EXHIBIT 2 “Make Mine a Large” In the 2009 New York Times piece “Excess Pounds,…

EXHIBIT 2
“Make Mine a Large”
In the 2009 New York Times piece “Excess Pounds, but Not Too Many, May Lead to Longer Life,” author Roni Caryn Rabin reported:
Being overweight won’t kill you-it may even heip you live longer. That’s the latest from a study that analyzed data on 11,326 Canadian adults, ages 25 and older, who were followed over a 12 -year period. The report .. found that overall, people who were overweight but not obese – defined as a body mass index of 25 to 29.9 -were actually less likely to die than people of normal weight, defined as a B.M.1. of 18.5 to 24.9.
By contrast, people who were underweight, with a B.M.L. under 18.5 , were more likely to die than those of average weight. Their risk of dying was
higher than that of normal weight people.
Question
1        Although this article doesn’t describe an experiment, it does imply that being a little overweight may lead to a longer life. Identify at least one confounding variable that may compromise the validity of this inference. Support your case.