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The articles guesses as to contributing factors: > People are exposed to more chemicals that might be weight-gain inducing. Pesticides, flame retardants, and t

The articles guesses as to contributing factors: > People are exposed to more chemicals that might be weight-gain inducing. Pesticides, flame retardants, and the substances in food packaging might all be altering our hormonal processes and tweaking the way our bodies put on and maintain weight. > The use of prescription drugs has risen dramatically since the 1970s and ’80s. Prozac, the first blockbuster SSRI, came out in 1988. Antidepressants are now one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S., and many of them have been linked to weight gain. > Study authors think that the microbiomes of Americans might have somehow changed between the 1980s and now.

pulvinar 4y ago
And these guesses are way off the mark. I think it was mostly that everyone smoked, which this article doesn't even mention-- very strange. I was actually heavier in the 80s, but then I never smoked. And more chemicals today?? When I was a kid in the 60s we had lead on every surface, heavy smoke indoors and out, pesticides everywhere, plenty of plastic packaging, and all sorts of poisonous things around us that have since been banned. Judged by today's standards we should have all been dead.
- serf 4y ago
  >And more chemicals today?? When I was a kid in the 60s we had lead on every surface, heavy smoke indoors and out, pesticides everywhere, plenty of plastic packaging, and all sorts of poisonous things around us that have since been banned. Judged by today's standards we should have all been dead. there are certainly more chemicals today than then. Why? Largely to get around regulations that were put in place to curb the dangerous ones while maintaining a similar manufacturing method for any given product. This is a good thing, i'm not proposing it isn't; but there are definitely more chemicals now. The problem now is that due to the explosion in variety it'll presumably take longer to judge the risks and evaluate each one.

pulvinar 4y ago

And these guesses are way off the mark. I think it was mostly that everyone smoked, which this article doesn't even mention-- very strange. I was actually heavier in the 80s, but then I never smoked. And more chemicals today?? When I was a kid in the 60s we had lead on every surface, heavy smoke indoors and out, pesticides everywhere, plenty of plastic packaging, and all sorts of poisonous things around us that have since been banned. Judged by today's standards we should have all been dead.

serf 4y ago
>And more chemicals today?? When I was a kid in the 60s we had lead on every surface, heavy smoke indoors and out, pesticides everywhere, plenty of plastic packaging, and all sorts of poisonous things around us that have since been banned. Judged by today's standards we should have all been dead. there are certainly more chemicals today than then. Why? Largely to get around regulations that were put in place to curb the dangerous ones while maintaining a similar manufacturing method for any given product. This is a good thing, i'm not proposing it isn't; but there are definitely more chemicals now. The problem now is that due to the explosion in variety it'll presumably take longer to judge the risks and evaluate each one.