Is Obesity a Choice? - with Giles Yeo

[@TheRoyalInstitution]

The brilliant Giles Yeo came to the Ri to give the 2019 JSB Haldane lecture on the role of genetics in obesity and we couldn't be more pleased to host both him and the Genetics Society.

[@sang3Eta]

Obesity is the result of the poor having to live on a diet of cheap carbs. It's not really a choice for many!

[@ireneswackyjournals8810]

@@sang3Eta it’s very complex and a lot of nuances to it. Obesity for some is a choice, with help from genetics. To others it’s full on genetics. To others it’s actual health conditions. And to a large number extreme poverty. The rich have means to get better nutrition, nutritionists, and work less hours by passing responsibility onto other members of the work team.

[@sang3Eta]

@@ireneswackyjournals8810 Meat protien makes you feel full, carbs leave you feeling hungry, potatoes are cheap, meat is expensive. The economics of fast food creates unhealthy people.

[@ireneswackyjournals8810]

@@sang3Eta the economics of not just fast food but literally grocery stores. What items are cheaper in the shelves. Imagine having to feed husband and two kids. I eat healthy yet that’s literally 200 a week in organic foods, and the better meats, for myself. Assuming I switch from organic to something conventiOnal okay that’s 30-35 bucks less. Maybe 150 if I could take it down even further. Imagine a family of four. Foos in the US is expensive. I watch videos of European bloggers eating. Fast food is cheaper and faster. A large number work 50-60 hours to make ends meet. And can’t afford gym or 5 am workouts. I know this because when I started to work I could not, I got into a six figure salary yeah but I remember earning peanuts. And I remember realizing women with kids were earning this as were men. Which means that households were getting 20-40k annually, with kids.

[@ireneswackyjournals8810]

@@sang3Eta oh and may I add in Miami Florida. Which means that property doesn’t go below 300k usually and apartments were always 1k and above for 1 bedroom

[@TheMightyOdin]

Having lost 200 pounds over the last 26 months I’m even more impressed with what I’ve done after watching this.

[@soonny002]

Sounds like you made a choice. A good one.

[@rosesarelike]

Congratulations. It's a big achievement!

[@rajx82]

Name checks out! Well done!

[@Mexicobeanpole]

You should be!!

[@anneflynn9614]

Awesome!

[@mattlm64]

People say that skinny people are only skinny because of will power, but I'm naturally skinny and have to use will power to put on and maintain weight. I have to force feed myself. It makes perfect sense to me that obese people have the opposite problem.

[@MoominPa]

Matthew Mitchell Thank you for saying that. Unfortunately most of us will take a credit for something that they have due to a pure luck.

[@sjtaylor7950]

Yeah, likewise. I should be a lot bigger than I am. People just don't like (or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, lean way too much on) the comforting point-of-view that it's all down to nothing but choice.

[@mattlm64]

@anonymous one Sure, age does play a factor. I'm still in my 20s.

[@DANGJOS]

Agreed, same here.

[@DANGJOS]

@leahcim38 Did you watch the video?

[@lorettacaputo6997]

This hour of watching this lecture is additional proof of how amazing the lessons of biology can be.

[@KinGzeDK]

My labrador when she was around 6 months old: Woke up and got her breakfast. Home alone, finds 1 kg of food we got from breeder - ate it all. Getting her dinner in the evening. Starts puking because of too much food. Still begs for more food when we were having a late snack. True labrador!

[@deefee701]

Labradors are known for this but most dogs have an inbuilt on-switch to eat everything they can, just in case they cant find food quickly. In modern society we give them too much food because we don't know this and think they're always hungry.

[@yl1487]

@@deefee701 If I'm not mistaken, there have been speculations, possibly supported (I would remain unable to provide any citations though), that amongst canines the Labrador retriever breed has disruptions to genetics controlling leptin signaling ... have you come across something like this before?

[@Eustace.h.plimsoll6625]

@@yl1487Giles himself talks about this at great length in a BBC Radio 4 program called The Life Scientific, which is available on BBC iPlayer.

[@CalloohCalley]

I love the way he communcates. If a physicist looks at obesity they might say "calories in = calories out". True. But I'm a biochemist, so I tend to see metabolism as hopelessly complicated, and the factors involved in fat gain/loss are multitude. So, it's good to hear geneticists speaking about eating habits from the view of heredity and genetic variation. Thank you Mr. Yeo.

[@nomadman5288]

It's not "hopelessly complicated." Genetics can't pull 1000 extra calories from the air and make you gain 2lbs a week for that you're not eating. If people don't eat, they starve, regardless of their heredity or genetic cariation. Likewise, if they eat twice the calories they burn, they gain weight quickly. "Calories in and calories" out might be over simplified, but generally speaking, it's practical and consistent with little variation.

[@babooshka7601]

@@nomadman5288 Stress has an immediate effect on your digestion. If you experience stress within 2 hours of eating, your body adds 104 calories to your meal. That could lead to 5 kg weight gain a year without eating more than usual.

[@drooooop]

⁠@@babooshka7601That sounds like complete BS, and also not how thermodynamics. Funny how it’s always exactly 104 calories, apparently 😂

[@lawrencetoddverrnier302]

absolutely brilliant presenter.

[@hyu358]

Why do so many people find it disturbing to say that we are not equal in this fight against obesity? We are all different, it's easy to reduce everything to simple willpower, others have to be much more rigorous than others to keep their weight down

[@anthonyweston630]

Because people like to think that the positive things in our life our down the personal choice/effort/perseverance (even if it’s not true)

[@helenaquin1797]

​@@anthonyweston630Yes the old Just World Hypothesis that ppl unaware folks succumb to. Good things happen to good people and bad things happen...

