> What we do know is that being fit and exercising with some semblance of healthy eating helps people live a lot longer.

No, abstaining from things like alcohol and smoking mostly does that.

Exercise and healthy eating markedly improves quality of life at old age, but it doesn’t extend it by huge amounts.

See people don't want to even believe healthy eating and exercise long life expectancy!

For what it's worth obesity accounts for about 5-10 year shortening. Not dissimilar to smoking.

Obesity is something else than median ( = control group) living.

Sport is good for you. Extreme sports markedly cuts short average life expectancy and late quality of life. With your logic, that makes sports bad.

Edit: actually, I guess it depends on where you live. In America, obesity probably is the median..

I'm not trying to invent some new science here. Just what I've read in journals.[0]

There is this weird defense of obesity and being sedentary in western culture it's just inexplicable.

Interestingly we've just had the first case of manslaughter by obesity trial going on in the UK [1]. The mum has admitted manslaughter the dad is going to trial. Over death of their 16yo girl.

[0] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41366-018-0210-2

[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-64045049.amp

Also comparing exercise to extreme sports is a bit absurd.

That was the entire point..

You’re either misreading or strawmanning. I’m not defending obesity. I’m saying a person living a what one would consider ‘neutral’ lifestyle will not live massive amounts shorter than someone living very healthy. They’ll just have a much lower quality of life the last 15-20 years.