the study's got some problems with its statistics that make the conclusions suspect, but i'll spare you the details unless you're interested. :)
I went back and reread the NYT's article. Admittedly, I don't think I read it carefully enough the first time. It sure does seem like the statistics are spotty. Their demographic for one. Uh, why only people aged 45-64? And they said more then 9,500, but not how many more then. Maybe I don't know enough about how these studies are conducted, but that seems like a small sample margin. And did these men and women have any other risk factors for diabetes other then drinking diet soda?
I supposed I was more willing to believe that something like aspartame could be a factor in causing diabetes, because I have the idea that so much of what we as humans consume to aid in weight control, other then oh, I don't know eat reasonably as our bodies require (not diet, mind you), and get some regular activity, so often seems to do the opposite. I don't trust fads, I don't trust weirdo additives and synthetic fat and sugar substitutes.
I think it would be so much saner to convince people to enjoy good food, as well as the joy of it's preparation, without gimicy new fangled additives that we don't know enough about the safety of. That bodies come in all shapes and sizes and that's okay. If people could learn to like their bodies, even if they wanted to make improvements. I mean, I'm tall, I'm muscular, and I'm not *dainty*. I'm no waif. I've changed my overall shape somewhat, largely via weight lifting, but there is nothing in this world that will make me a dainty waif. There are realities about people's bodies that they just need to accept. Limitations that each individual needs to own up to.
But instead what we get is a weight loss and *fitness* industry that is honestly more about looks then it is about health, or overall capability. *sigh*
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Date: 2008-02-07 11:08 pm (UTC)I went back and reread the NYT's article. Admittedly, I don't think I read it carefully enough the first time. It sure does seem like the statistics are spotty. Their demographic for one. Uh, why only people aged 45-64? And they said more then 9,500, but not how many more then. Maybe I don't know enough about how these studies are conducted, but that seems like a small sample margin. And did these men and women have any other risk factors for diabetes other then drinking diet soda?
I supposed I was more willing to believe that something like aspartame could be a factor in causing diabetes, because I have the idea that so much of what we as humans consume to aid in weight control, other then oh, I don't know eat reasonably as our bodies require (not diet, mind you), and get some regular activity, so often seems to do the opposite. I don't trust fads, I don't trust weirdo additives and synthetic fat and sugar substitutes.
I think it would be so much saner to convince people to enjoy good food, as well as the joy of it's preparation, without gimicy new fangled additives that we don't know enough about the safety of. That bodies come in all shapes and sizes and that's okay. If people could learn to like their bodies, even if they wanted to make improvements. I mean, I'm tall, I'm muscular, and I'm not *dainty*. I'm no waif. I've changed my overall shape somewhat, largely via weight lifting, but there is nothing in this world that will make me a dainty waif.
There are realities about people's bodies that they just need to accept. Limitations that each individual needs to own up to.
But instead what we get is a weight loss and *fitness* industry that is honestly more about looks then it is about health, or overall capability.
*sigh*