[@helenaquin1797]

And certainly many children who have these "ultra processed industrially produced edible products" marketed to them through their phones, fed to them at school, perhaps fed to them at home dependent on how aware the parents are, etc. will have even MORE challenges once their higher metabolism of youth slows in young adulthood.

[@helenaquin1797]

​@@anthonyweston630yes it is true to a smaller degree than people pretend - even economic success as an example. Yes you need to know a few things, but the luck of the draw with the type of school district you grew up in, parents place on the scale, people known or encountered who give a leg up, people's opportunity to beat the system who don't get caught - from cheating in school up to sabotaging competative work colleagues etc.

[@drooooop]

Because people have maintained normal weights throughout all of human history until the last 50 years.

[@garybenade]

Giles is a an amazingly captivating speaker, with just the right balance of intellect and humour, breaking complex ideas down without being condescending, I thoroughly enjoyed this

[@BarneyR2]

I've been about 40kgs overweight for many years. And its taken about 5 years to get to a normal weight. I have IBS-D and am trying to reduce those symptoms which I do by trying to eat less processed foods and it really is a constant battle over my biology that wants me to keep binging. I think there is also an element of brain pathways that gets messed up when you overeat. Even though my weight is just coming into normal range now my brain and also my physiology still wants to eat like before. I am hoping that will eventually change but it may not. My weightloss was a result of me focusing not on losing weight but on doing whatever was necessarily to reduce IBS. Focusing on a different goal with weightoss as a side effect has turned out to be a strategy that works because its a little easier to overcome brain and biological impulses that drive me to keep eating.

[@aidanschauer1581]

Even for a laymen this was pretty epic. Thanks for all the information, it will be helpful as I continue my own personal weight loss journey.

[@juliustan1494]

Wow, I’m saving this video as reference for how to present incredibly complex and additive information in a simple and engaging manner. Amazing stuff Giles!

[@daniellevanooyen6904]

Im usually one to zone out and loose interest, but woo this presentation blew me away. So informative and fun to watch, thank you again. Will definite be taking notes. :)

[@evancooper7336]

Wish more lecturers were like this, can't tell if it's passion or mania though haha

[@markbrown2749]

Wow. A lecture just doesn't get any better than this! 👏👏👏😁

[@bplus2932]

awesome speaker, kept me locked in.

[@jamesdspaderf2883]

I live in NYC, and I work in the health industry. The lack of driving does not seem to correlate with obesity, at all. So many overweight and obese people!

[@jamesdspaderf2883]

@Reckless Abandon did I suggest otherwise? But it's actually more complex than that. Why do some 'overconsume' and others do not.

[@meio4744]

@Reckless Abandon did you even watch the lecture? Why comment.

[@nikitaw1982]

when he said plopped out a baby....the dead silence lol. couldn't stop thinking about the ladys in the audience next 5 minutes

[@nikitaw1982]

@@jamesdspaderf2883 do they walk though? lots of skinny delivery people

[@charles-hebertlahaye8747]

This allowed me to get my dignity back.

[@shahuni]

"I had to come in looking smart, at least" - Best and honest use of this knowledge: "First impression is the last impression"

[@hederahelix4600]

"obese people are not morally bereft, they're not bad, they are fighting their biology" - Thank you, thank you, thank you. The last part made me cry. This should be taught at school, this should be part of common knowledge! I sincerely hope one day it will be. I have been suffering from this problem for all my life. On top of all the physical limitations that being obese brings, I also always had to fight the social stigma that is attached to it. The mental suffering that this stigma causes is immense and I have only realized in the last few years that it isn't all my own fault and it is so good to hear that I was right.

[@nikitaw1982]

interesting. feelings aside. i'm an alcoholic. i know if i keep drinking ill mess up my liver and the rest of my mind. i don't see an alcoholic acceptance movement. hospitals filled with alcoholics and obese people. life is hard

[@wolflink9000]

I mean being obese is still your fault/responsibility at the end of the day. Doesn't mean you're a bad person but you are a bigger (no pun intended) cost to society on average and obviously will probably die sooner.

[@UnicyclDev]

Do you eat more calories than you burn? Thermodynamics works.

[@thedolcetto81]

@gnorweb When people say "it's simple thermodynamics, calories in, calories out, I always reply 'How I wish the human body were as simple as a Carnot engine' "

[@TheDilemma76]

@@UnicyclDev We are to engines. It's not as simple as filling up a gas tank and determining how many miles per gallon do we get. There are so many different elements that go into it. The body doesn't even know what a calorie is since we don''t digest calories.

[@lauralahaye7699]

Genetics loads the gun, environnment pulls the trigger.

[@rays2794]

Another amazing lecture! You’re good dude, you are really good! I truly believed that in 95% of people obesity was a choice. I knew that there are diseases and abnormal genes that caused obesity but I thought that was just a small percentage of the population. My eyes have been opened and I actually feel stupid and embarrassed for not understanding the complexity of the problem.

[@ruan13o]

But you have done an amazing thing too. You have seen the evidence, assessed your previous prejudices and re-evaluated them. That is sadly more than what most people will do. Especially on the internet! Just keep learning and keep your mind open to new evidence.

[@marlathelittlesore....9088]

But...but...but....he DID SAY that it's a small percentage of the population that truly had a major deletion or distortion of these genes that cause actual obesity. Though expressions of many genes may make it harder for some people than for others to stay thinner in the same environment. Not everyone puts themselves in similar environments. I'm not virtue signaling here....but routinely turning into the drive through is a choice. What makes it easier or harder to make a healthy choice may be genetic, but it's still a choice.

