I’m still confused about the connection with altitude, under both this theory and the Lithium/contaminant theory.
[ETA: in the comments below, I thought to check if altitude is known to affect palatability, and was surprised to find that it does make people’s sense of taste less sensitive.]
If you look at a map of obesity rates in the US, it’s clear that the most significant factors are time, ethnicity, and altitude—in that order (from here):
On the other hand, presence of Lithium mines doesn’t seem relevant, which you would expect to matter even if the accumulation in groundwater was also significant (from here):
The only theory piece that seems reasonably solid to me is that it has to do with damage/malfunction of the set-point regulation mechanism in the VMN. There doesn’t seem to be enough available evidence for anything more than that.
These maps don’t adjust for socioeconomic status, which has a huge correlation with obesity and health in general. West Virginia, Kentucky, and the Black Belt of the South are some of the poorest areas, while Colorado is one of the richest and best-educated.
then I would expect cities to stand out more (relative to altitude) on the obesity maps like they do on the maps you linked.
But I don’t see that (there is a noticeable correlation, but it looks smaller than the altitude one to me), so I think it’s more likely the causality is better approximated with a graph which has an arrow from altitude to obesity than not.
Wait, rather than some cuckoo idea that this is related to altitude or marginally less cuckoo lithium theory, what if it’s about regional cuisine and eating habits?
I’m currently persuaded that it’s probably some combination of hypoxia (as suggested here), demographics, and traditional cuisine being more common at higher altitudes. Maybe it’s a little bit of groundwater contamination? I’d really want to see a post that actually thoroughly investigated each of these hypotheses, rather than just sort of pointing to a factor on a graph and saying “yep it’s probably that”.
Hypoxia seems by far the most plausible explanation of those ideas, there just don’t seem to be significant enough demographic or cuisine differences by altitude in the US.
Though I just thought to check, and apparently increased air pressure does seem to negatively affect taste directly, which is some points for the hyperpalatability theory.
Under the lithium theory, the amount of lithium in water/food accumulates as water sources go downhill, thus explaining the altitude connection, so just an altitude connection is strictly less “cuckoo”.
From the obesity map and my experiences living across the country, I would be surprised if regional cuisine/habits ends up mattering more than altitude, but might be worth testing more rigorously.
I’m still confused about the connection with altitude, under both this theory and the Lithium/contaminant theory. [ETA: in the comments below, I thought to check if altitude is known to affect palatability, and was surprised to find that it does make people’s sense of taste less sensitive.]
If you look at a map of obesity rates in the US, it’s clear that the most significant factors are time, ethnicity, and altitude—in that order (from here):
On the other hand, presence of Lithium mines doesn’t seem relevant, which you would expect to matter even if the accumulation in groundwater was also significant (from here):
The only theory piece that seems reasonably solid to me is that it has to do with damage/malfunction of the set-point regulation mechanism in the VMN. There doesn’t seem to be enough available evidence for anything more than that.
These maps don’t adjust for socioeconomic status, which has a huge correlation with obesity and health in general. West Virginia, Kentucky, and the Black Belt of the South are some of the poorest areas, while Colorado is one of the richest and best-educated.
http://proximityone.com/graphics/mhi_stcty_17b.gif
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/files/2014/04/tumblr_n4jrdrOOC41rasnq9o1_1280.jpg
If the causality was:
obesity ← socioeconomic status → altitude
then I would expect cities to stand out more (relative to altitude) on the obesity maps like they do on the maps you linked.
But I don’t see that (there is a noticeable correlation, but it looks smaller than the altitude one to me), so I think it’s more likely the causality is better approximated with a graph which has an arrow from altitude to obesity than not.
Wait, rather than some cuckoo idea that this is related to altitude or marginally less cuckoo lithium theory, what if it’s about regional cuisine and eating habits?
I’m currently persuaded that it’s probably some combination of hypoxia (as suggested here), demographics, and traditional cuisine being more common at higher altitudes. Maybe it’s a little bit of groundwater contamination? I’d really want to see a post that actually thoroughly investigated each of these hypotheses, rather than just sort of pointing to a factor on a graph and saying “yep it’s probably that”.
Hypoxia seems by far the most plausible explanation of those ideas, there just don’t seem to be significant enough demographic or cuisine differences by altitude in the US.
Though I just thought to check, and apparently increased air pressure does seem to negatively affect taste directly, which is some points for the hyperpalatability theory.
Under the lithium theory, the amount of lithium in water/food accumulates as water sources go downhill, thus explaining the altitude connection, so just an altitude connection is strictly less “cuckoo”.
From the obesity map and my experiences living across the country, I would be surprised if regional cuisine/habits ends up mattering more than altitude, but might be worth testing more rigorously.