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The title states "western-style diet", but the article is about obesity. What is the purpose of changing words around like this? Not everybody who lives in west

by Kequc 10y ago

The title states "western-style diet", but the article is about obesity. What is the purpose of changing words around like this? Not everybody who lives in western society is fat. Plenty of people living in non-western societies are fat, some more so. http://obesity.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004371 http://obesity.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=00437... It doesn't seem very descriptive of the phenomenon.

programLyrique 10y ago
And there is no unique "western-style" diet, but various "western-style" diets. Italy is a western country, for instance, as well as France and thy both have different diets, and different from the one that is depicted in the photo in the article that looks like there is a burger with French fries (which maybe could quality as an "American-style" diet -- at least seen from Europe -- but people certainly eat more various food in the US...).
- Alex3917 10y ago
  The relevant term of art is SAD -- standard American diet.
  - specialist 10y ago
    Rightly or wrongly, I equate the SAD with subsidies for Big Ag (soya, corn/HFCS, dairy, etc). Which is our de facto food, and therefore public health, policy.
ebbv 10y ago
It is about a western diet being related to obesity, see the first paragraph for example: > Researchers at Macquarie University have now shown that memory inhibition — the useful ability to ‘block out’ memories that are no longer useful, which depends on a brain area called the hippocampus — is linked to dietary excess. The amount we over eat in the US is pretty unique in the world. This research is suggesting that what we eat is creating a feedback loop; our diet inhibits our ability to block out irrelevant memories which means we can't stop thinking about eating, which means we eat more of the food which makes it harder to stop thinking about eating. Of course, if this research is true and our diet is inhibiting our ability to block out irrelevant memories that seems like it will have a lot more implications than just creating a dietary feedback loop. It could be influencing all kinds of mental disorders as well, including depression, anxiety, etc.
- daxorid 10y ago
  The amount we over eat in the US is pretty unique in the world. Not so much, anymore. Saudi Arabia and Mexico surpassed us a few years ago. Most of Polynesia and good chunks of the Middle East have been more obese than the US as long as I can remember. Even the UK is hot on our heels.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
upen 10y ago
Research was done on "Western diet — one high in fats and sugars and low in fruit, vegetable and fiber"
- colanderman 10y ago
  That describes a previous study. But indeed, the current study focused on a Western diet too: "The study […] looked at healthy young people, some of whom ate a Western-style diet."
- skylan_q 10y ago
  "high in fats" I never hear any specifics about how other cultures consume low amounts of fat. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that western diets are actually the lowest in fat.

by Kequc 10y ago

programLyrique 10y ago

And there is no unique "western-style" diet, but various "western-style" diets. Italy is a western country, for instance, as well as France and thy both have different diets, and different from the one that is depicted in the photo in the article that looks like there is a burger with French fries (which maybe could quality as an "American-style" diet -- at least seen from Europe -- but people certainly eat more various food in the US...).

Alex3917 10y ago
The relevant term of art is SAD -- standard American diet.
- specialist 10y ago
  Rightly or wrongly, I equate the SAD with subsidies for Big Ag (soya, corn/HFCS, dairy, etc). Which is our de facto food, and therefore public health, policy.

ebbv 10y ago

It is about a western diet being related to obesity, see the first paragraph for example: > Researchers at Macquarie University have now shown that memory inhibition — the useful ability to ‘block out’ memories that are no longer useful, which depends on a brain area called the hippocampus — is linked to dietary excess. The amount we over eat in the US is pretty unique in the world. This research is suggesting that what we eat is creating a feedback loop; our diet inhibits our ability to block out irrelevant memories which means we can't stop thinking about eating, which means we eat more of the food which makes it harder to stop thinking about eating. Of course, if this research is true and our diet is inhibiting our ability to block out irrelevant memories that seems like it will have a lot more implications than just creating a dietary feedback loop. It could be influencing all kinds of mental disorders as well, including depression, anxiety, etc.

daxorid 10y ago
The amount we over eat in the US is pretty unique in the world. Not so much, anymore. Saudi Arabia and Mexico surpassed us a few years ago. Most of Polynesia and good chunks of the Middle East have been more obese than the US as long as I can remember. Even the UK is hot on our heels.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

upen 10y ago

Research was done on "Western diet — one high in fats and sugars and low in fruit, vegetable and fiber"

colanderman 10y ago
That describes a previous study. But indeed, the current study focused on a Western diet too: "The study […] looked at healthy young people, some of whom ate a Western-style diet."
skylan_q 10y ago
"high in fats" I never hear any specifics about how other cultures consume low amounts of fat. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that western diets are actually the lowest in fat.