Provocative study: Fat people less intelligent than thin
A study shows fat people have less white and gray brain matter.
Click here for reuse options!They also have greater impulsivity and ‘altered reward processing’, the study said.
The researchers said that their findings could explain why overweight people make poor diet choices – they do not have the mental capacity to control themselves.
Nor are they able to stop themselves from making poor choices when the do eat something.
The theory is likely to prove controversial as weight loss campaigners have emphasised that each individual has different reasons for their struggle with their body.
The research involved sophisticated brain images of 32 adults recruited from the city of Baltimore in Maryland, 16 men and 16 women
Anyone who had a history of brain damage, substance abuse or mental illness was excluded from the group.
Outlining the object of the study, the authors said: ‘It has been suggested that body composition itself might somehow affect the neural systems that underlie cognition, motivation, self-control and salience processing, which would in turn affect one’s ability to make better lifestyle choices, forgoing immediate and/or highly salient rewards for the sake of longer-term health and wellness goals’.
Copyright 2016 Liberaland
22 responses to Provocative study: Fat people less intelligent than thin
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Robert M. Snyder July 12th, 2016 at 15:24
Change fat/thin to black/white and see how it sounds. Some will say that people can control their weight, so it’s not a protected class. But the article suggests that fat people “do not have the mental capacity to control themselves”. If you accept that, then fatness should probably be a protected class.
Personally, I think it’s harmful to suggest that people can’t control their behavior. A lot of self-control boils down to believing that you can do it. If you are surrounded by people who say you can’t succeed, your odds are much lower than if you’re surrounded by people who have done it themselves and who build up your confidence in your own ability.
Mike July 12th, 2016 at 19:35
Here’s my argument for a limited protected class status…
Mentally ill people in varying degrees have no control over some or any of their actions…the catalyst could be congenital, a genetic mutation from exposure, or the result of injury, etc….and as such, they are a semi-protected class…legally speaking.
The same should apply to some forms of obesity…for example;
A mutation in a gene called uricase helps to convert fruit sugar (fructose) into fat, and both apes and humans have it The uricase mutation predisposes humans to obesity and diabetes today. The results suggest a need to eat and drink much less fructose to fight obesity and prevent its dangerous complications. But even that doesn’t always help.
Would you object to your son or daughter (even you) who might possess this mutation (30% by some counts) being classified as a protected group and as such couldn’t be denied medical treatment or insurance…maybe a job because they might raise the healthcare rates…denied a seat on a bus or plane because they’re too fat, or made to pay extra for a plane ticket…etc…???
I am not accusing you of doing it it but theoretically It’s actually shameful that those of us who can control our behavior look to deny others the same access to goods or services we enjoy merely because we were born lucky….
You sound like someone who has succeeded by making a concerted effort to change your behavior, and you’ve excelled at it…I applaud that…But anecdotal evidence is what you’re relying on when making a judgement for others. I thought a bit of science might make you think twice about that.
Certainly not all obese people fit the criteria I laid out just as not every mental patient is incapable of knowing right from wrong…I agree 100% with your last sentence…but not the 2nd to last one.
JMO of course.
Robert M. Snyder July 12th, 2016 at 21:08
At age 19 I weighed 165 and was in peak condition. Today at 56 I weigh 261, down from 276 a couple of months ago. I have been gaining roughly 20 pounds every winter and losing slightly less every summer for the past few decades.
My wife is a nurse and I worked for five years in a Biomechanics lab at a university, so I am somewhat knowledgeable about health issues. I read a lot of health-related news articles.
The shortened photoperiod in winter definitely affects my physiology, and I have many friends who say the same thing. I have tried numerous ways to modify my diet and my environment. Last fall I increase the light level in my office by a factor of ten, as measured by an incident light meter. But I ended up gaining more weight than ever and having lower energy as well.
So let’s just say that I can sympathize with people who have trouble controlling their weight. And I know that humans are mammals, and it is normal for mammals to consume more calories and be more lethargic through the winter months. So I don’t think it is realistic to expect to have the same energy level and appetite all year long.
But a couple of months ago, when I was making the case for why young people really are capable of abstinence if they believe that they can do it, it suddenly occurred to me that I could apply the same logic to myself. So for the past couple of months I have taken a different approach to dieting. I decided to foreswear soft drinks *for the rest of my life*, just as an alcoholic would foreswear liquor.
When I was a little kid, my dad stopped smoking…cold turkey. He just made up his mind that he was done with cigs, and that was it. He was able to do it because he believed that he could do it. So I am saying to myself “No more excuses!”. I have been making excuses for my obesity for decades. But some recent health issues have really motivated me to stop making excuses. I know that I can change. I knew it all along, but wouldn’t admit it to myself.
