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The article seems to suggest that low obesity rates are the result of a particular style in Food, compared with western foods. This is obviously not true. Mass

The article seems to suggest that low obesity rates are the result of a particular style in Food, compared with western foods. This is obviously not true. Mass obesity was something also not known in western countries before the 50s, so western food before that behaved similarly. If you are looking for the cause of mass obesity it can only be in the divergence that happened in the mean time.

kurnik 2y ago
I wouldn’t say so. Article shows that the biggest factor are your eating habits. In case of Japan they are engrained in school, with methods formalized by law.
- constantcrying 2y ago
  How have the eating habits in the West change over the last 70 years?
  - goosedragons 2y ago
    More and more ultraprocessed foods. We never had such ready access to food filled with sugar/fat/salt and engineered to taste maximally good. Stuff like soda, potato chips and chocolate bars are barely 150 years old. Frozen foods are basically 70 years old.
    - constantcrying 2y ago
      How does this not apply to Japan as well? Surely soda and candy exists in Japan, they are even internationally known for having a diverse candy industry. And the USA is eating less and less sugar since around 30 years.
      - 1ark 2y ago
        Candy bags in Japan are small, 50g. Drink vending machines contain 50% green tea of different varieties. Domestically sweets are big, usually with sweet bean paste and so on.
guiambros 2y ago
> The article seems to suggest that low obesity rates are the result of a particular style in Food, compared with western foods. I think you're missing the point of the article. It's not claiming that the mere existance of unhealthy food is what's causing obesity; it's the societal norms and behaviors developed around food (and exercise). Of course ultra-processed food also exists in Japan. Same for sugary drinks, sugars and sweets. But it's undeniable that there's a culture of acceptance of junk food in the US, and a confusion that some of it "must be good for you" -- e.g., fruit juices, cereals. There's so many historical differences between Japanese and American societies that could be part of the cause -- many of them listed in this thread. To give you one example: breakfast in the US is typically full of carbs, sugars and fructose: cereals, fruit juices, bread, honey, maple syrup. There's a common belief that they're healthy, and you need that "energy punch early in the day to keep you going". That couldn't be further from the truth. All this carb and sugar-heavy meal does to your body is to give your metabolism a glucose spike, followed by a rush of insulin, and eventually a crash [1]. This roller coaster leaves you hungry and craving soon after. Rinse and repeat for 30 years (together with other bad habits), and you're one stop closer to obesity and diabetes. The American culture of "snacks" is another example: we're inundated with granola bars, dried fruit, veggie chips -- all "organic", "natural", "full of vitamin". Portion size is another one; go compare to portion sizes in the US vs. Japan. Or the common habit of eating fast and until full, while in Japan is 'eat slow, until 80%'. The list goes on. Now, you need a social scientist to understand WHY it happened this way over the past 70 years. It may have been the food scarcity during WWII, or how baby boomers grew up, the rapid industrialization of American society, or a myriad of other confounding factors. Whatever the case, it's clear that this is wrecking the metabolism of millions of Americans, and it'll get worse before it gets better. ps: I'm using Americans instead of Western society, because 1) that's the reality I'm familiar with, and 2) I think this is more prominent in the US than in the Western societies at large. Source: born and raised abroad, but living in the US for the past 20 years, with a Japanese-descent spouse. This gave me some perspective on how different cultures develop a relationship with food. [1] Glucose Revolution, https://www.amazon.com/Glucose-Revolution-Life-Changing-Power-Balancing/dp/1982179414 https://www.amazon.com/Glucose-Revolution-Life-Changing-Powe...

kurnik 2y ago

I wouldn’t say so. Article shows that the biggest factor are your eating habits. In case of Japan they are engrained in school, with methods formalized by law.

constantcrying 2y ago
How have the eating habits in the West change over the last 70 years?
- goosedragons 2y ago
  More and more ultraprocessed foods. We never had such ready access to food filled with sugar/fat/salt and engineered to taste maximally good. Stuff like soda, potato chips and chocolate bars are barely 150 years old. Frozen foods are basically 70 years old.
  - constantcrying 2y ago
    How does this not apply to Japan as well? Surely soda and candy exists in Japan, they are even internationally known for having a diverse candy industry. And the USA is eating less and less sugar since around 30 years.
    - 1ark 2y ago
      Candy bags in Japan are small, 50g. Drink vending machines contain 50% green tea of different varieties. Domestically sweets are big, usually with sweet bean paste and so on.

guiambros 2y ago

> The article seems to suggest that low obesity rates are the result of a particular style in Food, compared with western foods. I think you're missing the point of the article. It's not claiming that the mere existance of unhealthy food is what's causing obesity; it's the societal norms and behaviors developed around food (and exercise). Of course ultra-processed food also exists in Japan. Same for sugary drinks, sugars and sweets. But it's undeniable that there's a culture of acceptance of junk food in the US, and a confusion that some of it "must be good for you" -- e.g., fruit juices, cereals. There's so many historical differences between Japanese and American societies that could be part of the cause -- many of them listed in this thread. To give you one example: breakfast in the US is typically full of carbs, sugars and fructose: cereals, fruit juices, bread, honey, maple syrup. There's a common belief that they're healthy, and you need that "energy punch early in the day to keep you going". That couldn't be further from the truth. All this carb and sugar-heavy meal does to your body is to give your metabolism a glucose spike, followed by a rush of insulin, and eventually a crash [1]. This roller coaster leaves you hungry and craving soon after. Rinse and repeat for 30 years (together with other bad habits), and you're one stop closer to obesity and diabetes. The American culture of "snacks" is another example: we're inundated with granola bars, dried fruit, veggie chips -- all "organic", "natural", "full of vitamin". Portion size is another one; go compare to portion sizes in the US vs. Japan. Or the common habit of eating fast and until full, while in Japan is 'eat slow, until 80%'. The list goes on. Now, you need a social scientist to understand WHY it happened this way over the past 70 years. It may have been the food scarcity during WWII, or how baby boomers grew up, the rapid industrialization of American society, or a myriad of other confounding factors. Whatever the case, it's clear that this is wrecking the metabolism of millions of Americans, and it'll get worse before it gets better. ps: I'm using Americans instead of Western society, because 1) that's the reality I'm familiar with, and 2) I think this is more prominent in the US than in the Western societies at large. Source: born and raised abroad, but living in the US for the past 20 years, with a Japanese-descent spouse. This gave me some perspective on how different cultures develop a relationship with food. [1] Glucose Revolution, https://www.amazon.com/Glucose-Revolution-Life-Changing-Power-Balancing/dp/1982179414 https://www.amazon.com/Glucose-Revolution-Life-Changing-Powe...