Why Are We So Fat?
Whenever you see a group of people persistently behaving in irrational behavior, Milton Friedman used to say, you can be pretty sure a government program is involved.
Which brings me to Americans' expanding waistlines. According to the Economist, one-third of Americans are obese while another one-third are overweight. We're so overweight that we're about to reverse one of the most remarkable achievements in human history, our extended lifespans, with the rising generation now projected to die younger than did their parents--entirely because of diabetes, heart disease, and other ailments related to obesity.
What's to blame? In very large part, conservatives will not be at all surprised to learn, the federal government:
To support farmers, the government used to pay them not to grow crops when there was an abundance and prices too low to earn a living. Then, in the 1970s, agricultural subsidies switched to encourage farmers to grow as much as they could. Meanwhile, the green revolution, along with technological improvements to farm equipment, made agribusiness more productive than ever. Inevitably, food prices plummeted.
Lower prices meant people started eating out more often. Portions increased in size as the proliferation of pizza parlours, quick-food joints and family restaurants vied for customers. “The number of calories available to the average American grew by about 1,000 a day,” Dr Chow told the New York Times recently.On top of that, food itself has become more calorific. One particular effect of the subsidy regime was to make high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener manufactured from maize, much cheaper. Corn syrup is used as a substitute for table sugar (sucrose), and is equally rich in calories. The result has been that the American food industry has added it to a wider selection of products than ever before. Moreover, Richard Wrangham, a researcher at Harvard, has built up a body of evidence that the way modern food is processed (heavily cooked, and often made from finely ground ingredients) makes more of its calories available for digestion, so even those who are not consuming more by weight are actually consuming more by calorific value.
First the federal government taxes and regulates us to ensure the overproduction of food. Then it gives us ObamaCare, socializing our entire medical system to cure us from the ills of overeating--and Michelle Obama, hectoring us all to eat more tomatoes.
Honestly, there are moments these days when I find myself wondering whether the Tea Party is angry enough.
ObamaCare delenda est.
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Comments:
Oct '10
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
A major factor in the prevalence of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the U.S. is the decades-long government protectionism intended to subsidise uneconomical domestic sugar production. As a result, the price of sugar in the U.S. is, on average, about three times higher than in the rest of the world. Consequently, processed food makers in the U.S. opt for the cheaper corn sweetener (whose price is further depressed by corn subsidies). Look at the ingredients of comparable products outside the U.S., and you'll almost always find they use sugar rather than HFCS.
Of course, both sucrose and fructose are highly glycemic, and you aren't doing yourself any good consuming either one, but some argue that the metabolism of HFCS is even more damaging in causing insulin resistance and its sequelæ such as obesity and type 2 diabetes than sucrose.
Mar '11
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
Here's where I (partially) part ways with Uncle Miltie:
There is a small subset of "irrational" behavior which is hard-wired into our brains, because at some point in human development, acting that way was very rational. The two main examples: food and sex.
Of all the foodstuffs that make us fat, sugar is culprit #1. But for our ancestors in the savannah, sugar (which is the only source of energy the brain can use) was very rare, and difficult for the body to produce itself. As a result, we evolved (gasp!) to constantly desire sugary foods.
Removing government incentives to overeat will certainly help reduce obesity in America, and a return to self-reliance can help us manage overeating. But self-reliance means being driven by internal incentives, yet our own subconscious has not completely caught up with the advances of modern civilization.
Sep '11
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
The article posted by Sandy goes into it (as does every book written by Gary Taubes), but it is pretty clear that the medical and nutritional industry did know and had evidence that a diet high in carbs and starches caused weight gain. That evidence is still out there, but is pretty much ignored for many reasons.
Nov '11
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
DutchTex: The article posted by Sandy goes into it (as does every book written by Gary Taubes), but it is pretty clear that the medical and nutritional industry did know and had evidence that a diet high in carbs and starches caused weight gain. That evidence is still out there, but is pretty much ignored for many reasons. · 3 minutes ago
Taubes argues that the other factors--TV, cars, kids not playing outside--were all there before the new food pyramid, and obesity was increasing (we also ate too much sugar back then), but it got dramatically worse in the early 80's.
Dec '10
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
DutchTex: The article posted by Sandy goes into it (as does every book written by Gary Taubes), but it is pretty clear that the medical and nutritional industry did know and had evidence that a diet high in carbs and starches caused weight gain. That evidence is still out there, but is pretty much ignored for many reasons. · 3 minutes ago
I'm under the impression (wrongly or not) that since we've become an agrarian species we've had a very grain/bread based diet. Looking at my grandmother's cookbooks from the pre-pyramid time doesn't change my mind on what we were eating before the government intervened.