[@noah5291]

@@marlathelittlesore....9088 true, but we don't get to pick our will power. We have no control over our will at all. You had no choice over the genes that determine your behavior, or the environment that determined your conditioning. You have no choice whether or not you get to make choices at all, you are forced to choose. You didn't get to choose to be born, you are thrown into sentience.

[@rockjockchick]

@@marlathelittlesore....9088 yes, but your willpower has little to do with it. He did say most people have the more subtle genetic traits, which is almost harder to figure out than, “oh, here, just take leptin!” Plus you have to change unconscious programming from your developmental environment as well. Do that and you might actually have a true choice in your food choices. The first choices are becoming aware of the previous things and coming up with a game plan -not just fighting yourself at each meal hoping will power will beat genetics.

[@TheBestofJuan]

@@noah5291 your brain changes depending on the choices you make. its called neuroplasticity, and yes while some of us may be born with a susceptibility to be at a heavier weight, we can still do what we can to be as healthy as we can. If we change our habits, our brain will change with it and make it easier. Also you are not forced to choose at all. If you truly want to not decide at all, you can simply not live anymore. You get what you want in my opinion.

[@magdalenakoehlen6571]

Who was it that actually took the trouble to knit Giles's "Food-to-Poop-Tube" model? They need to be massively applauded for their time and effort as well!

[@billmccaffrey1977]

Wonderful talk. My wife must be at one extreme: she can eat all she wants of just about anything (actually consumes twice my calories daily) and her weight will fluctuate from 105 lbs to 110 lbs. My weight can fluctuate wildly: when very active, I can eat a lot and never gain any weight; when I am sedimentary, I can actually eat less and gain weight very fast; my weight can fluctuate dramatically from 195 lbs to 240 lbs simply based on activity and it happens in as little as 3 months. I learned this when I became disabled, and later learned to overcome/live with this disability (doctors mistake cost me my left foot).

[@deefee701]

So sorry they did that to you. Good on you for trying to overcome it.

[@tihana13]

Wow! What a story! Props to you!

[@nkundebarbara6303]

Sorry,I pray for the grace of God upon your life 🙏🙏🙏

[@WilliamKhonggo]

Thank you Mr. Giles yeo and all your super team for the research and the willpower you put into this wonderful presentation, god bless you and stay healthy brother :)

[@rebalspirit]

The most poignant line of the lecture: "obese people are fighting their genetics." To which I would add they may also be fighting certain physiological processes that have become "diseased" as well and we give so little approval of that fight and usually only if the fight reflects a socially approved outcome that's perceptually observable.

[@virginicaanderson1569]

They are actually fighting big food and big Pharma and are losing!

[@potatoman8609]

Having genetics doesn't excuse obesity, it makes it harder but not impossible.

[@robertjr555]

Yes some of that diseased state might be leptin resistance

[@PaulMawdsley68]

This is the second RI I have watched with Giles and feel compelled to say: dude, you are awesome!

[@TheAlexN1305]

34:32 - "He doesn't love you, he is hungry." xD

[@senselocke]

This man is *ridiculously* entertaining. So glad someone with such an entertaining and engaging manner of speaking has chosen such an important field of study. Makes it much easier when the science isn't just data, it's a *story,* because people respond better to stories. Thank you.

[@MrCervixtickler]

I love ri talks and this one stands out as a brilliant example of why everyone should watch ri

[@BenTajer89]

Enivronment is still huge, my cousins who are the same age as me, but are married and live out in the burbs are all overweight, while I'm in the city and I'm still in shape. The difference in weight between city and suburban folks is also pretty noticeable in general in the US, also in different regions. I think the biggest correlation seems to be how much people drive.

[@AQGOAT24]

For real. Having lived in both burbs and the city, when I live in cities, I always end up losing weight because I use public transit and am walking everywhere. In the burbs I even have to drive just to get a snack otherwise I'd waste over an hour if I was walking

[@GglSux]

Yes I also believe that lack of physical activity undoubtedly is a huge maybe in many cases even the major "factor". I have worked with "heavy manual labour" for periods of my life, and although I believe that my workmates most likely were an "average slice" of the population I don't remember any of them being properly obese. And, as with Your example, I attribute this to the "environmental aspect" of this issue. We simply burned so much calories doing our work every day, that we as a group, without any direct personal choice on our part, "ended up" skinnier than our "genetically identical brethren" that spent their days behind a desk. Which correlates to what I found Dr.Yeo saying here, from the start. Simply put eating, weight and finally obesity are all complex "mechanisms" that are greatly influenced by many things, not least on circumstantial factors. But we should be aware and accept the genes ALSO play a big and in many ways fundamental part in the "big picture". At least that's how I see the world...at the moment ;) Best regards.

[@Sqlut]

You don't understand how genetic differences in familly actually work. The fact they are in the same familly means little. For example, if we do the same bitter taste with a Piperidine or Phenylthiocarbamide, you might be able to feel the bitterness and your sister/cousins, parents could be unable to taste it. Unless you and your cousins do a full scan of your gene, your argument means very little. Also, just the fact that some people prefer to live in the city or in the suburbs means there could be a genetic influence to this behavior and that it could be linked to many other things. There is not individual genes for every behaviors or traits, they kind of come with a "package", and it's probable where people prefer to live also shapes many other traits. But once again, people like you try to avoid the genetic argument by speaking about behaviors. I don't blame you, we used to burn epileptic people, it's a human thing. But when someone tries to give his piece of advice on such a channel, it would be perfect if more information was gathered or the thread a little bit more mastered before talking.

