5 ms·

Linoleic acid (a particular polyunsaturated fat) is possibly implicated as one of the major villains in skyrocketing obesity rates; eg, correlation between obes

Linoleic acid (a particular polyunsaturated fat) is possibly implicated as one of the major villains in skyrocketing obesity rates; eg, correlation between obesity and linoleic acid content in body fat, theories about it being a trigger for an archaic hibernation metabolic shift. (Its use has risen hugely over time, along with obesity, but of course you could say the same thing about global warming and pirates.)

IshKebab 2y ago
Why do people look for unknown causes of obesity when there are so many obvious known causes? We aren't lacking an explanation!
- AmericanChopper 2y ago
  I think there are two reasons for that. The first is just many people don’t like to take accountability for themselves, so they look for other things to blame. There’s now enough obese people in the population for this delusions to get a lot of mainstream acceptance. The other is that doctors know they can’t actually get their patients to do the necessary lifestyle changes, so their interventions tend to revolve around the assumption that the patients will happily lifestyle themselves to death.
  - TulliusCicero 2y ago
    Lifestyle is definitely a problem to an extent, but people didn't just all decide to be lazy at once. The environment and culture changed.
    - AmericanChopper 2y ago
      Culture is just the sum of the things people decide to do, so I’d question whether there’s any real distinction between the things you’re saying here. People who lead obese lifestyles can simply decide to lead a more healthy lifestyle. Why many people don’t make this decision, and what caused these lifestyle choices to be so widely adopted in the first place are interesting questions. But lifestyle choices are the totality of the problem.
      - 7bit 2y ago
        > People who lead obese lifestyles can simply decide to lead a more healthy lifestyle. This is a greatly simplified POV and also incorrect. Lifestyle is influenced by a lot of things that are not merely choices. Stress, depressions, addictions (sugar is highly addictive), trauma, your social environment. Saying that someone can simply choose a healthy lifestyle is like saying someone can simply choose not to be depressed or addicted.
        AmericanChopper 2y ago
        These things can influence the choices people choose to make, but they cannot make those choices for them. You’re simple stating the shared delusion of obese people who can’t confront accountability. None of the factors you’ve mentioned require anybody to have a donut and a milkshake for breakfast every morning. They might make somebody more likely to make that terrible decision, but it’s still a decision only they are accountable for.
        7bit 2y ago
        > You’re simple stating the shared delusion of obese people who can’t confront accountability. None of the factors you’ve mentioned require anybody to have a donut and a milkshake for breakfast every morning. I'm not saying that. I'm merely saying that things aren't so easy as you make them out to be. Read my post again.
        AmericanChopper 2y ago
        Your claim is very explicitly that people are unable to make healthy lifestyle choices. This claim is complete nonsense. Posting a list of vague reasons why people may choose to make unhealthy choices doesn’t support your central claim in any way.
      - TulliusCicero 2y ago
        No, they're not. If a problem is systemic in its existence, then it has a systemic cause. Looking at it as an individual problem is fine for yourself, but if you want to fix it for a society, you have to look at the systemic cause instead.
- benoliver999 2y ago
  I am a fat guy and I can explain why I am fat - I eat too much food and don't do enough exercise. Guest what happened when I ate less food? Lost weight
  - theshrike79 2y ago