Mar '11
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
Unlike the rest of you fair-weather conservatives, I am loathe to blame the government for cheap food, because whether a person eats too much ultimately boils down to the individual's own choices. And we must be free to make our own choices.
But I am willing to blame the government for divorcing freedom from responsibility. We make choices, but no longer benefit from good ones. People eat too much and exercise too little because many of the "natural" consequences of poor health are nulled out by government programs and assurances.
After all, it is not as if being in good health reduces my health care insurance premiums!
Edited on May 23, 2012 at 10:45pmJul '11
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
Yes, quite interesting.
Mar '11
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
When I was fat(ter) it was my own fault. But many obese people make excuses, because government encourages finger-pointing and excuses. I certainly can point to genetics as a reason to be heavier than many.
But I did not like myself for having excuses. I am more than a mere animal, eating my fill. So I control myself, eat less, and lost 50 pounds.
Note, though, that I adore food. So I eat whatever I want to eat. I just have much less of it.
May '10
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
We're fat due to too many carbs and starches. South Beach Diet-type changes are what's needed.
Dec '10
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
I hate to say it, but this is just a little much. The Feds no more make us overeat than racism makes inner city dwellers take drugs or procreate irresponsibly. You want to weigh less, eat less and exercise. If you don't, don't. No big secret, just personal choices.
Sep '11
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
For some people it doesn't work like that. Especially if there are hormonal problems and genetic factors. I have a girlfriend who is overweight. She eats 1300 calories a day and works out and has not lost weight. She has had, however, a disruption in her endocrine system, which is much more likely the cause of her weight gain.
Dec '10
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
Unusual cases don't make for large scale trends.
DutchTex: For some people it doesn't work like that. Especially if there are hormonal problems and genetic factors. I have a girlfriend who is overweight. She eats 1300 calories a day and works out and has not lost weight. She has had, however, a disruption in her endocrine system, which is much more likely the cause of her weight gain. · 1 minute ago
May '10
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
We're hard-wired to eat as much as we can of whatever is available against a hungry time of year (summer when last year's stores are depleted but the current year's crops aren't ready. But we live in year round plenty and few of us have the will power to stiff arm the goodies forever.
Aug '10
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
"You call it 'corn'; The Economist calls it 'maize'."
Dec '10
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
We live in year round plenty of alcohol, too, and while I dearly love a taste of the dew, I cannot see that as an excuse to overindulge.
May '12
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
I think it would help if we all had to pay our own health insurance and the rates depended on the risk of our lifestyles: smoking, obesity, no helmets, etc.
Aug '10
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
Mendel
Removing government incentives to overeat will certainly help reduce obesity in America, and a return to self-reliance can help us manage overeating. But self-reliance means being driven by internal incentives, yet our own subconscious has not completely caught up with the advances of modern civilization.
On the other hand, simply knowing that we're wired to crave unlimited amounts of sugar can help us fight that craving, no?
iWc:
So I eat whatever I want to eat. I just have much less of it.
One predominantly starchy day seems to leave my appetite ravenous for days afterward, making self-control much harder. So I don't eat any old thing, just in smaller portions. Fortunately, I like many non-starchy foods.
Priorities also play a role. For many of us, staying slim means making slimness a priority, and sometimes we have better things to do. A big project at work. Kids. There are a lot of fat workaholics out there.
Also, Americans now smoke less than they used to, which is a victory for health, but not necessarily waistlines. You know why so many ballerinas smoke? It's not to improve their lung capacity.
Edited on May 24, 2012 at 12:04amMay '12
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
The obesity epidemic seems more like the product of freedom than anything. Turns out that people often make bad decisions... this is one that will be tough to solve without government mandates but I think it can be done by educating kids about food - I think the adults may be too set in their ways to change.
May '10
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
"The obesity epidemic seems more like the product of freedom than anything. Turns out that people often make bad decisions... this is one that will be tough to solve without government mandates but I think it can be done by educating kids about food - I think the adults may be too set in their ways to change. "
The obesity epidemic is the result of people following the dietary advice they've been given by the Federal Government over the last few decades. You can put a person or an animal on the diet prescribed in the Food Pyramid (or the new Food Plate) and they will reliably become obese, get diabetes, cancer, heart disease, fatty liver, and other related conditions.
The leading cause of blindness in the United States is age-related macular degeneration. ARMD is prevented if you ignore the Fed's advice to eat vegetable oils as your primary source of fat.
Sadly, the list goes on and on. As my wife put it when we started learning about this stuff, "It's like they're trying to kill us."
Sadly, this has flown way under the radar of the convervative movement. It's the killer issue.
Jun '11
Re: Why Are We So Fat?
I think it is pretty hilarious that the New York Times quotes Dr. Chow.I have got to find out what his first name is.....