[@shaunwalker4221]

I lost 50ibs i used to always blame my metabolism but that was not the issue I was eating way to much food

[@gedas7058]

Interestingly, when people lose weight, the interesting point that they make to emphasize is that they did not necessarily have to increase exercise or physical activity in general. I'm saying this just to throw an idea out that there might be something else that's very important,, not just physical activity and maybe to a bigger degree.

[@baalbaalblacksheep191]

@2:15 "And thank you... all of you... who I think need to be questioning your life decisions"... Question answered... Lecture over !

[@michaelwisniewski6047]

Amazing. Just could not stop watching Giles. I had other more important things to do, but NO, have to watch some more of this...!

[@samueljohnson7121]

Only 33K views, this is a great watch with tonnes of good science. Well done RI & speaker!

[@paulpantea9521]

Such a great talk. I don't understand the down votes. Is it that controversial that your genes influence how much you crave food? Some people find it more difficult to eat properly because their brain keeps screaming that they're starving. That doesn't mean people don't have a responsibility for their health, just that some have it harder.

[@TheRoyalInstitution]

The balance is shifting now!

[@rockjockchick]

Agreed!

[@MaokiDLuffy]

Great! Besides fighting society's prejudice, obese people also have to fight genetics.

[@piaruns7928]

One more excuse...

[@stephiegetsit]

14:39 I didn't know my father growing up. I found him at age 26. Yet we have favorite foods in common . And just yesterday speaking to him he brought up he is allergic to sweet potato. I am mostly plant based in dietary in take. Yet I avoid sweet potatoes, if I know it's an ingredient I just don't want that food, if I am grocery shopping I never buy it and if my husband asks want some sweet potato the automatic answer is no. Genes....

[@funglegunk]

This dude is a rock star, haha. And has the credentials to back everything up. Fantastic lecture. It's science via infectious curiosity and joy, just brilliant.

[@joelonsdale]

He's not a rock star, he's a doctor - rock stars are a lower rank.

[@funglegunk]

@@joelonsdale but you realise what I meant by rockstar yeah?

[@joelonsdale]

@@funglegunk Yes, I was being snarky because I hate that turn of phrase, sorry!

[@funglegunk]

@@joelonsdale I see. Maybe hold the snark in next time.

[@HealthWeathRecovery]

When we see a thin person we often assume that they must have a fast metabolism. It's strange that when we see an obese person, we don't automatically think that they must have a slow metabolism. A lot of times body weight and size is based on biology and genes, rather than willpower.

[@alexmorgan3435]

No it's people who are just gluttons for sugar and carbs, they are addicted to it. Vegan diets are high in sugar and carbs which is a ticket to becoming obese.

[@JonnySpec]

@@alexmorgan3435 Yet on average vegans have a lower BMI than carnists, hmm... (Although I guess it could be argued that people who go vegan are generally more health-conscious, so they eat less ultra-processed food)

[@jellyrcw12]

Just started, I love Giles Yeo's voice. He sounds very wholesome.

[@santopino2546]

How to make people interested in a boring argument. He did an excellent job.

[@ppunion]

I don't know what it is with Dr. Yeo, but he is super engaging to listen to. Perhaps someone should study it :D Also: NEEEEEEEEEEEERD!

[@avg4015]

Thank you for changing my mind about people with obesity.

[@kashmirha]

Oh my god! What an excellent lecture, what a fantastic researcher and showman. Why are not there 100 times more viewers? Come on youtube algorithm.

[@Ghrainne]

The Shirt

[@toffee4ever641]

😂

[@KarlDMarx]

Excellent scientist and brilliant communicator ... I am waiting for him to tackle Corona with the same integrity!

[@misha-jz4yx]

amazingly delivered and so educational. so couple genetics with childhood aces and public shaming and the availability of cheap calorie dense food

[@parkviewmo]

I am so grateful that this research is going on. Maybe within the next few generations human beings won't be the object of the shaming, judgements of moral weakness, discrimination at work, and bullying that my generation has experienced. These human behaviors are particularly prevalent in the medical profession.

[@mimigri]

Could you link the knitting pattern for the knitted guts, please :)

[@Amethyst_Friend]

@@rickysoulless6534 Pattern

[@JP-ve7or]

Try Ravelry; you might find it or something very similar 😃

[@Dietconsulting]

Google intestinal knitting pattern

[@cserpakbalazs6342]

Amazing lecture, very enjoyable. My takeaway: I'm a freak bc I still prefer a steak to a cake even after two or three steaks. Not that I hate the cake, but as long as I have a choice I'll take the meat.

[@missano3856]

Same, during the cookie story I thought, I'd ignore cookies but if it was beef jerky I'd be all over it

[@applegal3058]

Funny isn't it? I'd be all over something like rice pudding or icecream!

[@dans5595]

where is the consumption of calories by intestinal flora in the energy balance?

[@hanskraut2018]

What about energy expenditure and desire to move and do stuff instead of hating doing more active stuff

[@awksedgreep]

Does anyone watching this honestly believe that our ancestors were ever overweight? Many people have a propensity to have more inflammation from the garbage we eat today, but overweight is a new thing. Fix your diet and you will be fine. Avoid inflammation at all costs.

[@stargazerbird]

Terrific stuff. Understanding is the key to change and Giles is really good at explaining so much complex science.

[@dexterdamonkey]

Problem with the quetelet kaup index (bmi): it has existed since the late 1800s, the values have increased twice ever since (once in the 50s, once in the 70s). I know it's widely used and accepted as a medical tool, doesn't stop it from being a very dodgy tool.

[@rockjockchick]

Agreed. They changed the basal body temp norm also. Lowered it to 97.5 instead of 98.6. To me it seems like we shouldn’t be moving the markers of healthy and figure out what has changed on such a mass scale.

