After I read the press release and Mr. Oranski's Blog entry, I was left with the impression that Mr. Oranski is trying to stir some controversy in a strange fashion.

Do we need the selected quote? If you take it out of context, it seems that Dr. Penev was stating the obvious. On the other hand, with limited number of subjects in a relatively short study, it seems important to stress that the participants responded in the expected manner, before introducing the variable of interest - sleep deprivation. If you take this angle and use the whole statement, the answer is resounding "yes". In summary, the study confirms that the regulation of body mass is erratic under the specified conditions, and adds that the error is exacerbated by sleep deprivation.
Is Oranski's comment appropriate? Hardly.