If it bleeds, it leads: the pathos derby.

In a major recent review of the causes of death in the U.S., researchers found, unsurprisingly, that smoking remains the leading cause of mortality. The researchers also concluded, notably, that poor diet and physical inactivity may soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of death. The reaction to this news was swift, broad, curious, and instructive. Researchers ultimately state that their findings argue persuasively that the need to establish a more preventive orientation in the U.S. health care and public health systems has become more urgent. Not smoking prevention or obesity prevention, but simply an overall more preventive orientation.