AI Doesn’t Understand Our Obesity Epidemic

As a family physician with an interest in our general level of health, I tend to be a people watcher, and everywhere I go in the United States and other developed countries, folks seem to be getting bigger and more obese. Approximately 70% of people in developed countries are now considered overweight or obese, and this trend is a relatively recent development over the past 70 years or so. What the heck is going on? Like any other modern inquisitive scientist, I asked AI about this paradox, and this is the response:

People gain weight when they consume more calories than their bodies burn. However, rising obesity rates are a systemic issue caused by an environment that promotes overeating and physical inactivity, rather than just a lack of personal willpower. 

The rapid increase in obesity is driven by several major, interconnected factors:

• Highly Processed Foods: Modern diets are packed with ultra-processed, calorie-dense foods that are engineered to be hyper-palatable. Ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and added fats are inexpensive, widely available, and trigger hormonal responses that encourage the body to store fat. 

• Decreased Physical Activity: Modern life is increasingly sedentary. According to PublicHealth.org, only about 20% of modern jobs require moderate physical activity compared to 50% in 1960. People also walk less and rely heavily on cars and automation. 

• Biological and Genetic Factors: Experts from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health note that genetics heavily influence metabolism, fat distribution, and how the body regulates appetite. Additionally, chronic stress, poor sleep, and certain medications can disrupt hormones (like insulin) and metabolic rates. 

• Economic and Social Realities: Convenience foods and fast food are often more affordable and accessible than fresh, whole foods, which contributes significantly to weight gain, particularly in lower-income areas. 

I have spent decades trying to unravel this paradox, and I believe AI got some things right, but the above answer seem a bit convoluted and complex. For example, I agree ultra-processed food plays a key role in driving obesity, but it’s not about calories or lack of exercise. Allow me to explain. Over many decades of treating folks with excess body fat or obesity, I came up with a new disease model to explain this epidemic. I call this disease Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome. The disease is triggered by the neurotoxic effects of ultra-processed food on brain function, pushing the body to store excess fat at just about any level of caloric intake. After all, the brain controls everything in your body, including fat storage. Many so-calling thin or trim people have excess body fat and CARB syndrome, but you must measure their body composition to see it, because their BMI is low or normal. BMI doesn’t tell you anything about a person’s body fat.

What’s even more interesting is that folks with CARB syndrome end up with depletion of monoamine neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. This leads to up to 22 brain dysfunction symptoms that overlap with traditional brain disorders, creating massive diagnostic and therapeutic confusion. For example, major depression (MDD) has been around since the dawn of mankind, and it’s always associated with a loss of appetite and weight loss, and it has always been quite rare. Most folks today diagnosed with depression have an increased appetite and weight gain. The geniuses at DSM didn’t quite know what do to with this dilemma, so they decided to call this form “atypical depression”. I have news for you—atypical depression is CARB syndrome, and it has no relationship with major depression! If you treat it with SSRI type medications, folks get worse over time rather than better.

In my opinion, the experts also got the exercise issue backwards. People with CARB syndrome tend not to exercise because of the extreme fatigue associated with their disease. If you effectively treat their CARB syndrome and their fatigue abates, they naturally start to move more, and exercise is much easier to perform. Fix the brain and exercise will once again be your friend!

If you seem to be storing excess body fat and have any of the 22 symptoms of CARB syndrome, especially excess hunger and cravings for sweet and starchy food, you need treatment for CARB syndrome. Because this disease was missed by the medical and scientific communities, you’re on your own because your physician doesn’t currently know about this disease. Fortunately, if you follow my recommendations, you can turn the ship around:

1. Eliminate ultra-processed foods with high-glycemic carbohydrates, excessive sugar, and omega-6 fatty acids from your diet, and consume a sensible number of whole foods.
2. Keep your fructose intake below 25 grams daily as recommended by my medical school friend Richard Johnson.
3. Take targeted supplements to boost neurotransmitter levels and support healthy brain function. The one I recommend is CARB-22.
4. Exercise your body and mind. This includes regular physical exercise, mental challenges through learning new things, and meditation.
5. Get plenty of restful sleep, around 8 hours per night. Avoid getting too little or too much sleep.
6. Maintain as many healthy relationships as possible to enhance your social life.
7. Minimize inflammation by consuming sufficient high-quality omega-3 fatty acids and limiting the intake of seed oils to maintain an AA/EPA ratio of 1 to 3. I recommend OmegaRx by Barry Sears.
8. Spend some time on Patrick Holford’s “Food for the Brain” website. We agree when it comes to diet and brain health.

When you follow my plan, you will slowly lose excess body fat without traditional dieting, and your brain dysfunction symptoms will slowly fade away. What could be better than that? If you follow my plan, let me know how it works out for you, as I love helping people to optimize their brain function and metabolic health!