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Common sense has been defined as the thing that tells us that the
Earth is flat. Dr Breach's common sense apparently tells him (if so, he is
not the first to be fooled) that eating fat is what makes people fat, so
it might be a good idea of taxing food fats.
I don't know if taxing is such a good idea to regulate consumption of
foods in general, but I know (from experience) - and so does anybody who
cares to take a critical look at the evidence - that saturated fat isn't
the culprit. The chief factor of obesity is beyond reasonable doubt
insulin resistance - and the chief factor behind insulin resistance (in
the genetically susceptible part of the population), again beyond
reasonable doubt, is carbohydrates - in particular "fast" carbohydrates in
large quantities. But as an alternative to taxing sugar, cornstarch,
flour, potatoes and products made from these, medical research should
cease to kow-tow to the food and pharmacy industries and give their
loyalty to the public health instead - and start telling the truth about
obesity to the public, for what good it may do. What about the long-term
safety of low-carbohydrate dieting, you may object - as others keep doing,
over and over again. Well, if there are no studies, who is to blame? The
British public has known since 1865 or so what foods to eat and to avoid
to cure obesity - and the profession has, over and over, helped the food
industry to make the world forget.
The destructive long-term effects of the higher-and-higher
carbohydrate based eating habits of the western world are, alas, all too
well-known to need more confirmation.
Perhaps, as a compromise, why not run a pilot trial taxing trans fats
instead?
Common sense and fat tax
Common sense has been defined as the thing that tells us that the
Earth is flat. Dr Breach's common sense apparently tells him (if so, he is
not the first to be fooled) that eating fat is what makes people fat, so
it might be a good idea of taxing food fats.
I don't know if taxing is such a good idea to regulate consumption of
foods in general, but I know (from experience) - and so does anybody who
cares to take a critical look at the evidence - that saturated fat isn't
the culprit. The chief factor of obesity is beyond reasonable doubt
insulin resistance - and the chief factor behind insulin resistance (in
the genetically susceptible part of the population), again beyond
reasonable doubt, is carbohydrates - in particular "fast" carbohydrates in
large quantities. But as an alternative to taxing sugar, cornstarch,
flour, potatoes and products made from these, medical research should
cease to kow-tow to the food and pharmacy industries and give their
loyalty to the public health instead - and start telling the truth about
obesity to the public, for what good it may do. What about the long-term
safety of low-carbohydrate dieting, you may object - as others keep doing,
over and over again. Well, if there are no studies, who is to blame? The
British public has known since 1865 or so what foods to eat and to avoid
to cure obesity - and the profession has, over and over, helped the food
industry to make the world forget.
The destructive long-term effects of the higher-and-higher
carbohydrate based eating habits of the western world are, alas, all too
well-known to need more confirmation.
Perhaps, as a compromise, why not run a pilot trial taxing trans fats
instead?
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests