People in the west are getting fatter and fatter everyday. Whilst billions of dollars are spent researching the space, very few look at the actual root cause. Over and over again people cite Calories in Calories out, but fundamentally CICO is a resulting observation and not an actual cause. The question is this - what CAUSES people to spontaneously overeat for years on end. It wasn’t an issue for a millennia up until the past 100 years. An anonymous research group that goes by the name Slime Mold Time Mold (SMTM), wrote a long set of papers on this in 2021 called “A chemical hunger” which broke obesity down into 8 mysteries and made a very strong case that the increased amount of Lithium in our environment is what may be driving obesity or dis-regulated hunger. A small note here to say, Obesity is a complex and barely understood issue. This post does not seek to blame or demonize people suffering with obesity. In the past month I have spoken to hundreds of them/you and will be publishing my best understanding of causes and solutions shortly. If you feel attacked or want to discuss any of this please reach out, I am all ears. Another internet anon, nutrition nerd and independent researcher that goes by the name of exFat150 (E150) published a piece arguing that seed oils explains 7 of the 8 mysteries to which SMTM responded that there are now actually 10 mysteries. This post is my attempt to explain the 3 unanswered mysteries through the Seed oil (and really linoleic acid) lens. I highly recommend reading the original work: https://slimemoldtimemold.com/2021/07/07/a-chemical-hunger-part-i-mysteries/ Exfat150’s response: https://www.exfatloss.com/p/seed-oils-explain-the-8-mysteries And their response first: https://slimemoldtimemold.com/2023/07/25/still-not-sold-on-seed-oils/ My responseMystery 7 - Altitude This is the original Mystery E150 couldn’t make fit, and is extra amusing to me because, well, I live in Colorado. If you look at the map - our great state has the lowest incidence of Obesity at a county level. Altitude may play a role, but there are enough paradoxes that it cannot wholly explain what is going on. This feeds into my point about complexity above. This map is the result of several compounding things. SMTM actually goes on in their rebuttal to say “The mountain ranges definitely stand out as less obese, but the distribution of obesity is not actually a great match with altitude. Low-lying areas of Florida, Massachusetts, and California, for example, also have very low rates of obesity. “ Which is why they prefer the length of watershed = more lithium in the water as the core arguments. Here’s some issues I take with that Irrigation in Southern California is fed almost exclusively by water from the Colorado river which, you guessed it, gets it start in Colorado. So does Arizona and Nevada (especially Las Vegas). If the watershed argument were valid, you would expect to see obesity rates change somewhat linearly along the Colorado river rather than spike in the metropolitan areas. At altitude you end up producing more red blood cells, that also live longer to compensate for the lower oxygen. This is why the kpi for diabetes HbA1c can be skewed up here. Our cells last longer and thus can accumulate more glycation - artificially increasing the number. We also know that lipid peroxidation products from eating seed oils are the number one source for oxidative stress in the human body in a modern context, and oxidative stress will reduce your bodies ability to produce energy from the substrate in your system. This paper showed that at higher altitudes workers had lower levels of oxidative stress, and higher levels of antioxidant capacity, iron supply, and hemoglobin concentration as compared with altitude-naïve individuals (https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpregu.00321.2021) So if we are eating seed oils up here (I can assure you those around me are), our environment is such that we can fight off more of the negative side effects naturally. The altitude map also gets really really weird when you break it down by race. Race is a real genetic factor that plays a role in cellular metabolism and how our bodies respond to the food we feed them. I for example have the ALDH2 mutation which causes “Asian glow”, and also means my body does not detoxify seed oil lipid peroxidation products very well. This gene makes east asians highly susceptible to seed oil damage (NAFLD, diabetes, cancer) whilst staying relatively lean, but in Caucasians it increases the risk of these illnesses whilst their fat cells grow. (https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-104384/v1) We also know that those with African originating genes can handle saturated fat much better (palm oil), than unsaturated fats (the !Kung fail glucose tolerance tests when Mongongo nuts are in season and become the diet staple which are high in PUFA). This is reflected