And I have made excuses for other people, because I didn’t want to be a hypocrite. When others have told me about their inability to stick to a diet, did I build them up and say “You can do it!”. No. I just said something like “I know what you mean. We always end up gaining it back.”. I was making excuses for them so that I wouldn’t have to get tough with myself.
I have known people who could eat like a horse and never gain a pound. Some of us have a much harder time than others. Fortunately, I have never been tempted by smoking, alcohol, or drugs. But it seems to me that the same type of approach is needed. After while these bad habits become largely subconscious. The hand puts food in the mouth with barely any conscious awareness. So people need to work hard to change those habits. Going “cold turkey” can work for things like cigs, alcohol, soda, and chocolate, because we don’t need ANY of those to live. But when it comes to calories, cold turkey isn’t an option because it’s really a matter of degree.
On the other hand, cold turkey actually is an option, literally, because when we eat protein we are less tempted to eat carbs. So I have also increased my protein and fat intake, which seems to help a lot.
I’m not suggesting that “believing you can do it” is the *only* factor. But I think it is an *essential* factor. But of course it also makes sense to use the best available knowledge about how things like sleep hygiene, lighting levels, and blood sugar levels affect our physiology.
What concerns me about the article is that it might provide even more of an excuse for people to give up and stop believing that they have the capacity to control their weight.
I have also gotten a lot better with my sleep hygiene, and I think that is also an essential factor. Edison’s light bulb changed the world, and not always in good ways. People used to go to bed when it got dark.
Self-control and self-discipline are not easy. I design embedded computer systems for a living. One of the big themes nowadays is to design systems that can run on very little energy. Most modern microcontrollers have one or more low-power “sleep” modes. A smoke detector can run for years on a single battery because it spends most of its time sleeping. It wakes up every so often, checks for trouble, and finding none, goes right back to sleep. My cats seem to be on a similar schedule. So it seems to me that the thing we call “laziness” is nothing more than evolution’s way of making sure we can survive at times when calories are scarce. Instead of calling it laziness, maybe we should call it “energy efficiency”. In order for a person to get out of bed, go to school, pay attention in Math class, and learn abstract principles that have no short-term payoff, a person has to be motivated by social forces. Learning Math is hard work. It isn’t natural for most people. But does a true friend make excuses for you and say “Yeah, I couldn’t learn it either. Join the club.” Or does a true friend say “Hey, dude! You can do it! You’ve just got to believe in yourself and don’t expect it to be easy.”
I think we need the same approach to obesity. People have tried every conceivable diet modification and exercise program. Many of these programs make sense, but I think the missing ingredients are believing that you can succeed, realizing that you need to get tough with yourself, and good sleep hygiene. And of course good genes don’t hurt.
burqa July 12th, 2016 at 21:56
I agree – I think we havbe a tendency to store fat for the winter, but I don’t know.
What I do know is this “study” has way too small a sample size to mean anything. You’re a pretty smart guy, so you disprove this “study” as well.
I believe a lot of things are in play for those with weight problems. It’s not just a matter of eating less.
Years ago I came across a great diet that worked for people I know.
I refer to it as the “WHITE FOOD HATES YOU” diet.
First, to make it work we have to realize that some sort of change is needed.
With this diet, you can stuff yourself silly and still lose weight.
What you do is stop eating anything white.
Sugar, pasta, flour, potatoes, rice – anything white has to go.
What this does is prevents the body from storing fat. Therefore, once you’ve got the white food out of your system, your body will be forced to burn the fat that is stored.
Have all the meat you want. Snack your ass off with salsa and corn chips. You just can’t have anything white.
Exercise will help, but is not mandatory.
Mike July 13th, 2016 at 00:18
Interesting story…I’m fascinated with light myself…been studying it for years. I would imagine you’re speaking about florescent fixtures at work…see if you can find out the spectrum. Some people don’t react well to say the blue 5500-6500k range (a daylight spec)as opposed to something like a 6K-7500k range (like an overcast sky…still blue) Only slightly different but big differences in heart rate and BP…The low 3000k redder range is like dusk…most people feel more relaxed but complain it strains their eyes… not enough white light.
The worst reactions are often found in the 3200k-4000k and up white range, (most popular com bulb)great for reading and all around general purpose but tough on your BP for some reason…Keep in mind these are general statements.
We’re about to see a lot of changes pretty soon with the advent of florescent LED or LED tubes …they can be fine tuned to a particular range or go full spectrum (intense bright sunlight) …like a grow light…a bit too much red for our comfort but plants and animals thrive well in it. Throwing in some red is a thing a lot of manufacturers are starting to do.
LED will be the future for the obvious energy savings and long life…and again, they can be fine tuned in a number of ways.
It would be interesting to see what K range you’re exposed to since you seem to be conscious of an effect it’s having on you.
