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Comment by Andre_Wanglin | Hacker News Reader

Obesity is a sign of improved living conditions that is also a sign of declining living conditions. The former conditions are largely out of the individual's control while the latter conditions are largely in his control. That is, being able to be obese is dictated by the economic vitality of one's country whereas being obese is dictated by one's actions.

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There are a lot of roadblocks put in the way to controlling your weight. In the US that on the intake, junk food is readily available while healthy food is a luxury. Conversely, the US working environment suffers from increasingly medieval labor laws[+], limiting one's ability to exercise or live a well balanced lifestyle.

I wouldn't be so eager to say "being obese is dictated by one's actions". It's an equal mix of self-control and an unhealthy environment.

[+]: "Independent contractors", arbitration, union stigma/busting

I dispute that avoiding obesity requires either exercise or high-quality nutrition. It is simply a matter of maintaining a caloric balance at a healthy weight. This can be effectively controlled entirely on the intake side. (See the nutritionist who lost weight and improved his bloodwork on a gas station junk food diet. [0]) Other countries with varied labor and economic conditions (presumably among them are some you would not label medieval) are experiencing the same obesity pandemic. There is nothing unique about the US in this regard other than it has been leading the trend.

[0]: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/

But one's actions are also largely dictated by societal living conditions. Many people are extremely time-constrained due to working + commuting + child caring hours. Finding time to exercise or to prepare healthy food is a challenge. Add to this that healthy food is often less easily available and more expensive than unhealthy choices. There is a degree of individual control, but it is society that controls what is easy or hard for the individual to choose.

> Add to this that healthy food is often less easily available and more expensive than unhealthy choices.

It's worth pointing out this isn't true everywhere. In America, cheap fast food is generally unhealthy, yes. As an extreme counter example, a bowl of pho in Vietnam is cheap by local wage standards, has very little grease, and can be ready within 2 minutes of you ordering.

I call bullshit on this. "Busy" people always seems to have plenty of time to watch TV, be on Facebook/Twitter and/or play video games.

On a macro level, I don't buy it. If the economic reality is that you live in a food desert and you are bombarded by sugar propaganda every living day of your life ... sure, there is some kind of selection process of the most fit for that environment going on. Not sure it's a good outcome though, the optimal strategy seems to be get as many kids as you can before dying of obesity in your forties.

Absolutely, but also the lobbying and campaigns vilifying fats, the lack of a competent authority explaining the benefits of sweeteners instead of sugars etc.

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