There is that evolutionary reason, combined with deregulation of our food industry leading to widespread use of high fructose corn syrup, and a landscape designed around the automobile.
Thank you for your inquiry. This topic has been analyzed in considerable detail here: http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=67091
Indeed, the blubber epidemic is notorious. God bless.
took my daughter clothes shopping today. She was the only average weight child trying on clothes. All the other girls were flat out fat trying on XS clothing. You could see every roll and the dimple of their belly button. Their over weight moms stood there saying "oh that looks cute" I was aghast
It was you !!!
It has been observed that the discovery of fire AND grain agriculture was a turning point in our evolution from a generally nomadic species that had to move with with the seasons and resources to survive to a settled species that was was able to work cooperatively and live with increasing population density because this new strategy was successful.
Less time and energy was needed in the procurement of food and the use of fire and learning to process grain into a wide variety of foodstuffs would allow more time and energy for learning other skills to facilitate this living in groups and communities of ever increasing size. As whole grains store and transport well, the benefits of their cultivation and use would proliferate quite easily.
The processing of grain is what enables us to digest this food as we are unable to utilize it very well in it's raw state. Processed grain is very easily converted by our bodies into simple sugars which are not what we evolved to eat, and this changes our body chemistry in a manner which causes most of us to store these additional calories as fat, if we do not use them up through activity.
We are able to ingest a lot of calories without the energy which we would normally need to expend to acquire them, and so the excess calories are stored as fat.
Processed food has a very high caloric density compared to foods in their natural state. The processing often removes the natural fiber which makes us feel satiated and full, and which aids in gut motility.
Why are indigestion and/or irregular bowel function, flatulence, bloating, diabetes, and diverticular disease so prevalent in many nations today?
I would suggest it may be that we have evolved technologies which have outpaced the evolution of our digestive system.
We are bloated with success and blessed with excess in those countries which predominantly demonstrate obesity.
The food in America is awesome:
Chinese food, Mexican food, Italian food, Japanese food...
LOL, yep, I was the one standing there saying 'oh no no no" shaking my head. I wasn't popular.
Hey why not, sloths are very interesting animals that are very fit although they just "hang around" allot. They also don't get fat either.![]()
The food in America is awesome:
Chinese food, Mexican food, Italian food, Japanese food...
Obesity is a major epidemic, but its causes are still unclear. In this article, we investigate the relation between the intake of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and the development of obesity. We analyzed food consumption patterns by using US Department of Agriculture food consumption tables from 1967 to 2000. The consumption of HFCS increased > 1000% between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding the changes in intake of any other food or food group. HFCS now represents > 40% of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages and is the sole caloric sweetener in soft drinks in the United States. Our most conservative estimate of the consumption of HFCS indicates a daily average of 132 kcal for all Americans aged ≥ 2 y, and the top 20% of consumers of caloric sweeteners ingest 316 kcal from HFCS/d. The increased use of HFCS in the United States mirrors the rapid increase in obesity. The digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose. Hepatic metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis. In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight, this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain. Furthermore, calorically sweetened beverages may enhance caloric overconsumption. Thus, the increase in consumption of HFCS has a temporal relation to the epidemic of obesity, and the overconsumption of HFCS in calorically sweetened beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity.
http://www.ajcn.org/content/79/4/537.full
Let's find out what people think. Extra points for whomever uses evolution in their explanation.
Has anyone said the magic words: high fructose corn syrup?
For some reason, after the initial commentary on the subject by two very respectable scientists, very little work has been done on the topic.
But the theory is correct. So I would lay off the HFCS even if the lobbies won't let the research happen
Time Healthland reports high fructose corn syrup may be getting a new name. The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) seems to think changing the name of "high fructose corn syrup" to "corn sugar" will allay consumer fears that the chemical is bad for them. High fructose corn syrup contains 45% glucose and 55% fructose, which are both sugars, so "corn sugar" is a reasonable name for the substance. To me, it just seems like an attempt to mislead the public into thinking they are using a completely different product.
http://chemistry.about.com/b/2010/0...ls-high-fructose-corn-syrup-vs-corn-sugar.htm
Why are we fat? Lots of reasons...
![]()
Yummy, yummy reasons...
FEMA handed out Oreos after the hurricane. This was some seriously cunning marketing, as far as I can tell.
I'm sure Nabisco has figures of what sort of bump this gave them in terms of longer-term Oreo sales in this area, but I doubt that info is public.
...We eat a ton and then sit around on our ass...