4 ms·

Cheap sugar in every processed "food" product you buy at the supermarket, especially in the US.

amanaplanacanal 4y ago
That’s one theory yes. But there are others involving plasticizers or other environmental contaminants. It could also be some sort of slow virus.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- john567 4y ago
  No. It is absolutely not a virus... Most of what you can buy in a grocerie store is bad for you. It has been optimized for profit, i.e. consumption. Then you can of course pile on all kinds of contributing factors but this isn't necessary to understand why people are fat. I don't blame fat people for being fat but it's not a mystery why they're fat. And it's not easy for them to change everything about their lifestyle to get fit but that's what they need to do.
francisofascii 4y ago
That's is part of it, but not the single answer. Since cheap sugar has been around for a century at least. Epigenetics, lack of exercise, cultural changes, car dependence, also factor in.
- john567 4y ago
  Everything went pretty much sideways around 1960s right about the time the processed food industry came to be. Hmm...
  - quantified 4y ago
    More to it than sugar. Processing subtracts as well as adds. Pthylates, endocrine disruptors, lots of good stuff in our water and food now. Gut biomes aren't the same either, thank you antibiotics. (Plus/minus on antibiotics is plus, I'll take alive and obese over painful and dead most days.)
    - john567 4y ago
      Not talking about fortification. Food processing in this context means taking food through some incredible steps in order to create a cheap, "addictive" product you can sell. This often involves adding some kind of sugar.
      - quantified 4y ago
        We agree on that. It subtracts and it adds other stuff too. Mac and cheese add pthalates in the cheese from the rubber used in the machinery. It could be as simple as the sugar, but have you controlled for any other variables as well?
grandmczeb 4y ago
If we were to decrease per capita sugar consumption by, let’s say, 15%, would you expect obesity to decrease?
- EddieDante 4y ago
  I'm not a nutritionist, but that seems reasonable to me. Even if it doesn't help, it would still fuck over the sugar industry and I'm fine with that.
  - grandmczeb 4y ago
    You’re in luck because that’s exactly what happened over the last 20 years and it’s had basically no affect on the increase in obesity[1]. I’m curious, does this information change your belief at all? [1] https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2021/11/sugar-consumption.html https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2021/11/su...

That’s one theory yes. But there are others involving plasticizers or other environmental contaminants. It could also be some sort of slow virus.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
john567 4y ago
No. It is absolutely not a virus... Most of what you can buy in a grocerie store is bad for you. It has been optimized for profit, i.e. consumption. Then you can of course pile on all kinds of contributing factors but this isn't necessary to understand why people are fat. I don't blame fat people for being fat but it's not a mystery why they're fat. And it's not easy for them to change everything about their lifestyle to get fit but that's what they need to do.

francisofascii 4y ago

That's is part of it, but not the single answer. Since cheap sugar has been around for a century at least. Epigenetics, lack of exercise, cultural changes, car dependence, also factor in.

john567 4y ago
Everything went pretty much sideways around 1960s right about the time the processed food industry came to be. Hmm...
- quantified 4y ago
  More to it than sugar. Processing subtracts as well as adds. Pthylates, endocrine disruptors, lots of good stuff in our water and food now. Gut biomes aren't the same either, thank you antibiotics. (Plus/minus on antibiotics is plus, I'll take alive and obese over painful and dead most days.)
  - john567 4y ago
    Not talking about fortification. Food processing in this context means taking food through some incredible steps in order to create a cheap, "addictive" product you can sell. This often involves adding some kind of sugar.
    - quantified 4y ago
      We agree on that. It subtracts and it adds other stuff too. Mac and cheese add pthalates in the cheese from the rubber used in the machinery. It could be as simple as the sugar, but have you controlled for any other variables as well?

grandmczeb 4y ago

If we were to decrease per capita sugar consumption by, let’s say, 15%, would you expect obesity to decrease?

EddieDante 4y ago
I'm not a nutritionist, but that seems reasonable to me. Even if it doesn't help, it would still fuck over the sugar industry and I'm fine with that.
- grandmczeb 4y ago
  You’re in luck because that’s exactly what happened over the last 20 years and it’s had basically no affect on the increase in obesity[1]. I’m curious, does this information change your belief at all? [1] https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2021/11/sugar-consumption.html https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2021/11/su...