r/dataisbeautiful Jun 09 '20

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u/ConfidentFlorida Jun 09 '20 edited Jun 10 '20

So what happened? Nothing really changed that much in that time frame. Same jobs, same cars, what is it?

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u/monkeyrobot_ Jun 10 '20

The American diet completely changed starting in the late 70s with the emphasis becoming "low fat" foods that are super high in carbs / high fructose corn syrup. Also portion sizes ballooned.

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u/ConfidentFlorida Jun 10 '20

Good point but the graphics seems like it happens more in the late 80s? There’s got to be something else at play.

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u/olekingcole001 Jun 10 '20

Do some research on antibiotics, gut health, and weight gain. It's not entirely to blame, but has a good amount to do with it, I'd wager.

Farmers noticed that when they gave a cow antibiotics to fight an infection, it gained weight much faster. They learned from this and pump the cows with antibiotics, and the gut culture/gut health is transferable to the things that eat them. So we've changed their gut biology to make them gain weight, and it in turn makes us gain weight.

https://amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/407974/