Stefan MolyneuxVerified account

Just out of interest. Has anyone ever posited that obesity causes lower intelligence? A general theory of metabolism would suggest that the smartest people are children. They can learn almost anything in record time...

And as we age our metabolism slows. If we consume more than we need, and our bodies waste energy storing fat which takes energy away from other processes, including the ones that are involved in intelligence.

From my personal experience, I kind of remember learning a couple of languages, several sports, mathematics, science, and various art forms before I was 11 years old. Didn't have an ounce of fat on me

These days, when I compare my abilities to when I was a child, I feel like I am not a fraction as intelligent as I was then. I might be wiser, but that is what one gets to offset declining intelligence with age.

Interesting. The brain also develops rapidly during and after birth, childhood and as a teenager. The brain is an efficient muscle, use it or lose it. It won’t waste energy on unused synapses.

I am not sure how to view puberty in terms of metabolism, or to compare it to development in the womb. Never read anything on the subject of such a comparison. But thinking out loud, I would guess that teen development is a lower metabolism than foetal as a %,

What do you think it is about lower IQ that causes more obesity?

Is there a correlation between low IQ and high time preference? Bad eating habits (IMO) are a function of fulfilling a short-term urge, poor meal planning, etc.

The problem with time preference is that the body will need energy all the time. This means it must achieve this by oxidative phosphorylation and/or by glycolysis and so the idea that the problem is anything other than eating more than your body requires seems like nonsense

As has been mentioned, not all calories are created equal. What are someones options when hunger hits and simply must be acted upon immediately? What kind of 'restaurants' have a business model built to meet that demand? What kind of 'food' do these places serve?

I got the impression you thought time preference was the problem, not the substance from which the calories come from

No, you are correct about my argument. I'm positing that the high time preference leads to crappier food.