in obesity to diabetes risk across races. These race differences and supposed altitude differences may also point to cultural differences. In SMTM rebuttal they say: We can’t see any reason why Charleston, WV would be eating more seed oils than Bridgeport, CT But there is a pretty clear cultural difference here. Rural WV is much poorer than Connecticut but also - a northern coastal town would likely have culture of fresh seafood as opposed to a gloomy mining town where fried food would likely run rife. When I see the map and the Southern states have much higher rates of obesity, I immediately see a map of fried food culture. Fried food exists in Colorado, sure, but culturally it is a fairly gross thing to eat. I think this compounds, when you eat a lot of seed oils your sense of taste gets rewired, you can’t smell rancid oils and strong artificial flavors are usually needed to make statements in food more often (my anecdote). An additional anecdote - I also found this when I lived in Silicon Valley. Fried foods were not common and our increased incomes gave us access to better ingredients and healthier dining out options. (Maybe there’s something there, let’s read on). Charleston, SC however, a city I have visited over 20 times has a culture of fried food that I have never wrapped my head around. Fried shrimp, fried potatoes, fried fish etc. All this food is eaten and even celebrated. Another anecdote of mine is my trip to Alaska, my tour guide ran a salmon fishing boat as a side hustle, and despite hauling +100,000lbs of salmon out of the water every year, she laughingly told me her and her son like to mostly eat code red Mountain Dew and Flaming Hot Cheetos. They were both very obese. With modernization, access to Walmart, money and generations who didn’t eat this fiat food being long gone, Alaskans binge in seed oil rich foods, ignore the fresh stuff on their doorsteps and in turn suffer from higher rates of obesity that land locked Colorado. (side note: A discussion for another day is how Salmon is actually not great and is high in PUFA anyway) To be seed oil free you have to be militant with what you eat on a daily basis, that is how far they have infiltrated almost every food item in our lives here (in the US). The easiest way to load up on them is to eat fast food. Eating out is better but not good, I can assure you pretty much everyone is cooking with soybean oil, but for this final piece lets focus on fast food/junk food. What happens if we map the states with the highest fast food consumption to the obesity map? Some interesting trends appear with no slam dunks but something that does stand out to me is the difference in the income of these states. Whilst Colorado is this original glaring bastion, I know that Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas and Alabama all have much lower incomes. So maybe an additional complication to add to the mix is income. It’s all well and good as a Coloradan thinking our culture and elevation makes us superior but therein may lie the privilege that comes with higher incomes, the same goes for Silicon Valley. At higher incomes you have greater access to fresh food, restaurants that cook better food, expensive lesiurely activieis like Skiing & biking. This is proven in this study: The proportion of obese individuals in industrialized nations now correlates inversely with median household income - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-018-0201-x In 2015, the correlation between ln (income) and obesity rate across all 50 states was r = −0.697 [−0.816, −0.522], which is highly significant (p < 0.00001) Mystery 9 - International variation In SMTM rebuttal to E150 they add that there are now 2 more mysteries. The first of which is international variation. This is capped off with if Kuwait loves seed oils in a way that Pakistan doesn’t, well, we haven’t heard about it I’m here to tell you about it. Having visited Qatar, Bahrain & UAE I can tell you anecdotally that in the rich Arab nations, the citizens want westernized culture on steroids when they can afford it. Head in to the Dubai mall and you’ll find tables and tables of emiraty families gorging on Burger King and KFC. I think this phenomenon developed for a number of reasons, but what is true that cooking for yourself is seen as servant work, and the enlightened thing to do is eat take out/fast food. I remember vividly, being uncomfortable that getting KFC or another deep fried meal was a totally normal thing for my western friends' family to do for dinner in Abu Dhabi. As for those two countries - in 2021 Kuwait consumed 228kg of vegetable oils (marketing term for seed oils) per capita and Pakistan consumed 34kg per capita. (Data Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2023) I found the UN data to be quite wobbly, but from a trend line perspective it clearly shows a difference. Mystery 10 - variation of obesity rates between