I agree the protein trick decreases appetite but like you said eating habits have a myriad of differences from person to person. I’m not much different than I was in my 20’s (40 years ago) I’m a bit lighter actually. All genetics, I don’t exercise at a gym or do anything more strenuous than golf…but I’m also not a big eater…I tend to eat a lot of small meals during the day, no fast food or soda ever and no alcohol…I did smoke my share of weed but never cigarettes. Again my eating habits are are never forced…all genetics, I think.
The point I was trying to make about the genetic angle was akin to the way we treated mental illness years ago…we thought people went insane or were driven to insanity. And while that is certainly a possibility, we now know a lot more about the predisposition factors involved…like schizophrenia not appearing until puberty or your 20’s to geriatric disorders that pop up after 50 years…
I still feel genetics plays a major role, but I’ll agree with you that in this world of instant gratification, fast food, sugar and corn syrup, not to mention the processed meats, dairy and poultry…it can be hard for some people to just say no…
Have a good night.
Robert M. Snyder July 13th, 2016 at 00:45
I have a suspended ceiling in my office. I originally had two light fixtures (“troffers”) each containing three 32-watt T8 lamps. But I normally kept those lights off and the window shades closed and used a few small uplights to provide low, indirect lighting. My goal was to get the best possible color rendition on my monitor.
Last year I decided to increase the ambient light, so I added a third troffer containing four T5 high-output lamps. I also started using ALL of the lamps with the window shades open. This increased the total incident light by a factor of ten. Measured at the surface of my desk using a Gossen Luna-Pro light meter, I went from 700 lux to over 7,000 lux. 10,000 lux is what many of the light therapy units provide. So I figured that this level of illumination, throughout the day, should make a difference. I had to change my Windows background from dark blue to light gray in order to avoid seeing my own reflection. The office is now about as bright as a hospital operating room.
It definitely helps me to wake up in the morning, and I have noticed that my mood seemed brighter throughout the winter. But it has not helped my energy level during the winter months. However, it is always difficult to tease out the various factors. I find that I have more energy and enthusiasm when I avoid following the news for several days. Really.
Technical details:
My six 32-watt T8 tubes are Philips F32T8/TL750.
Color temp: 5000K
Color Rendering Index: 78
My four 54-watt T5 tubes are Keystone KTL-F54T5-850-HO.
Color temp: 5000K
Color Rendering Index (CRI): 85
http://www.keystoneballast.com/sites/default/files/term_spec_sheet/KTL-F54T5-850-HO.pdf
http://www.bulbs.com/product/F32T8-TL750-ALTO-32W-1
Mike July 13th, 2016 at 08:36
I’m a big fan of the T5’s…BTW, they make an LED now to fit a T5.
I’ll look tomorrow and see what data we have on your fixtures. A year or so ago a class did a pretty good study of some of the effects. Maybe there’s something there that could be relevant.
Mike July 12th, 2016 at 15:34
WTF…??? I’m calling bullshit without even clicking the link…
Suzanne McFly July 12th, 2016 at 17:32
I call BS too, my weight fluctuates due to multiple things going on in my life. I am the same person thin as I am when I have the chubs.
burqa July 12th, 2016 at 21:35
Yes. Your deluxiousness is a constant.
Suzanne McFly July 12th, 2016 at 22:23
lol
Gina Bousquet July 13th, 2016 at 18:04
I laughed so much too, loved the word. Such compliment! :)
Suzanne McFly July 13th, 2016 at 21:03
I will take one when I get one lol.
Gina Bousquet July 13th, 2016 at 21:06
That’s it! :)
Gina Bousquet July 12th, 2016 at 17:42
I call it bullsh!t. That’s a ridiculous sample.
burqa July 12th, 2016 at 21:34
Of course you are correct, Ms. Bousquet.
I agree with Alan about 90% of the time and understand our differences the remaining 10% and it’s no big deal.
The only exception to that is Alan has a bee in his bonnet about those with weight problems. One night on his show he went on a rant about “big fat pigs” that had me cringing. It was awful andf Alan refused repeated requests to apologize.
Gina Bousquet July 12th, 2016 at 21:42
People with weight problems that affect their health need support and understanding. :)
Jimmy Fleck July 13th, 2016 at 17:42
32 people as a study is ridiculous to draw any conclusions from.
Gina Bousquet July 13th, 2016 at 18:03
Absolutely!
bpollen July 12th, 2016 at 23:39
Where do the slightly pudgy stand? I’m.. ummm… asking for a friend.
spacegod July 13th, 2016 at 13:05
I am going to forgo immediate and/or highly salient rewards for the sake of longer-term health and wellness goals by not clicking on this article.
Foundryman July 13th, 2016 at 18:13
That explains Trump, getting through college when he was thin then turning into a blithering idiot now that he’s fat.