Contributor: Rich Butler, MS, USPTA
To learn more about Rich, click here.
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Flash Survey: Choose 1 of the 2…QUICKLY!!!
- Democrat/Republican
- Cardio/Weights
- Martina/Chrissy
- Carbs/Fat
- Beer/Wine
Choosing only one answer is a bit absolute. Very few of us are absolute. You will find that those in power who are willing to be absolute and ‘die on this hill’ are easy to spot but not very helpful. That brings me to nutrition scientists.
“Strong emotions make us stupid.”
~ Richard Shepherdson (greenworld.org.uk, 2022)
Candidate Fatigue and Dietary Indifference
David Ludwig (39.9k followers) and Kevin Hall (26.2 k followers) have significantly contributed to my indifference. I am not going to reference their credentials out of protest, as their back and forth in the obesity debate reminds me of brothers in the back seat of the car, minus all the statistics. Yes, one of them sticks out their tongue on Twitter.
David Ludwig proceeds in his dogged pursuit to convince the world that the carbohydrate = insulin = obesity model has infected the globe like COVID-19 (I’m not apologizing for the over-simplification.), while Kevin Hall pushes back with ‘It is not carbohydrates but ultra-processed foods that are the driver of obesity. But as we learned in London, no one really knows.’
Then “60 Minutes” invited Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford (9k followers) to their episode on obesity, and she stated, “It is a brain disease. There is a 50-85% likelihood someone inherits the disease of obesity from their parents.”
Meanwhile, on March 4th, World Obesity Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) added “Let’s Talk About Obesity” to the message. Who exactly is the keynote and what possible message could they give with any sense of hope?
We need a 3rd party candidate.
In 1992, an Independent candidate, Ross Perot (0 followers), won over 19,000,000 votes in the presidential election. That was unprecedented. If this were an election, neither David Ludwig nor Kevin Hall would get my vote.
Who would be the Ross Perot of the diet wars?
Herman Pontzer (10k followers). He is an evolutionary anthropologist who has studied a group of people, the Hadza, who live in Tanzania in a hunter-gatherer civilization. Herman is very careful not to identify with a particular ‘party’ in the world of nutrition, “There’s no singular, natural human diet.” (Smith, 2021) Herman’s research, which was contrary to popular opinion, has confirmed that our metabolic system is preprogrammed to stay in a relatively narrow range, regardless of the amount of exercise, movement, or chores we participate in. Therefore, coming up with a dietary system where we eat less but maintain a sense of fullness is the key to anyone attempting to fight off obesity.
Dr. Pontzer’s observations are impartial. His public health message is to improve awareness around overeating, as he believes the westernized approach to eating leads us to overconsume calories. And, as he very bluntly states regarding our diets, “It is about the calories!”
Pontzer doesn’t talk protein power, hypoglycemia, or paleo. He may or may not care whether you eat organic strawberries. He jokes about watching a Hadza boy happily walking through camp chewing on an animal’s skull, a gift from a parent. He is, as most observational scientists are, a pragmatist. He does understand that if we are to make changes in our body weight, we better find the system that we can work with and continue. He is quick to point out the snake oil salesperson who says, ‘I know the way!’ has led many people astray. Dr. Pontzer doesn’t claim to have the answer to obesity but does provide great insight in his highly engaging book Burn.
Enough with polarizing rhetoric around diets. Vote for Pontzer in November! Plant Chompers’ Chris MacAskill (32k subscribers) would make a great VP.
Contact Rich at: [email protected]
References:
- Belluz, J. (2022, November). Opinion | Scientists Don’t Agree on What Causes Obesity, but They Know What Doesn’t - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
- Gibbons, A. (2022, February) The Calorie Counter. Science. https://www.science.org/content/article/scientist-busts-myths-about-how-humans-burn-calories-and-why
- MacAskill, Chris. (2022). 5 AMAZING Things I Learned About Diet vs Exercise from Burn, by Herman Pontzer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mokckyh-qb0
- Pontzer, H. (2021) Burn: new research blows the lid off how we really burn calories, lose weight, and stay healthy. New York, NY: Penguin Random House
- Smith, R. (2021) Duke Researcher Busts Metabolism Myths in New Book. Duke Research Blog. https://researchblog.duke.edu/2021/03/24/duke-researcher-busts-metabolism-myths-in-new-book/