professions The final mystery that was added was that there is a variation in obesity rates across professions. do we really think that mechanics consume that much more canola oil than lawyers? And the answer is yes. Another Anecdote from me. In my career I have both worked in construction and in consulting (+3 year stint in both). Funny thing about the eating habits of my colleagues in both professions, they were totally different. In construction I was made fun of for trying to make and eat a chicken salad. In consulting, I was made fun of for suggesting Burger King as a legit lunch option. The reasons for this are again complicated I believe but there is very clearly different dietary patterns between the two. Some reasons - Mechanics/construction workers are likely paid by the hour and away from a set base, food options need to be quickly entertaining, tasty, quick - This is food trucks, grill top canteens, fried foods, foods in boxes. Professionals are likely paid more, by salary and work in constant environments. They will seek out healthier options that won’t slow them down or give brain fog, and can afford to buy more expensive ingredients. Many have the time & luxury to bring food from home. Beyond the mysteries - It doesn’t fit the case studiesSMTM finishes off their position with the conclusion that the paradoxical case studies we have don’t fit the seed oil hypothesis. I actually think they might but my position raises many more questions than answers. Krinn & M I too have anecdotally mega dosed potassium and seen weight loss. And as Krinn describes, this isn’t through a reduction in appetite. I was eating more than normal actually. We know that PUFA's inhibit glucose metabolism (https://www.jci.org/articles/view/25256), and that when our bodies cannot produce more cellular energy, additional exercise steals energy from internal systems. We also know that stored PUFA, when released can create serious stress and inflammation in the body (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7598735/). My theory is that mega dosing potassium either: Restores the potassium-sodium pump and allows you to produce more energy from your existing energy stores. Helps blunt the negative effects of seed oil metabolites somehow "M was eating more potatoes but still consuming seed oils" Well the best seed oil detoxification protocols call for accelerating the saturation of your body fat. Animals can only produce saturated fat naturally, and this is done in de novo lipogenesis. When we eat any level of carbohydrate, this happens. Increasing potato consumption would create new saturated fat on the body and decrease stored PUFA. Pima Indians Yeah I have no idea. Maybe Lithium? Fattest and Leanest Places in America See Mystery 7 and wealth & culture. The mechanismI’m not willing to discount the Lithium hypothesis, hell I think it could be a major contributor just not the major contributor.
When we test out a substance to see if it is poisonous we typically test it in mice, then test it in humans then move forward with it. So here’s the kicker - in mouse models, Seed oils are disastrous and clearly have a compounding effect over time by impacting epigenetics. There are several other animal models this shows up in too: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21366867/ https://www.nature.com/articles/srep01349#/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34140694/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11111167/ https://academic.oup.com/endo/article/161/2/bqz044/5698148 https://lipidworld.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-511X-12-33 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17373-3 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8463854/ But Lithium in mouse models looks benign if not beneficial: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0021925822010122 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8520709/ We should be testing lithium doses in humans and seeing what happens. Hunger signals at their core, are complex but seem to exist to get humans to eat the right nutrients (typically energy) as needed. Seed oils have been shown to work negatively on both sides of this equations. They both lower your energy metabolism through many pathways including inhibiting your ability to turn glucose/sugar into energy. And they make you hungrier by messing with your endocannabinoid system in exactly the same way that the munchies do when you ingest Marijuana. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37400966/) Hmmm eating something that makes you hungrier and lowers your energy expenditure at the same time….sounds like a chemical hunger. And there ends my first foray into scientific writing. Again, obesity is complex. I actually think Lithium/heavy metals might play a role. Watch this space for further thoughts on causes and solutions.
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