We've long known that inflammation is a huge part of every degenerative disease from Alzheimer's to heart disease, and it's a big part of obesity as well. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of California-San Diego found that overeating can induce inflammatory responses that underlie Type ll Diabetes and obesity. So what's the big news? We've known since forever that eating too much makes you fat.

The news is that it's not just that excess calories go right to your butt and thighs. That would be bad enough. But those excess calories actually upset and inflame metabolic processes that can lead to disease.

There's a Confucian-inspired adage used by the long-lived healthy people in Okinawa: Hara hachi bu. It means: Eat till you're 80 percent full. In other words, push away from the table before you're stuffed. You won't get fat, you might just live longer and you'll probably protect yourself from some really nasty metabolic consequences.