Scott Alexander reviews the second issue of Asterisk magazine, which focuses on food-related topics in rationalist and effective altruist contexts. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews the second issue of Asterisk, a rationalist/effective altruist magazine focused on food. He provides brief summaries of various articles in the issue, including reviews of books on animal justice, critiques of the Green Revolution, discussions on plant-based meat, tofu in America, nutrition misinformation, and cultivated meat. He also mentions articles on pandemic prediction, feeding the world during nuclear winter, animal welfare, and oral rehydration therapy. Scott praises the magazine and its team, encouraging readers to subscribe. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques Ben Hoffman's arguments about Vitamin D dosing, maintaining that it is primarily a bone-related chemical with limited evidence for other benefits. Longer summary

Scott Alexander responds to Ben Hoffman's critique of his views on Vitamin D dosing. He argues that ancestral populations likely received much less Vitamin D from sunlight than Hoffman suggests, and that the doses used in most studies are appropriate. Scott reviews the literature on Vitamin D dosing, discusses various recommendations and debates within the medical community, and explains why he remains skeptical of claims about Vitamin D's non-skeletal benefits, including for COVID-19 treatment. Shorter summary

The post explores a controversial theory linking saturated fats to weight control, critically examines the evidence, and discusses the paradox of historical vs. modern diets and obesity rates. Longer summary

This post discusses the history of obesity in the US and explores a controversial dietary theory that blames the switch from saturated to unsaturated fats for the obesity epidemic. The author first presents the theory, which suggests that high saturated fat diets might be beneficial for weight control. However, in the second part, the author critically examines the evidence and finds it lacking. The post concludes by discussing possible explanations for the paradox of why modern diets seem to cause obesity while historical diets did not, despite the difficulty in finding a consistently effective weight loss diet. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues for the broader use of guidelines instead of simple recommendations in fields outside medicine, explaining their benefits and why they're underutilized. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the value of guidelines over simple recommendations, using medical guidelines as an example. He argues that guidelines are underappreciated in many fields outside medicine. Guidelines offer multiple recommendations, tailor advice to specific circumstances, acknowledge individual differences, provide criteria for success or failure, and show correlations between options. Scott suggests that experts in fields like nutrition and self-help should create similar guidelines, but notes that doing so might be seen as too strong a claim to authority. He expresses frustration at the lack of such guidelines in areas like dieting, nootropics, and self-help, where they could be particularly useful. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares links to a debate between Gary Taubes and Stephan Guyenet about the health effects of sugar, praising the high-level discussion. Longer summary

This post discusses a debate about sugar's health effects, centered around Gary Taubes' work. Scott Alexander links to Stephan Guyenet's negative review of Taubes' book, then shares Taubes' counterargument. The debate involves multiple essays: Taubes' initial case against sugar on Cato Unbound, responses from Terence Kealy, Yoni Freedhoff, and Guyenet, and finally Taubes' rebuttal. Scott praises all participants for engaging in a high-level debate that has helped clarify his thinking on the topic. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews Stephan Guyenet's critique of Gary Taubes' anti-sugar book, agreeing with Guyenet's multi-factorial view of obesity and disease causes, and retracting his previous support for Taubes. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews Stephan Guyenet's critique of Gary Taubes' new book 'The Case Against Sugar'. Guyenet argues against Taubes' claim that sugar is the principal cause of obesity and various noncommunicable diseases, instead supporting the view that these issues are multi-factorial. The review highlights several key points, including Taubes' selective use of evidence, his dismissal of calorie intake as a factor in obesity, and his one-sided portrayal of historical debates in nutrition science. Scott acknowledges Taubes' past contributions in debunking misconceptions about dietary fat, but now strongly criticizes Taubes' focus on sugar as the primary culprit in health issues. He apologizes for his previous praise of Taubes and no longer recommends him as a source of nutritional advice. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares and comments on highlighted passages from Garrett Jones' 'Hive Mind', covering various aspects of IQ research and its societal implications. Longer summary