[@TheDilemma76]

It also ignores the importance of the waist hip ratio which is a better indicator.

[@Dietconsulting]

It's a population tool. It predicts population risk. The problem is it gets applied to individuals

[@supreme84x]

So should we socially change the way meals are setup? Should we eat dessert first?

[@bplus2932]

phenomenal speaker, very interesting research and conclusion, also great fun and humility from this great mind, thank you for the content and information!

[@derekhalford187]

While we can choose what we eat, the food industry has manipulated our ability to control this by adding sugar and various other chemicals that produce a kind of addiction to certain products, so it's much more difficult to resist the urge to overeat or order the larger version of the meal. I'm not just talking about fast foods, but even in general our meats have been processed, bread, beans, breakfast cereals, yoghurts etc, have been loaded with sugars/sweetners. The consumer seems to be blamed for this, or at least targetted and the manufacturers are able to keep out of court by keeping to the bare minimum requirements of law. We are paying the price for this, as our western lifestyle has become plagued with sickness and disease.

[@krncrty]

Watch to the end, the closure is excellent.

[@stephiegetsit]

30:00 so is hypoglycemia a low blood sugar based problem or a leptin regulating issue. And when a female hit menopause and cannot control weight gain no matter how healthy they eat and utilize exercise . is that at it's core a leptin issue more than and estrogen issue, because even women on hormone replacement therapy still sight weight gain control issues.

[@awildagarcia9673]

I randomly clicked on this and man am I enjoying it!!!!! Fantastic vid!!!!

[@johanhansson4574]

Is anything a choice? I would say some people are more able to choose and other just follow their instincts. Education helps in making good choices.

[@zparkplug2788]

i mean...yes lol "anything" is a choice. if i decide what to eat for dinner im making a choice. by setting an alarm for a certain time youre making a choice. if someone tries to rob you, you have the choice to comply, run, or fight back

[@TheDilemma76]

@@zparkplug2788 I didn't choose to have Lupus. Medications I take for it affect my weight. I suppose the choice is take the medicine, live and deal with extra weight. Or I could refuse to take the medication, potentially die or at the very least have a miserable, painful existence, but I wouldn't have that pesky weight.

[@Dietconsulting]

I respectfully disagree that education makes a difference most people struggle to apply things they are told

[@johanhansson4574]

@@Dietconsulting Hard to tell if it's the education that makes people less obese or that people that can't control their behaviour are less likely to educate themselves. The correlation is there however....

[@KenSamaGomenasai]

At my highest weight I was over 400 pounds. I had an insatiable appetite my entire life. We found out that I have a genetic potassium deficiency last year.... I was dieting hard and ended up in the ER because my potassium levels were what should have been fatally low. Since getting on potassium supplements and potassium sparing diuretics, I'm down a hundred pounds. My hunger level is normal now. No... Obesity is not a choice, at least not for everyone.

[@davidr1431]

when people talk about obesity being a choice they should perhaps talk about the strength of hunger cues instead.

[@KenSamaGomenasai]

@@davidr1431 I'm willing to bet obesity in the USA is caused by nutritional deficits across the board. Even our vegetables are lacking in nutrients. When people are lacking in a nutrient they need to survive, such as an electrolyte, the body will force you to eat until it finds a trace amount of that element. The food industry needs to emphasize quality more than quantity.

[@FreshSmog]

I only realised this recently after hearing about the condition called aphantasia. While usually referring to aphantasia of sight, all senses can be imagined. I have an aphantasia of taste and smell, I cannot conjure the sense in my head of how a plate of cookies might taste like. I believe it's the reason I do not crave the taste of food, neither do advertisements about food attract me in any meaningful way. I do remember the taste of cookies, but just as facts. Sweet, fragrant etc,

[@Music-fg3bj]

Very interesting! I also seem to have some aphantasia (sight) and grew up "forgetting to eat" often. I didn't understand why people craved certain foods, because I just ate whatever was convenient, usually the same things I could think of off the top of my head. Not picky, just no particular interest in food. I was underweight because of it. However, when I had an eating disorder, I would visit grocery stores often to look at and buy "new" foods, things I hadn't tried before. The shopping part gave me a dopamine hit and "tasting" the food gave eating some purpose, because otherwise I wouldn't eat anything but vegetables and salmon. If I already knew what something tasted like though, all interest faded. It was more a craving for novelty rather than for any particular food. Once I stopped going to the grocery store for fun and instead to pick up a wider variety of staple healthy foods, that fascination went away. I have to try very hard to "imagine" what something might taste like but I don't salivate over anything because I still can't really taste it in my mind. If something is on sale and I think I might enjoy it though, then I'm still willing to try it since my SO can always help finish it when I lose interest

[@almor2445]

This last month I've been drinking only water and the occasional single glass of winw, eating a clean Mediterranean diet with about half my normal calories intake. It's remarkable. I lost 14lbs very quickly then nothing after 2 weeks. I did a strict 2 day water fast followed by 3 days omad (still clean Mediterranean on breaking for 1 hour a day) I've lost nothing at all. Not even after 2 days on water. Zero. I'm not giving up but it's bloody frustrating!

[@almor2445]

My dad was always thin no matter what he ate and my mother always struggled with her weight.

