My own belief is that diet is even more important than exercise. So many diseases that are epidemic in our country — including many of the ones you cited — can be reversed with a healthy diet. The problem is that there are a lot of vested interests regarding food (read “Food Politics” by Marion Nestle for more on that). There is just no money in encouraging people to eat more fruits and vegetables…and a lot of money in encouraging them to do otherwise. Even if a President were to prioritize diet, I don’t think he/she could get very far at the current time.

I am not sure what to make of the article you cited. I think of bone density as a surrogate measure; would a 2% decrease in intertrochanteric bone density, in the setting of an 11% weight loss, really lead to increased hip fractures? Or is it statistically significant but not clinically significant? I guess that would have to be another (more expensive) study.

In any case, I think your answer was a good one, and I hope the next President was listening.