Study “proves” that HFCS makes you gain weight

Over 10 weeks, 16 volunteers on a strictly controlled diet, including high levels of fructose, produced new fat cells around their heart, liver and other digestive organs. They also showed signs of food-processing abnormalities linked to diabetes and heart disease. Another group of volunteers on the same diet, but with glucose sugar replacing fructose, did not have these problems.

People in both groups put on a similar amount of weight. However, researchers at the University of California who conducted the trial, said the levels of weight gain among the fructose consumers would be greater over the long term.

Isn’t it convenient when scientists can “prove” the conclusions they decided on before they conducted the study by reporting a result that contradicts those conclusions, but simply asserting that they were right anyway?

Do people have no critical thinking skills whatsoever?

Pre-Obese: Because Overweight People Keep Gaining Weight Forever

Apparently “overweight” is also called “pre-obese” now?

Via Big Fat Dynamo

Thinking makes you fat!

I enjoyed the surprising amount of sanity in the comments.

Water Makes You Fat

Me: Why do I feel so hungry? [Rhetorical question; I had been sick the day before and hadn't eaten much, which explained the need to feed myself. I just felt like complaining.]

Mother: Sometimes when you feel hungry, you’re just thirsty.

Me: Sometimes, but that’s probably not true for me. I drink water all the time. [I have a chronic dry throat and I rarely drink non-water beverages; I just don't like them much.]

Mother: Maybe that’s why you’re hungry. You drink too much water and it stretches out your stomach.

Me: …

Having Fat Friends Makes You Fat

Fat friends ‘can boost your size’

Where to start on this?

They suggest choices about appearance – on which decisions such as job offers or being deemed attracted – are based are determined by the choices others around you make.

So, if people around you are fat, it is permissible for you to be fat too.

I’m going to start out with my God what is wrong with your grammar?

They suggest choices about appearance – on which decisions such as job offers or being deemed attractive are based – are determined by the choices others around you make.

There we go.

Now let’s start looking at all the disturbing things in those two sentences. First, the assumption that people choose to be fat. Second, the implication that OH MY GOD IF YOU HANG OUT WITH FAT FRIENDS YOU WILL START BEING DEEMED UNATTRACTIVE AND NOT GET JOB OFFERS! Why is fat the problem, then, and not society’s prejudice against fat people?

And how about looking at other factors at work here? If you’re going to acknowledge that on the whole, poor people are fatter than rich people, maybe who you hang out with (and what job opportunities you have, and whether people deem you “attractive”) is related to social class. Or maybe fat people choose to hang out with other fat people because it makes them feel more comfortable. Or maybe–God forbid–naturally fat people who have forced themselves to be skinny hang out with fat people and then become more confident and better able to accept their bodies as they are.

“If you are surrounded by people, whether that’s friends or within the family home, who are overweight, you are sharing the same environment where there is likely to be an abundance of the wrong kind of foods.”

But no, it’s all about “good” and “bad” food.

Save the economy; eat less!

Or not, as Tari Follett writes over at Shapely Prose. Go read it.

Also, I was surprised to find out that Americans eat 3770 calories a day, which seems incredibly high. So I did a bit of looking around and, as I suspected, the figure is artificially high because it includes wasted food (which accounts for up to 50% of food in the U.S.–now that is scary and depressing), as well animal feed and industrial uses (such as ethanol). Aside from encouraging Americans to eat less meat and more local food–which, as Tari points out, is not always a viable option–perhaps Ms. Brahic should have suggested that Americans stop purchasing more food than they eat.