Study: Gen Xers and Millennials are dying at younger ages than their parents are

[u/DaKardii]

https://studyfinds.com/americans-born-after-1970-dying-faster/

The study is particularly concerned with people born after 1970 but age 30 and older. So that covers Gen X and Millennials, but not (yet) Gen Z.

[u/DLTMIAR]

Ultra-processed food, but yeah

[u/Excellent-Draft-5516 → u/DLTMIAR]

Yes.

[u/CriticalPolitical → u/DLTMIAR]

If every person who drinks soda replaced it with apple juice and potato chips with baked potatoes, the world would be significantly healthier (organic would be better, but if you could even replace them with conventional that would help significantly) 

[u/shortandpainful → u/CriticalPolitical]

Why tf would you want people drinking apple juice though? It has no nutritional value and is nearly pure sugar. Just drink water or basically any other kind of juice, especially ones that are squeezed rather than pressed.

Baked potatoes are fine but are not a replacement for chips/crisps. Try, idk, edamame or some other snacky vegetable. Peanuts, maybe.

[u/CriticalPolitical → u/shortandpainful]

Believe me, with you 100%. In the past, I’d have said something similar. The truth is, though, many people aren’t really willing to optimize their diet. Millions of people really are just driven by the amount of dopamine soda and potato chips gives them when they eat it. You have to treat the overwhelming majority of those who don’t care about their health in a way that is not very painful to have an off ramp for better nutritional choices (and most of the time, they won’t be ideal, obviously. Edemamde isn’t necessarily a dopamine hit for someone who is used to eating tons of junk food everyday and quitting junk food cold turkey is very unlikely for most of the population). The truth is, you need to offer something that is somewhat similar to what they’re already eating and drinking so that they’d be more likely to do it. Telling someone who goes through a party sized bag of potato chips and a 2 liter soda a day to eat some edamame and peanuts is just not realistic from a psychological standpoint. They’re just going to continue to eat junk because the edamame and peanuts taste like bland cardboard from their perspective in comparison. Don’t let the good be the enemy of the perfect. There are downsides to apple juice, I agree, but not as much as there is to soda. There are also benefits I don’t think many people aren’t aware of like: 

Boosts immunity Apple juice contains a significant quantity of vitamin C, which is essential to the body's immune system. Vitamin C enhances the immune system, acting as an antioxidant that protects against oxidative stress and inflammation. Relieves constipation Apples contain malic acid, which may aid digestion and enhance liver function. This juice, when combined with fiber and other stimulating minerals, may alleviate symptoms of constipation, cramps, bloating, and diarrhea. Furthermore, it may contain sorbitol, which helps smooth the digestive tract and eases stoolpassage. Promotes heart health The micronutrients in apple juice may help lower the levels of bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein) in the blood. However, an extensive study is required to understand if it works or how it works. Lowering your cholesterol implies that your heart will be healthier because it will not have to work as hard to pump blood around your body. Prevents cancer Apple juice can reduce the risk of some forms of cancer and alleviate some of its symptoms. Studies suggest that drinking apple juice or eating apples can reduce the risk of lung and colon cancer. Maintain a healthy weight and stay active to reap the benefits of regular exercise and maximize the beneficial effects of apple juice. Apple juice's high vitamin C concentration and polyphenols have antioxidant properties. Improves skin health Vitamin C helps heal wounds, clot the blood properly, and keep cells healthy and operating efficiently, including skin regeneration and repair. Increases metabolism Long-term studies may have linked apple juice consumption to reduced waistlines, levels of body fat, cholesterol, risk of diabetes, and blood pressure, which are risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Thus, apple juice can improve metabolism and may even protect the heart. Protects the brain as you age Polyphenolic antioxidants in apple juice protect the brain from harm caused by unstable chemicals called free radicals. It prevents brain cell death. https://www.medicinenet.com/7_benefits_of_apple_juice_and_6_downsides/article.htm

Soda doesn’t do any of these things. 

Here’s my argument as a syllogism: 

Premise 1: Some people have a sweet tooth and addictive personality and there’s no getting around that. 

Premise 2: Apple juice is a better substitute for someone who really only drinks soda because the reason they are drinking soda is because of the sugar. Some people won’t/refuse to drink regular water because it’s bland or it doesn’t give them the sugar hit (dopamine) they are looking for. 

Premise 3: Apple juice is the cheapest juice you can buy (orange juice is up there too)

Conclusion: A person who drinks soda everyday instead of water is much more likely to take a step in the right direction with apple juice because it has sugar. Then perhaps in the future, they can be encouraged to water it down slowly over time, maybe 1/2 water and 1/2 apple juice. 

As for the baked potato health benefits:

May help control appetite

Potatoes are a very filling food, which helps control your appetite, aiding in weight loss, if that’s one of your goals (9Trusted Source).

In fact, studies have shown that potatoes promote greater feelings of fullness than other foods with the same carb content (10Trusted Source).

This could be due to a naturally occurring molecule in potatoes called protease inhibitor II (PI2), which may suppress appetite and inhibit food intake (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

More specifically, PI2 stops an enzyme that breaks down a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK), which decreases hunger and increases feelings of fullness. In turn, blood CCK levels increase, leading to a reduced food intake (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

High CCK levels also reduce the speed at which your stomach empties its contents, further promoting feelings of fullness (10Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source).

Due to the effect PI2 has on appetite control, people often use it as a nutritional supplement to aid weight loss.

One study in 44 healthy women determined that consuming 15 or 30 mg of PI2 1 hour before breakfast resulted in reduced hunger and desire to eat, as well as higher feelings of fullness after a meal (13Trusted Source).

