I’m develo0ping a fear that I might receive an e-mail like this:

Dan,
I’ve really appreciated our friendship and it makes me sad to have to send this note. But the recent reports on the contagious nature of obesity have me doing some serious thinking about my friendships with overweight people. I’m not saying you are obese, but I’ve noticed you have gained weight. I’m not willing to take risks with my health. I can’t afford to subject myself to the 57 percent increase in the chance of becoming obese by having friends who become obese. Dan, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but if you continue to gain weight I think you will need to limit your friendships to fat people rather than putting people like me at risk.
[signed] Your former friend who doesn’t want to shorten his life due to obesity.