4 ms·

Alzheimers and stroke are the ailments that you might hope to be curable soon if that were the case.

eropple 9y ago
The study to which you refer described a minor observational link, did not differentiate by ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic status, did not indicate what artificial sweeteners were under consideration, and--being sloppy but presumably at least baseline-honest researchers--made no indication that they believed there to be causation between diet soda drinking and these conditions.
- guelo 9y ago
  Innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt works great for the justice system, not so much for your one shot at life.
  - eropple 9y ago
    Gonna put down that cell phone with its brain-altering radio waves? While you're at it, going to move out to Green Bank so you don't get Wi-Fi'd? Lots of people believe lots of things that have no material backing. This one is no different from any other. You like your cell phone. I like my Diet Pepsi. The overwhelming odds--both being evidence-of-absence situations because that bad study, of course, is not the only study that applies to artificial sweeteners--are that neither the radio in your cell phone or the sucralose in my Diet Pepsi are going to have much of an impact on either of us.
- taurath 9y ago
  It seems to me that with the lack of resources, and inability to separate out cause and effect of many foods that effect our biology, the rational reaction is to adopt a sort of cargo cult mentality. If we really have no idea whether sucralose is good or bad for us over a long period (or which conditions it even could be good or bad for us), if you want to maximize your healthy outcomes you just avoid it. Its pretty incredible to me just how little we really know about optimizing diets except in extreme situations.
Apocryphon 9y ago
I sure am glad that updates on Alzheimer's and dementia research are regularly posted on HN! Sure gives an impression of progress.

The study to which you refer described a minor observational link, did not differentiate by ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic status, did not indicate what artificial sweeteners were under consideration, and--being sloppy but presumably at least baseline-honest researchers--made no indication that they believed there to be causation between diet soda drinking and these conditions.

guelo 9y ago
Innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt works great for the justice system, not so much for your one shot at life.
- eropple 9y ago
  Gonna put down that cell phone with its brain-altering radio waves? While you're at it, going to move out to Green Bank so you don't get Wi-Fi'd? Lots of people believe lots of things that have no material backing. This one is no different from any other. You like your cell phone. I like my Diet Pepsi. The overwhelming odds--both being evidence-of-absence situations because that bad study, of course, is not the only study that applies to artificial sweeteners--are that neither the radio in your cell phone or the sucralose in my Diet Pepsi are going to have much of an impact on either of us.
taurath 9y ago
It seems to me that with the lack of resources, and inability to separate out cause and effect of many foods that effect our biology, the rational reaction is to adopt a sort of cargo cult mentality. If we really have no idea whether sucralose is good or bad for us over a long period (or which conditions it even could be good or bad for us), if you want to maximize your healthy outcomes you just avoid it. Its pretty incredible to me just how little we really know about optimizing diets except in extreme situations.

Apocryphon 9y ago

I sure am glad that updates on Alzheimer's and dementia research are regularly posted on HN! Sure gives an impression of progress.