[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by escapee

I think it's a little misleading to say that "excessive fat" contributes to cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Yes I thought so too. I did some research where this misconception comes from. This is an article by John Berardi, Ph.d on the topic:

So after finding out that the plaques building up in our arteries
(arteriosclerotic plaques) were made up of fats and then discovering that
certain countries with diets high in animal fat also had a higher incidence of
heart disease, 20 subsequent years of scientific investigation were spent
attempting to prove that dietary fat (specifically saturated fat and
cholesterol) was leading the heart disease brigade.

Interestingly, this science never quite produced any convincing data
demonstrating a direct link between dietary fat and heart disease. Ironically
though, in the land of "innocent until proven guilty," dietary fat was convicted
guilty of mucking up our arteries without any proof. And not only was fat
convicted of damaging our blood vessels and our hearts, it also became
associated with stroke, obesity, and a host of other maladies that many
currently associate with eating "greasy food".

John Berardi - The F-Word - All You Ever Wanted To Know About Dietary Fats