Nicholas Kristof's April 11 New York Times column starts out as if he's joking: "Our government needs to do much more to control potentially deadly substances -- plutonium, anthrax, and high-fructose corn syrup." On some level, then, he realizes how ridiculous it is to single out one food ingredient as if it is single-handedly responsible for some members of the population overeating (only one's total calorie intake vs. calorie output, i.e. exercise, matters). But how funny is this column, really, when he concludes with a three-part plan for greater government control over the food supply and media?
Kristof outlines the problem of America's expanding waistline, then asks "So what do we do?" His answers should tug at the heartstrings of totalitarians everywhere: "First, we should ban sugary drinks from schools...Second, we should curb advertising of sugary drinks...Third, we should impose a tax on sugary drinks -- 5 cents per fluid ounce." Why not put soda-drinkers in prison, if you want to show real compassion?
The truth is that no one type of sugar or fat is deadly like poison. What's potentially deadly is being morbidly obese. Thin people need not live in fear of being struck dead out of the blue by stray fructose molecules. As ACSH's nutrition director, Dr. Ruth Kava, points out, even ordinary table sugar is half fructose, half glucose, so it isn't as if the body has never encountered the stuff before.
But Kristof pieces together his case against high-fructose corn syrup, subtly signposting its inherent weakness, over halfway through the column, like so: "It's more speculative, but high-fructose corn syrup may be a particular problem. Some studies indicate that the body metabolizes fructose differently from other sugars, so that the body is slower to get the message that it should stop eating." The body metabolizes a lot of things differently from a lot of other things, and this doesn't necessarily make any of them creepy or sinister -- again, watch your resulting weight, not vilified ingredients.
Contines Kristof: "There's also a circumstantial case against high-fructose corn syrup, because it began to be used widely in the 1970s, just when American stomachs started ballooning." Well, a lot of things began being more widely used in the 70s -- including videogames, VCRs, and other gadgets that have contributed to people spending less time moving around -- but singling out one substance as the culprit is nonsense. Comparable weight gain has occurred in Mexico, and they did not use high-fructose corn syrup in amounts comparable to the U.S. until recently. There must be other factors at work.
Ah, but Kristof has a plan for dealing with every factor under the sun, and not surprisingly, the plan is essentially socialism. His final paragraph: "Most of the debate on our national health crisis has focused on financing, and indeed we need universal health care. But it's equally important to change Americans' diet and exercise habits -- and the first step to do that is to fight our addiction to sugary drinks."
My three-step weight loss plan is simpler than Kristof's three-step plan:
1. Don't expect a government bureaucracy to solve your problems.
2. Don't single out one substance and complain that addiction to it has caused your lack of overall self-control.
3. When you're ready to start dealing rationally with your weight problem, if you have one: eat less and/or exercise more.
Todd Seavey is Director of Publications at the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH.org) and edits HealthFactsAndFears.com.
