The Future of Fat

[Guest pangzi]

This is a couple years old now, but it's the first time I've come across it.  The study discussed here examines the role of the iPFK2 enzyme, which "protects against diet-induced fat tissue inflammation and systemic insulin resistance."  The enzyme is more abundant in large individuals with generally good health and minimum health complications but deficient in large individuals with health problems.  The theory operates on the basis that "fat deposition, or amount, is not directly associated with the inflammation or insulin resistance in the development of obesity-related metabolic diseases."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120531145810.htm

Here's the core message of the article: "Overexpression of the iPFK2 enzyme increases fat deposition, suppresses inflammatory responses and improves insulin sensitivity in both adipose and live tissues."  The scientists studying this enzyme talk about developing methods to supplement this enzyme or increase its expression.  This would reduce the negative health aspects of being fat and might, ironically, end up making people a little bigger too.

[Guest]

This is the most interesting, not to mention neutral, article I've read on obesity for some time.  A portion of the discussion focuses on the question: is widespread corpulence a temporary phase for humans or a feature we should expect to stick around indefinitely.  It also suggests the possibility that people who can't handle being fat are being selected against.

Plus, environmental (stress, etc.) and epigenetic factors play a major, difficult to measure role.  Younger people, even when eating and exercising the same amounts as previous generations, are more likely to be fat.  This is perhaps caused by the fact that our mothers were fatter and less active.  The trick to reversing obesity, some suggest, is getting soon to be mothers more active.  Considering the fact that mothers are fatter and less active than ever before, though...  There is talk of some frightful new nutrient leaching invention (engineered bulimia device) that sounds both disgusting and counterproductive.  It is also created, in part, by the inventor of the Segway... Go figure.

The shape of the future: Is obesity a crisis or just the latest stage of evolution?

Also, for some more articles related to obesity, another recent study supports the argument that BMI is an unreliable measure of health.

https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2016/02/bmi-whether-obese-overweight-or-normal-unreliable-measure-health-study-finds

http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/vaop/naam/abs/ijo201617a.html

And lastly, the environmental factors influencing our eating habits are so subtle that not only do the people we eat with affect consumption, but the size of our waiter also influences what and how much we eat.  In general, people will order more when served by a chubby waiter than they will when served by a thin one.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/psychology-eating-waiters-weight-influences-which-food-drinks-we-order-367320

 

[Guest _Antipathy]

This is laughable.

We could get rid of all overweight people on the world in less than 3 years if they all started exercising seriously and had a proper diet, but no. Let's spend millions in research so that we'll be able to modify genetics, find new medicaments, better chirurgy, etc. This proves how lazy humans are. And this is why the obesity epidemy will just get worse and worse. Then there's people who have a fat fetish, like me

[Guest pangzi]

I just came across these two devices within minutes of each other.  A glimpse of the future?  Insta-pod food delivered to your door (Hopefully pod-cookies would taste better than K-Cup coffee, cuz that shit's disgusting!) and another way to minimize walking, since we're all doing way too much of that!    Grab your cookies and get rolling!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1503077171/chip-smart-cookie-ovenfresh-cookies-in-under-10-mi?ref=card

There are trends in the opposite direction, but in general, technology just continues to enable obesity.  Now, if we could just cure diabetes and find a way to put all the cardiovascular health benefits of exercise into capsule form, we'd be set!

[matsuiny2004]

Many plus size women are actually considered medically healthy. What were talking about is well bbw last in they long term. I think they could. If we have a liberal or libertarian transhumansist society people could enhance themselves however they please. This means a bbw could use nanites to eliminate health impacts and an exoskeleton for bad joints or Leg implants. Also if pear shaped women are your thing that kind of fat is healthy so they could enhance fat accumulation there. 

[Guest pangzi]

53 minutes ago, matsuiny2004 said:

Many plus size women are actually considered medically healthy. What were talking about is well bbw last in they long term. I think they could. If we have a liberal or libertarian transhumansist society people could enhance themselves however they please. This means a bbw could use nanites to eliminate health impacts and an exoskeleton for bad joints or Leg implants. Also if pear shaped women are your thing that kind of fat is healthy so they could enhance fat accumulation there. 

Yeah, I think the question boils down to this: will technology eliminate obesity or will it minimize the adverse effects of obesity?  I think the latter is more achievable in the short run, and that the former isn't impossible but is further off in the future.

[matsuiny2004]

True but if the heath impacts are eliminated then the need to eliminate obesity no longer exists and such enhancements would normalize a bbw physique as healthy. I mean if we are enhanced humans money won't even be a problem anymore so people wouldn't worry about the costs of these enhancements.

[matsuiny2004]

Also there could be robot bbw. No health problems there.

[Guest An Optimist]

On 12/7/2016 at 10:18 PM, matsuiny2004 said:

True but if the heath impacts are eliminated then the need to eliminate obesity no longer exists and such enhancements would normalize a bbw physique as healthy. I mean if we are enhanced humans money won't even be a problem anymore so people wouldn't worry about the costs of these enhancements.

Lel.

The more fat people get, the less they look like people. Our brains evolved to like people, not obese people. 
Even if the health problems magically went away. 

And I'm not even touching status issues here. 

[matsuiny2004]

In many cultures being fat was a sign of wealth so that puts a serious hole in your argument there