    It's not just less or more food. Calorie density matters, as does taste. Yes, one can lose weight by drinking some Soylent Green mush with the exact correct caloric count and macros for steady healthy weight loss. You know what else that person will lose? All happiness and the will to live =) Some people really are just "food is fuel" and don't care what stuff tastes like, others (like me) actually get enjoyment from eating food, different foods on every day. This is why there isn't a one size fits all solution to weight loss. Even "calories in calories out" is a bit hazy, because not every single calorie in the food is consumed with 100% efficiency - it depends on your gut bacteria, which we know way too little about.
    - Sirizarry 2y ago
      Nah dude it really is as easy as eat less = lose weight. In all cases if you reduce your food consumption you will eventually weigh less this is thermodynamics 101. Nobody has to drink Soylent green mush or even just salads. Just eat less. And maybe go for a run here and there that helps too.
      - trealira 2y ago
        I agree. Some people don't realize how many calories some of the things they regularly consume have, though, and I think that's why many have trouble losing weight, which is why it's important to track your calorie consumption when trying to lose weight.
        theshrike79 2y ago
        People have different gut/intestinal flora which affects the amount of calories digested from different foods. There are actual studies on this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10368799/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10368799/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8291023/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8291023/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7463616/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7463616/ We all know that one person who can eat literally anything and is still fit and that one person who sees an ad for ice cream and gains 5 pounds (hyperbole of course). According to these studies it's the difference in gut microbiota that's the difference here.
- rich_sasha 2y ago
  European obesity rates are also growing, but are much lower than US. Contrary to anecdotes, most people in Europe are also pretty sedentary, don't cycle to work and don't do sport (there's probably more active people in Europe than US). We probably walk a bit more but there can't be that much in it. So I'm still baffled at that difference.
  - IshKebab 2y ago
    Have you been to the US? It's mostly the food. The bread aisle in American supermarkets smells of sugar. For real. Very weird. Also... yeah we are pretty sedentary in Europe but it's another level in America. In many parts of US cities there are literally no pavements so you can't walk even if you wanted to. I can't think of anywhere in Europe like that.
  - moltar 2y ago
    What I noticed in south Europe at least is that food in small quick restaurants is cheaper and way better quality than fast food. It naturally forces people to make good choices. For example, in Portugal a McDonald’s meal is about €12. Meanwhile you can get a meal of fish or meat, mashed potatoes and some veggies plus Coke Zero in a glass bottle for €8.50. Or a plate of rice, good quality salad (not a token one) and quarter chicken plus a coffee for €7.50.
moltar 2y ago
Are you a Fire in a Bottle fan too?
- Eliezer 2y ago
  Haven't yet read through it! I probably should at some point.
  - Marthinwurer 2y ago
    I'd also recommend Experimental Fat Loss, although some of his stuff can be a bit ranty. He's got good data and experiments, though, which is why I recommend him. Notably, he cured his non-24 with his diet. https://www.exfatloss.com/p/losing-43lbs-in-144-days-on-ex150-diet https://www.exfatloss.com/p/losing-43lbs-in-144-days-on-ex15...
  - moltar 2y ago
    It’s quite good. He’s got a YT channel too that’s very heavy on science. And a Reddit community that experiments alongside. Great resources.

