role, even more than genes are known to do."

I don't think fatness or obesity is contagious... I think some folks are just looking for another excuse for their actions...

Jim