[@FilmSetView]

A weight loss is never linear, it does have platos and sometimes even small hills, so don't lose heart. One common mistake is to restrict calories too much, too quickly, - as it sounds by your rapid weight loss, which isn't really that healthy - which causes the body to go into "starvation mode" and lower metabolism. If you have low calories intake and then fast a few days as well, that might make things worse. Have you tried daily intermittent fasting instead? That is, you fast 1l4 hours and then have all your meals and snacks within 10 hours. Just make sure you don't eat too few calories! Unfortunately, it didn't work for me, I just ended putting on more weight when I experimented with intermittent fasting, but lots of other people got lots of health benefits, not just losing weight. Dieting apps like My Fitness Pal, (just one of many) can help with choosing healthy weight loss for your individual circumstance (the heavier you are the more calories you need to eat at first) and they can help to see where the problem might be. I lost 11 kg last year just by logging in every mouthful, even though I went over the calorie target and giving up a healthy diet for a few months: just having a visual representation of where my calories came from helped me to make different choices.

[@JohnM0rris]

​@Alex Morgan You may have dropped your calories too fast and crashed your metabolism. It's recommended that you lower calories by only 300-500 calories a day. So if you're daily caloric intake is 2700 to sustain your weight. Drop to 2200 - 2400 calories a day. If you drop calories too much over time you lose muscle and muscle is your metabolism. More muscle, better metabolism, less muscle, worse metabolism. Don't lose weight too fast. Take it slow and do some push ups and squats to keep the muscle! You can do this!!!!!!

[@piaruns7928]

Get your calories up!!!!

[@charlesparrish2831]

I’ve known thin people who eat so much more than big people!!!!

[@adhipmitra]

Delightful talk.

[@mortenle]

When the knee surgeon I'd just met (after losing 100 pounds) throws his hands in the air and yells, "Eat Salads! No--half salads!" I know science has left the building. I am constantly gaining and losing, yet lay people and doctors act like I am in complete moral failure because how dare I have a double chin since the age of 1? But Yeo may not be quite understanding the level of cultural crap poured on every fat person's head every minute of every day. After 54 years, I had had it--I eat more "intuitively" now, and work to not feeling guilt, to not obsess, to dress up or down how I want, and I've been a similar weight for 4 years now--I just wish I had done this years ago.

[@yashistampedes5849]

i know my cat doesnt love me. he gets all rubby dubby when he's hungry but as soon as he's had his fill he's as feral as f..you cant get near him for any thing. makes flea and tick treatments and assessing any wounds quite fun and challenging.

[@ellenalister2425]

Great balance between science, lay speech and humour, superb presentation!

[@ireneswackyjournals8810]

Can we as Americans see that a part of tackling this here in the country is by adding better labour laws (people don’t go overtime and have less anxiety). That we also introduce alternative travel means and match our city grids to European ones so we aren’t obsessed with cars? We spread this through our poor diet and our American lifestyle. And it’s killing us.

[@josephsaab7208]

I swear people will blame everything except themselves. Labour laws, the city layout and cars aren't making you obese. Eating too much, eating the wrong things and not exercising enough are causing you to be obese. Do not tell me you don't have time to exercise because everyone does, every single person has five or ten or twenty or thirty minutes to exercise.

[@ireneswackyjournals8810]

@@josephsaab7208 well considering people in Europe are skinnier. Use a bit of analysis. And by the way, I’m actually one of those that does have time, but I’ve seen family members and their type of work environment

[@piaruns7928]

Yeah, I'm sure it's a lot easier to change laws and rebuild cities than to take a second and THINK before you put junk into the grocery cart... 😂

[@Shobz-e8s]

…….…and then add on the environment the person grew up in, with maybe emotional or physical abuse or neglect! It’s actually very sad really. It’s such a journey! Great talk, thank you:)

[@restinga01]

IT TAKES 2 DAYS without eating to start not being hungry. After this period, we are able to eat less without feeling hungry. AND TAKES JUST 1 MINUTE eating a chocolate bar, a pizza or any caloric food TO THROW IT AWAY and start to being hungry again, and eat a lot and say " I AM NOT ABLE TO LOSE WEIGHT " Only those who lost weight know how a small slide-out throws away all your effort.

[@bluedotdinosaur]

Part of the public health problem is that the food industry is predicated on profiteering from encouraging people to eat things they don't need to eat, and then selling them cures for having eaten what they don't need to eat. People with genetic challenges in regards to weight gain are really just the canaries in the mineshaft for the corrupt and greedy profit-driven food culture the world is suffering from. Their bodies respond much more quickly to being placed in an environment where it is difficult to escape harmful and highly processed foods. As well, another issue is that we have trouble dealing the realities of obesity because of vanity. People who aren't overweight enjoy feeling superior to those that are, coming up with any excuse at hand. "I have superior will power!" "My intelligence is greater because I make the best food choices!" In the comments to this video, we see people dismiss the science by simply sneering that they eat a bag of broccoli and obese people don't. (In other words, it's just about overweight people being stupid, unlike the sophisticated and presumably thin-waist commentator.)

[@zetizahara]

This comment is so underrated.

[@SlowToe]

Absolutely brilliant. Thank you Ri

[@mermer58]

A large part is conditioning. When I'm happy I'm more social and I eat more.

[@m_r__r_o_b_o_t]

I liked the Usain Bolt analogy. Only a tiny minority of people have the genetics to be an Olympic sprinter, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get faster at running.

[@hanskraut2018]

And motivation comes from magic not from dopamine. And biology can be overruled by magic and god. Thank you average person for your contribution.

[@iTradeAIMS]

28:00 "plane crash in the Andes , your partner is looking delicious, starving "

[@Amethyst_Friend]

I properly lol-ed at that!

[@audaxxx4202]

Lol people in the comments didn't even read the description never mind watch the whole video.

[@fleekwoodmatt4316]

@@RoGeorgeRoGeorge That's animal abuse

[@freezatron]

at least he's not putting his cockie in the mouse .... ;)

[@MrWylis]

Seeing as it's coming up to Christmas, I've simply got to say: sprouts are the best veg.

