Kaplods, you are a wise woman!
As far as research goes, and what is bad or good, my husband and I would confound researchers.
He is 6' tall and at 52 at his highest weight ever of a whole 165 pounds. Given, he has always had a manual labor job, but he can eat/drink around 3000 calories a day, of crappy food and hooch, and not gain an ounce. In his mind, gravy is a food group. His health numbers are all good, blood sugar, good, cholesterol good, liver enzymes good! Smokes like a freight train. He has been having bouts of atrial fibrilation, that he had surgery for on Wednesday. Has nothing to do with diet. He's had darn near every test known to medicine since March, with no ill affects, other than the a-fib. Drives me nuts.
On the other hand, I can not eat anything with any sugar at all early in the morning or I get hypoglycemic, shaky, nauseous, fainty. I have to watch my diet or my cholesterol gets high. My blood pressure is ok. I do best on a lean high protein, lots of fresh veggies and fruit regimin, and must leave processed food alone. Carb wise, I'm fine with whole grain breads, and one serving of potato every other day or so, as long as it's baked, and not fried or covered in cheese sauce or the like.
Another odd thing, I have 2 sisters, chocolate gives me a stomach ache, makes one sis head off to poo, the other one, no worries at all.
The powers that be in the research industry can research all they want, but we have to figure out what works for us, and go with that balance.