IshKebab 2y ago

Why do people look for unknown causes of obesity when there are so many obvious known causes? We aren't lacking an explanation!

AmericanChopper 2y ago
I think there are two reasons for that. The first is just many people don’t like to take accountability for themselves, so they look for other things to blame. There’s now enough obese people in the population for this delusions to get a lot of mainstream acceptance. The other is that doctors know they can’t actually get their patients to do the necessary lifestyle changes, so their interventions tend to revolve around the assumption that the patients will happily lifestyle themselves to death.
- TulliusCicero 2y ago
  Lifestyle is definitely a problem to an extent, but people didn't just all decide to be lazy at once. The environment and culture changed.
  - AmericanChopper 2y ago
    Culture is just the sum of the things people decide to do, so I’d question whether there’s any real distinction between the things you’re saying here. People who lead obese lifestyles can simply decide to lead a more healthy lifestyle. Why many people don’t make this decision, and what caused these lifestyle choices to be so widely adopted in the first place are interesting questions. But lifestyle choices are the totality of the problem.
    - 7bit 2y ago
      > People who lead obese lifestyles can simply decide to lead a more healthy lifestyle. This is a greatly simplified POV and also incorrect. Lifestyle is influenced by a lot of things that are not merely choices. Stress, depressions, addictions (sugar is highly addictive), trauma, your social environment. Saying that someone can simply choose a healthy lifestyle is like saying someone can simply choose not to be depressed or addicted.
      - AmericanChopper 2y ago
        These things can influence the choices people choose to make, but they cannot make those choices for them. You’re simple stating the shared delusion of obese people who can’t confront accountability. None of the factors you’ve mentioned require anybody to have a donut and a milkshake for breakfast every morning. They might make somebody more likely to make that terrible decision, but it’s still a decision only they are accountable for.
        7bit 2y ago
        > You’re simple stating the shared delusion of obese people who can’t confront accountability. None of the factors you’ve mentioned require anybody to have a donut and a milkshake for breakfast every morning. I'm not saying that. I'm merely saying that things aren't so easy as you make them out to be. Read my post again.
        AmericanChopper 2y ago
        Your claim is very explicitly that people are unable to make healthy lifestyle choices. This claim is complete nonsense. Posting a list of vague reasons why people may choose to make unhealthy choices doesn’t support your central claim in any way.
    - TulliusCicero 2y ago
      No, they're not. If a problem is systemic in its existence, then it has a systemic cause. Looking at it as an individual problem is fine for yourself, but if you want to fix it for a society, you have to look at the systemic cause instead.
benoliver999 2y ago
I am a fat guy and I can explain why I am fat - I eat too much food and don't do enough exercise. Guest what happened when I ate less food? Lost weight
- theshrike79 2y ago
  It's not just less or more food. Calorie density matters, as does taste. Yes, one can lose weight by drinking some Soylent Green mush with the exact correct caloric count and macros for steady healthy weight loss. You know what else that person will lose? All happiness and the will to live =) Some people really are just "food is fuel" and don't care what stuff tastes like, others (like me) actually get enjoyment from eating food, different foods on every day. This is why there isn't a one size fits all solution to weight loss. Even "calories in calories out" is a bit hazy, because not every single calorie in the food is consumed with 100% efficiency - it depends on your gut bacteria, which we know way too little about.
  - Sirizarry 2y ago
    Nah dude it really is as easy as eat less = lose weight. In all cases if you reduce your food consumption you will eventually weigh less this is thermodynamics 101. Nobody has to drink Soylent green mush or even just salads. Just eat less. And maybe go for a run here and there that helps too.
    - trealira 2y ago
      I agree. Some people don't realize how many calories some of the things they regularly consume have, though, and I think that's why many have trouble losing weight, which is why it's important to track your calorie consumption when trying to lose weight.
      - theshrike79 2y ago
        People have different gut/intestinal flora which affects the amount of calories digested from different foods. There are actual studies on this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10368799/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10368799/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8291023/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8291023/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7463616/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7463616/ We all know that one person who can eat literally anything and is still fit and that one person who sees an ad for ice cream and gains 5 pounds (hyperbole of course). According to these studies it's the difference in gut microbiota that's the difference here.
rich_sasha 2y ago
European obesity rates are also growing, but are much lower than US. Contrary to anecdotes, most people in Europe are also pretty sedentary, don't cycle to work and don't do sport (there's probably more active people in Europe than US). We probably walk a bit more but there can't be that much in it. So I'm still baffled at that difference.
- IshKebab 2y ago
  Have you been to the US? It's mostly the food. The bread aisle in American supermarkets smells of sugar. For real. Very weird. Also... yeah we are pretty sedentary in Europe but it's another level in America. In many parts of US cities there are literally no pavements so you can't walk even if you wanted to. I can't think of anywhere in Europe like that.
- moltar 2y ago
  What I noticed in south Europe at least is that food in small quick restaurants is cheaper and way better quality than fast food. It naturally forces people to make good choices. For example, in Portugal a McDonald’s meal is about €12. Meanwhile you can get a meal of fish or meat, mashed potatoes and some veggies plus Coke Zero in a glass bottle for €8.50. Or a plate of rice, good quality salad (not a token one) and quarter chicken plus a coffee for €7.50.

moltar 2y ago

Are you a Fire in a Bottle fan too?

Eliezer 2y ago
Haven't yet read through it! I probably should at some point.
- Marthinwurer 2y ago
  I'd also recommend Experimental Fat Loss, although some of his stuff can be a bit ranty. He's got good data and experiments, though, which is why I recommend him. Notably, he cured his non-24 with his diet. https://www.exfatloss.com/p/losing-43lbs-in-144-days-on-ex150-diet https://www.exfatloss.com/p/losing-43lbs-in-144-days-on-ex15...
- moltar 2y ago
  It’s quite good. He’s got a YT channel too that’s very heavy on science. And a Reddit community that experiments alongside. Great resources.