[@ireneswackyjournals8810]

Micro greens, beets, etc

[@brucehutchinson9527]

So very enlightening. I am thinking about people I know as I listened to your presentation. I was in the third grade when Crick and Watson discovered DNA. Before that chromosomes and Mendel genetics we're known and taught but none of this that has been learned since was even imagined.

[@petesaria-hf1xh]

If You’re Overweight, it’s YOUR Fault, is the name of a little weight loss journal I picked up on Amazon. I'm not in any great of losing weight (maybe that stubborn 10 pounds), but I've always contended that too much gut isn't anyone's fault but the habits of the overweight. This is a great little system to follow. I think I'll use it on my "obstinate ten."

[@NS-xt5wv]

I have always known that I was BORN with an enormous appetite. From my mother complaining that I was insatiable when she was breastfeeding me to actually remembering how my peers at a kindergarten would secretly feed me their lunches because they didn’t want to, while for me one portion wasn’t enough. All worked well while I was active but then I got into a relationship, started spending more time at home and gained weight that I never got to lose, because my appetite is just crazy 😔

[@PedanticNo1]

I'm a skinny guy, but when I smoke a lot of pot for long periods, my body weight can increase by as much as 15% in about a month. This is entirely due to a massively increased appetite. When I don't smoke, my body weight returns to my normal level. IDK. Maybe chronically obese people feel cravings for food similarly to how a stoned person does. I'm not talking about the chemical mechanism in the brain, just the relative "urge" to eat. Viewed in that way, I can understand why those obese people find it difficult to lose weight. Is there a way to quantify cravings and urges though?

[@aeydra]

That bitterness test was such an eye-opener for me. I'm a non-English living in the UK and I couldn't believe why on earth they would include Brussel sprouts in the traditional Xmas menu here when it's possibly the worst tasting vegetable 😝🤯 Well this explains it 😅 I love broccoli 🥦 though so grouping the 2 together is a bit strange 🤷‍♀️

[@idontbelieveinmagic]

in more recent years, brussel sprouts (and a lotta vegetables) have been bred to be a lot less bitter, so that might have part do do with it

[@michaelnurge1652]

They do that test in High School. Some people can't taste the PCT, some taste it. I think there are levels as well. To me it was so bitter I spat the paper out as fast as I could. I always hated sprouts and broccoli, also cauliflower, cooked spinach, kale, chard. Never was a huge fan of cabbage, bok choi, or that kind of thing either, though I could eat them if they were in a salad or only lightly cooked. For whatever reason, spinach and kale don't taste so bad when raw - which I only discovered as an adult.

[@tuttuttut7758]

I learned to eat the stuff. I had to as a vegetarian that started 30 years ago, there was nothing else but veggies

[@lolam.9291]

I live in the US and I have eaten brussel sprouts ever since i can remember.

[@piaruns7928]

Sprouts and Brokkoli are the only vegs I could not live without! Carrots are ok too, the Rest is... 🤢

[@Failzz8]

Tl;dr: Yes, but the difficulty of the choice varies from person to person.

[@Falney]

"Is obesity a choice" I would say yes and no. I don't think there are many, if any, who wake up one day and say "I want to be obese" though people do actively choose not to loose weight. Source? I am Obese and lazy.

[@BardedWyrm]

Choosing *not* to do a thing is a vastly simpler choice to make than choosing *to* do that thing. And that's if 'losing weight' were even a thing that could be chosen in the first place. Which it's not. You can choose to eat, to not eat, to exercise, to not exercise. You cannot choose to lose weight. And as evidenced in the video, even in all of those choices you can make, not all those playing the game are dealt the same cards.

[@kirkc9643]

Ask a starving African...

[@Falney]

@@kirkc9643 a starving African isn't obese. Not sure where that one came from

[@Falney]

@@BardedWyrm the examples of no choice listed in the video are generally outliers. I know people with "glandular" problems that are thin despite being genetically disposed to being obese. And they remind me every time we meet that if they can be thin, I have no excuse. Also I understand that "just do it" is easier said than done. There are many problems that can prevent exercise, but they aren't insurmountable. Many people have lost weight through just exercise, going from morbidly obese down to normal weight, proving that it can be done.

[@kirkc9643]

@@Falney haha it's kinda obvious isn't it? If obesity is a choice then there would be individuals amongst starving communities who are obese...unless they chose to starve instead.

[@shanedavenport734]

I would like to see a history graph that puts the rise of obesity and the introduction of High Fructose Corn Syrup to western diets together. I think you would find a very interesting result, but one some people in power don't want known.

[@travis1240]

Sugar is equally toxic. The problem is that refined sugars and refined carbs are in everything. A refined carbohydrate diet that isn't limited by scarcity will cause people to become very large very fast.

[@olstar18]

I suggest adding crisco's introduction to that list as well.

[@MrCmon113]

@@travis1240 Sugar isn't toxic it's a necessary macronutrient. Also doesn't matter whether they are "refined". Carbohydrates are a family of molecules and you have to eat them.

[@somethingsomethingdarkside4603]

Sugar is just as bad as drugs. We need to limit it. All of us.

[@TattooedAussieChick]

@@MrCmon113 refined white sugar, or high fructose corn syrup is NOT necessary. And it’s in everything. Why is there sugar in mustard? And spaghetti sauce? You get sugar in everything. Vegetables and fruit. But adding it in high quantities and drinking loads of soda has caused obesity. Now we have six month old babies who are obese and that can’t be calories in vs calories out. It’s due to high sugar content of commercial baby foods and formula. So tell me how much sugar is essential to your body. It’s not the amount most people eat ever day.

