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I was a fat kid and I'm hit by the same regret every now and then (mice studies or not) when I compare myself with early-thin people. Two ideas cheer me up: -O

I was a fat kid and I'm hit by the same regret every now and then (mice studies or not) when I compare myself with early-thin people. Two ideas cheer me up: -Our starting point does not determine where we end up. An early lead is a big advantage but plenty of people have overcome the hand they were dealt through work and forming good habits. Being in the top quintile (at lots of things, fitness included) is not that hard once you get in the groove. -We probably traded that early edge in fitness for some other capacity that we see ourselves as more "naturally" gifted in. Maybe you're better at abstract reasoning? Computers in general? So yeah, that negative might be balanced by a quality you developed in your early years by playing all the warcraft. Looking back I can see lots of good things in my life came from hours and hours of online gaming and forums - being fluent in English is probably one the largest (and easiest to acquire) edges I have over most Europeans and it came from umpteen late night CS sessions with Americans.

da_big_ghey 6y ago
> Your starting point does not determine where you end up. First sentence of the article: "Eating too much fat and sugar as a child can alter your microbiome for life, even if you later learn to eat healthier, a new study in mice suggests." So yes, eating bad as a kid means that you'll always be worse off and never get to where others are.
- zemvpferreira 6y ago
  I have seen plenty of obese childhood friends transform themselves into thin people through discipline and hard work. Is it harder for them to keep the weight off than for other friends who have had six-packs since 10? You bet. Are they doing it anyway? You bet. Am I one of them? Not at all :)
  - mlinhares 6y ago
    Most of research shows that doing that is hard and very few people are able to keep it up so yeah, congrats for those able to do it, but it would be better not to place such burdens on people from the get go if possible. You have to pay for this cost forever. I've been going through it for 10 years now and I'd rather just not have to care about this or invest on it as much :)
    - zemvpferreira 6y ago
      No doubt! I wish I hadn't grown up obese, it was probably the most damaging thing to ever happen to me psychologically. It's not fun being the fattest kid in school. But there's only so much your parents can get right - I was loved, well-cared for, never abused or molested. I'll never know what sort of burden someone who grows up in extreme poverty or around violence carries. Could my parents have fed me a few cheeseburgers less? Absolutely. But it's a very small tarnish all things considered.
- codingdave 6y ago
  The end of that sentence says, "a new study in mice suggests." It later suggested that the effect may last up to 6 years post-puberty, which is a more than a few decades shy of claiming that it remains true for all humans for their entire life. And even later, it said that exercise may compensate for it by building up other similar bacteria.

da_big_ghey 6y ago

> Your starting point does not determine where you end up. First sentence of the article: "Eating too much fat and sugar as a child can alter your microbiome for life, even if you later learn to eat healthier, a new study in mice suggests." So yes, eating bad as a kid means that you'll always be worse off and never get to where others are.

zemvpferreira 6y ago
I have seen plenty of obese childhood friends transform themselves into thin people through discipline and hard work. Is it harder for them to keep the weight off than for other friends who have had six-packs since 10? You bet. Are they doing it anyway? You bet. Am I one of them? Not at all :)
- mlinhares 6y ago
  Most of research shows that doing that is hard and very few people are able to keep it up so yeah, congrats for those able to do it, but it would be better not to place such burdens on people from the get go if possible. You have to pay for this cost forever. I've been going through it for 10 years now and I'd rather just not have to care about this or invest on it as much :)
  - zemvpferreira 6y ago
    No doubt! I wish I hadn't grown up obese, it was probably the most damaging thing to ever happen to me psychologically. It's not fun being the fattest kid in school. But there's only so much your parents can get right - I was loved, well-cared for, never abused or molested. I'll never know what sort of burden someone who grows up in extreme poverty or around violence carries. Could my parents have fed me a few cheeseburgers less? Absolutely. But it's a very small tarnish all things considered.
codingdave 6y ago
The end of that sentence says, "a new study in mice suggests." It later suggested that the effect may last up to 6 years post-puberty, which is a more than a few decades shy of claiming that it remains true for all humans for their entire life. And even later, it said that exercise may compensate for it by building up other similar bacteria.