Public Health: What if a policy can succeed on paper— and still miss how the body actually works?

Public health policy often operates through measurable targets, such as reducing sugar consumption to address obesity and metabolic disease. While such approaches can achieve significant improvements at the population level, they may not fully account for the complexity of biological systems.

https://open.substack.com/pub/hybridmind42/p/optimisation-and-the-limits-of-substitution?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=75c2ac

#HybridMind42 #PublicHealth #HealthPolicy #Nutrition #UKPolicy #SugarTax #Metabolism #SystemsThinking #PreventiveHealth #FoodEnvironment #Wellbeing

Sugar Smart: https://www.aurianneor.org/sugar-smart-sugar-the-elephant-in-the-kitchen/

#aurianneor, #cooking, #diabetes, #diet, #fat, #gardening, #glucosesyrup, #health, #HFCS, #jamieoliver, #maigrir, #nofoodwaste, #nononsense, #obesity, #soda, #sucre, #sugar, #sugarrush, #sugartax, #sustainability, #who

City Requires My Number Card for 'Swamp Tart' — BMI-Linked Sugar Tax

After the 'Swamp Tart' obesity crisis, patisseries are now "Sugar Supply Stations." BMI authentication applies punitive taxes.

https://alt.andpaper.net/en/articles/20260118-swamp-tart-crisis/

#MyNumber #BMI #SugarTax #SwampTart

@CppGuy Yes, diabetes is bad, and if there were any evidence that the #sugartax reduced the burden of diabetes, then I would support it.

But there isn't.

@CppGuy I agree. Tobacco taxes are indeed regressive, but I think the public health argument on that one is strong enough to outweigh the tax equity argument.

If someone came up with some great evidence that the #SugarTax is also improving public health to a meaningful degree, then I would probably support it, but in the absence of that evidence, I think the tax equity argument wins for sugar.

I guess we're going to be talking about the #SugarTax a lot tomorrow.

This is your periodic reminder that it's mainly a tax-raising measure rather than a health thing. Proponents of it claim it makes people healthier, but there is almost no evidence to back that up.

It's also a highly regressive tax.

And from personal experience, the idea that it will encourage soft drinks manufacturers to formulate healthier low-sugar drinks seems unlikely. It's still hard to buy nice sugar-free soft drinks