[@dinhnguyen2110]

For intelligent being like humans, you can't compel total behavior, but you can certainly stack the deck against certain behaviors. The guy with bad eating habits lost an uphill battle. So yes, he "lost" and that's on him, but it was unrealistic to expect him to win that fight, all things being equal. Being set up to fail is 90% of the way towards being made to fail. It's just common sense.

[@ETBrooD]

Overweight levels (outside of obesity) have largely stayed the same for the past century and beyond. Only obesity specifically is the category that has sized up the most, to a very large degree. Furthermore, the blame for obesity (in most people) does not go to the people, that is indeed correct. In that regard this presentation is correct. But it's largely not the fault of genetics either, at least not in the way this presentation alludes to. The main culprit is in fact ultra-processed food, and that's because of the way it affects (or doesn't affect) the hormone levels that regulate our appetite. The effect is certainly linked to genetics, but it also affects a lot of people who otherwise would be highly unlikely to become overweight or obese. Basically everyone (in first world countries, or wherever people have easy access to large quantities of ultra-processed food) is more likely to put on additional pounds, not because of genetics, but because of the ingredients in the foods messing with our hormone levels in bad ways. Obesity and overweight are a pandemic caused by the food industry. The evidence is overwhelming.

[@MrSimonw58]

What about people with a thiroid problem ?

[@cchavezjr7]

Not always hormonal. Farmers have known that the microflora in animals play an effect in weight in animals that needs to put on weight. Some bacteria are much more efficient and can take as much of the nutrients and energy from any given food which causes it to be stored as fats while other animals might have other bacteria which is rather inefficient and causes more of it to be passed out of the body as waste. More and more research has been going into it to get more efficiency from the foods being fed to cattle and other feed animals to get better weights from the least amount of food. This is getting the attention of more of the medical field as well. A lot of this stuff starts in the ag sector. Ulcers were cured in cattle by antibiotics since the 50s or probably even earlier while that just was only recently found out as a bacterial problem in humans.

[@alexmorgan3435]

Yup, spot on. Ultra processed foods typically those containing wheat, grains and also processed meats to make them taste nice and keep a long shelf life are stuffed full with artificial chemicals, with sugar and carbs eg High Fructose Corn Syrup which if eaten regularly will cause very high blood sugar levels, insulin resistance T2 diabetes and OBESITY. Most people are in total denial or are too ignorant to even to begin to understand this.

[@frequentlycynical642]

The problem unanswered is if we all have had the same genes for hundreds of thousands of years, why is obesity a problem only in the last 40 years? Photographs of "way back," especially beach scenes, show everyone, especially under 30's, being of absolutely normal weight. I'm a manager in a food pantry with a break room where I try to keep a variety of foods for the volunteers. There are usually a lot of baked goods, nuts, pizza, chicken, and, popcorn, varying with time and food inventories. I've noticed that pizza is mostly popular with young volunteers. Not too many, of any age, eat the more healthy foods like grapes or berries. The sweets and baked goods are scarfed down by ...................the obese. Cause and effect?

[@zeroeu5510]

He answered that in the first 20 min

[@DrWoog]

My granny said people around her started getting fatter in the late 50s early 60s

[@frederickroy7039]

Availability. That's the problem. Remove refined sugar and processed food, boom, you just solved obesity. (ok, at least a good portion of it)

[@zeroeu5510]

@@frederickroy7039 also if the parents don’t buy excess food, there is no excess eating.

[@lynb87]

Some royalty have been obesity for a long time.

[@Katie-jk3ke]

Yes it’s a choice, all of my immediate family are obese and I was too at a high BMI of 30.6 When I moved out I made a conscious decision to buy better food for myself than what I was given at home and I’m down to a BMI of 27 now. I’m finding it pretty easy to stick to 1500-1800 calories a day and I’m still losing weight relatively quickly for a barely active short girl. It really is as easy as making better decisions for yourself and picking a plan you can stick to in the long term to avoid gaining weight back, you make the decision to eat the food you do and counting calories isn’t hard

[@fifthycharaktersforaqualit7468]

I would advise anyone who wants to lose weight to start with non starchy vegtebles and low or no sugar protein scources pref lean so you can add healthy fats like olive oil and then just add 1 food item every (week) and if you keep losing weight add the next or change that one I bet you that you will lose weight. Dont feel afraid to make low carb/kcal sauces & soups and spices to make your foods taste good.

[@cipaisone]

great science presenter

[@corinnecivish7673]

All very good and important information. Sadly though, it doesn't begin to touch on the epigenetic effects of the toxicity of the modern day diet. I guess that's a lecture for a different day.

[@rajx82]

Amazing talk and wonderful speaker

[@MarkDurbin]

Brilliant and entertaining to boot! Thank you.

[@debasishraychawdhuri]

Actually watched it from 2 am and did not feel sleepy. Also, I had no idea about this.

[@dardobartoli]

Great episode, thanks for sharing.... love this guy

[@blame3987]

This guy is great! I loved it.

[@samuellanca]

we have our choices, no one forces no one to eat, we have control about our choices

[@willalm830]

I lost 4 stone cutting out carbs and above all SUGAR, change your taste buds its amazing how your taste changes once given a chance.4 stone 6 months and for the first time in many years a flat gut its brilliant

[@tonymiller225]

Dont tell Ricky Gervais or we might lose one of his great joke themes. I remember reading that lack of sleep upsets the leptin levels or brain receptors for it and you eat more if you aint getting a good nights sleep.

[@thp8485]

Why did nobody laugh when he said @51:17 "Why do I look Chinese, it's because of my genes' hahaha very concerned by the lack of audience humour! (Not really, but this was funny!)