This post is a collection of highlighted passages from Garrett Jones' book 'Hive Mind', along with Scott Alexander's commentary. The passages cover a wide range of topics related to IQ, including its measurement, cultural differences, effects on cooperation and voting behavior, and its relationship to national economic performance. Scott provides critical analysis and personal insights on these excerpts, often relating them to other research or raising questions about their implications. The post also touches on topics such as the Flynn effect, nutrition's impact on intelligence, and group dynamics in decision-making. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander analyzes the health risks of eating processed meat, demonstrating how to put such risks in perspective and interpret mortality statistics accurately. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the importance of putting health risks in perspective, using the example of a recent study linking processed meat consumption to increased cancer risk. He calculates that eating processed meat daily might reduce life expectancy by about three weeks, or roughly a minute per serving. He then expands on how to interpret relative risk increases in mortality, explaining that a 20% increase in mortality doesn't mean reducing lifespan by 20%, but rather a much smaller effect. The post emphasizes the need to distinguish between absolute and relative risk, and to consider the trade-offs between health risks and quality of life when making dietary decisions. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines various anti-wheat claims and pro-wheat evidence, concluding that while some concerns exist, current evidence generally supports wheat consumption for most people. Longer summary

Scott Alexander investigates the claims against wheat consumption, examining various arguments such as gluten sensitivity, intestinal permeability, wheat-derived opiates, connections to autism and schizophrenia, genetic modifications, and leptin resistance. He analyzes scientific studies and expert opinions, finding some claims to be partially true but often exaggerated or of uncertain significance. He also explores pro-wheat arguments, noting strong evidence for whole grain benefits but acknowledging potential confounders. The post concludes that while there are some concerns about wheat, the best evidence currently supports its inclusion in most people's diets. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander reviews 'The Perfect Health Diet', praising its science-based approach but criticizing its tendency to ignore contrary evidence and present controversial claims as settled science. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reviews 'The Perfect Health Diet' book, finding it a mix of good and bad. He praises its science-based approach, evolutionarily informed perspective, and its allowance for 'safe starches' unlike strict paleo diets. However, he criticizes the book's tendency to make strong claims based on limited evidence, often ignoring contrary studies. The review discusses the book's recommendations on various nutrients, its stance on saturated fats, and its overall dietary advice. Scott tried the diet briefly and lost weight, but remains skeptical of some claims. He concludes that while the book offers interesting insights and reasonable dietary advice, it often presents controversial positions as settled science. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores biological factors like lead exposure, omega-6 fatty acids, and lithium levels as potential explanations for historical crime rate trends, particularly the possible increase from 1850 to 1980. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses potential biological explanations for historical trends in crime rates. He provisionally accepts that crime may have increased from 1850 to 1980, contrary to his previous belief. He then explores three biological factors that could explain this trend: lead exposure, omega-6 fatty acid consumption, and lithium levels in water. Scott argues that increased lead exposure from industrialization, a dramatic rise in omega-6 fatty acid consumption, and decreased lithium in water due to modern purification methods could all contribute to higher crime rates. He presents evidence linking these factors to aggression and crime, including studies on dietary supplements reducing violence in various populations. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques a paper claiming superior Victorian health, finding issues with its key arguments while agreeing on some points about diet-linked disease increases. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques a paper claiming mid-Victorian Britain had superior health and longevity compared to today. He fact-checks key claims, finding issues with the paper's arguments about height decreases and life expectancy. While agreeing that Victorians likely had less cancer and heart disease, Scott disagrees with attributing this solely to nutrition, suggesting modern diets may have too much of harmful foods rather than lacking nutrients. He's skeptical of the authors' promotion of supplements, noting lack of evidence for their efficacy. Scott does praise the paper for highlighting the need to better understand why whole foods are beneficial. Overall, he finds the paper's main claims unsupported but agrees there has been a gradual rise in some diseases linked to modern diets. Shorter summary