37 ms·

I read an interesting study on this. It showed that obesity rates were lower in places like Colorado, and theorized that the reason was that they were at the he

I read an interesting study on this. It showed that obesity rates were lower in places like Colorado, and theorized that the reason was that they were at the headwaters of their water source, so there was less opportunity for contaminants to enter their water.

francisofascii 4y ago
That is interesting, but probably the reason is the highly active/outdoor culture of Colorado leads to lower obesity rates and people who are less obese move to Colorado.
- JPKab 4y ago
  Nope. It's altitude. I live in Colorado. The science on this altitude effect has been pretty thoroughly conducted, with potential correlating factors accounted for in multivariate regression models. Denver and its suburbs are FILLED with people who are as unhealthy and inactive as the rest of the country. Even in these places, in the poorest neighborhoods, they are less obese. I have an identical twin brother who lives in Portland, and since I've moved here I've stayed about 10-15 lbs lighter than him. It's a single, anecdotal data point, and completely unscientific, but he swears he eats healthier than me lol.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago
  In the article series I think parent is referencing[0] they talk about Colorado along with a bunch of other things people come up with based on "common sense". Notably higher altitude alone seems highly correlated with lower obesity and diabetes rates regardless of physical activity. Again, this points to environmental factors. [0] https://slimemoldtimemold.com/2021/07/07/a-chemical-hunger-part-i-mysteries/ https://slimemoldtimemold.com/2021/07/07/a-chemical-hunger-p...
deleted 4y ago
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JPKab 4y ago
I live in Colorado, and I think it's just less oxygen and its effects on metabolism. It's definitely not a topic that's examined enough.
- selimthegrim 4y ago
  What are us poor sickle cell heterozygotes to do?

francisofascii 4y ago

That is interesting, but probably the reason is the highly active/outdoor culture of Colorado leads to lower obesity rates and people who are less obese move to Colorado.

JPKab 4y ago
Nope. It's altitude. I live in Colorado. The science on this altitude effect has been pretty thoroughly conducted, with potential correlating factors accounted for in multivariate regression models. Denver and its suburbs are FILLED with people who are as unhealthy and inactive as the rest of the country. Even in these places, in the poorest neighborhoods, they are less obese. I have an identical twin brother who lives in Portland, and since I've moved here I've stayed about 10-15 lbs lighter than him. It's a single, anecdotal data point, and completely unscientific, but he swears he eats healthier than me lol.
AnIdiotOnTheNet 4y ago
In the article series I think parent is referencing[0] they talk about Colorado along with a bunch of other things people come up with based on "common sense". Notably higher altitude alone seems highly correlated with lower obesity and diabetes rates regardless of physical activity. Again, this points to environmental factors. [0] https://slimemoldtimemold.com/2021/07/07/a-chemical-hunger-part-i-mysteries/ https://slimemoldtimemold.com/2021/07/07/a-chemical-hunger-p...

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

JPKab 4y ago

I live in Colorado, and I think it's just less oxygen and its effects on metabolism. It's definitely not a topic that's examined enough.

selimthegrim 4y ago
What are us poor sickle cell heterozygotes to do?