The numbers could be even worse as statisticians said they chose a more conservative approach to estimating diet and lifestyle-related deaths, saying the factors might actually cause 500, 000 deaths annually, as much as cancer.

FORBES: Smart Money Still In Fat

Because of the challenges in the analysis, we approach the task of estimating the impact of the Recovery Act from a number of different directions, and supplement our estimates with those of numerous outside analysts.

WHITEHOUSE: Recovery Act Fourth Quarterly Report - Executive Summary