(2024-03-14) We Used To Eat A Lot More Without Becoming Obese

Sven Schnieders: We Used To Eat A Lot More Without Becoming Obese. The mainstream theory regarding the obesity crisis is that people consume excessive calories and move insufficiently - “calories in, calories out.” Alternative nutritional perspectives, such as Keto and Veganism, challenge this narrative only to some extent

Despite divergences on the impact of specific food groups, there is a near-universal consensus on the overconsumption of sugar in modern diets.

A problem with all of these theories is that historically we used to eat a lot more – including a lot more carbs or sugar.

Based on estimates from nutrient availability data, Americans actually ate more calories in 1909 than they did in 1960.

The study was done on 5-year-old children in an institution where they had full control over what they ate. So how much did (non-obese) children in 1928/1929 eat?

These kids ate 2.5k calories.

For reference, the American Heart Association states that children between 4 and 8 need 1400 calories

Another intriguing study I came across, conducted by the Ministry of Health in 1953,

Even those in “light” labor roles consumed 3.2k calories daily.

The most compelling argument I've encountered for the paradox of declining calorie intake amidst rising obesity rates comes from the Ray Peat community. They propose that people historically had significantly faster metabolisms

*This theory also explains the observed decrease in average body temperature, from the standard 37°C in 1951 to 36.6°C by 2002.

The mainstream interprets the decline in average body temperature as beneficial, suggesting it may indicate reduced inflammation levels:*

Another alternative hypothesis attributes the decrease in temperature to diminished microbial diversity, a consequence of widespread antibiotic use

Accepting the metabolic perspective raises the question of why metabolic rates have declined.

Nonetheless, it seems improbable that too many calories in and too few calories out are the cause of modern obesity.