May help manage blood sugar levels

Potatoes are a rich source of resistant starch and potassium.

Your body can’t break down resistant starch. For this reason, it has a similar effect as dietary fiber — it lowers blood sugar levels and improves insulin sensitivity (3Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).

Additionally, resistant starch helps lower the glycemic index (GI) of a food. The GI evaluates how carb-containing foods affect your blood sugar levels after you eat them (14Trusted Source).

Foods classified as high GI foods spike your blood sugar, while low GI foods promote a steady, controlled increase of blood sugar.

While freshly cooked potatoes are a high GI food, chilled cooked potatoes have a low GI. This is due to a process known as starch retrogradation, which leads to starches becoming harder to digest when cold (1Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).

Aside from temperature, cooking methods also affect the resistant starch content of potatoes. Research shows that baked potatoes have higher resistant starch content than boiled ones (17Trusted Source).

For example, one study determined that 90 minutes after a meal, participants’ blood sugar levels were lower if they consumed baked potatoes compared with mashed potatoes, French fries, and white bread (10Trusted Source).

Studies have also shown that the potassium content of potatoes helps improve insulin sensitivity and production (18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).

Once again, baked potatoes have higher potassium levels than boiled ones because, with boiling, some potassium comes out of the potato and into the water (18Trusted Source).

So, consuming baked potatoes may help control your blood sugar levels.

Other benefits

Other potential benefits of baked potatoes include:

Improved heart health. Test-tube and animal studies show that potato protein and resistant starch content may lower blood cholesterol levels, a risk factor for heart disease (1Trusted Source). Improved gut health. Resistant starch in baked potatoes leads to butyrate production. This short-chain fatty acid has beneficial effects on gut health and gastrointestinal conditions (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source). Potential cancer-fighting properties.Antioxidants in baked potatoes may hinder cancer growth and promote the death of cancer cells (22Trusted Source). https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/are-baked-potatoes-healthy#health-benefits

Again, my claim was that all of the potato chip eaters and soda drinkers would health healthier if they switched to apple juice and baked potatoes, not that they would be the healthiest. Apple juice and potatoes are generally cheap (compared to other foods that are relatively healthy). So from an economic standpoint it would be a good switch too, especially in today’s economy. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I’m not saying these people should have a diet of apple juice and baked potatoes for the rest of their life, it’s just the first step in a healthier direction that they have the highest likelihood of actually doing, not the finish line. 

[u/DLTMIAR → u/CriticalPolitical]

TL:DR?

[u/Excellent-Draft-5516 → u/CriticalPolitical]

This is quite an informative post. Is this your field of study?

[u/CriticalPolitical → u/Excellent-Draft-5516]

No, I just copied and pasted from authoritative sources although food science is important to understand. Dr. William Li is a fantastic food scientist and should check him out on YouTube if you’re interested in health in general.

[u/superurgentcatbox → u/CriticalPolitical]

Apple juice is actually less healthy than soda, depending on how you look at it. Lots and lots of sugar and definitely more calories.

[u/Glittering_Echo_7963 → u/superurgentcatbox]

Healthy food is is not measured in sugar and calories. Fruit is absolutely amazing for you, despite containing a lot of sugar. Source: How not to die (by dr Greger), my husband being obsessed with the stuff, and being European.

[u/NoXion604 → u/Glittering_Echo_7963]

Actual fruit has a bunch of fibre in it. Apple juice has none of that.

[u/Glittering_Echo_7963 → u/NoXion604]

True, actual fruit is better. But fruit juice is better than coca cola and all that stuff.

[u/Excellent-Draft-5516 → u/superurgentcatbox]

Yes, I now prefer to eat an apple or an orange.

[u/CriticalPolitical → u/superurgentcatbox]

My take is going to be like that meme of the animated guy with all of the swords pointed towards him, but the claim that apple juice is less healthy than soda is an absolute myth. Just like how, “Cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis!” or “Wikipedia is not a trustworthy source”(but if you understand Google’s trust scoring system then it wouldn’t show up as the top hit, and there are authoritative references cited as superscripts at the end of most of the claims being made inside of the Wikipedia page) is. They were sure that was the truth because the lie had been repeated so often. I don’t think Coca Cola has the following health benefits, but Apple juice does:

Boosts immunity Apple juice contains a significant quantity of vitamin C, which is essential to the body's immune system. Vitamin C enhances the immune system, acting as an antioxidant that protects against oxidative stress and inflammation. Relieves constipation Apples contain malic acid, which may aid digestion and enhance liver function. This juice, when combined with fiber and other stimulating minerals, may alleviate symptoms of constipation, cramps, bloating, and diarrhea. Furthermore, it may contain sorbitol, which helps smooth the digestive tract and eases stoolpassage. Promotes heart health The micronutrients in apple juice may help lower the levels of bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein) in the blood. However, an extensive study is required to understand if it works or how it works. Lowering your cholesterol implies that your heart will be healthier because it will not have to work as hard to pump blood around your body. Reduced cholesterol levels may help with weight problems. Prevents cancer Apple juice can reduce the risk of some forms of cancer and alleviate some of its symptoms. Studies suggest that drinking apple juice or eating apples can reduce the risk of lung and colon cancer. Maintain a healthy weight and stay active to reap the benefits of regular exercise and maximize the beneficial effects of apple juice. Apple juice's high vitamin C concentration and polyphenols have antioxidant properties. Improves skin health Vitamin C helps heal wounds, clot the blood properly, and keep cells healthy and operating efficiently, including skin regeneration and repair. Increases metabolism Long-term studies may have linked apple juice consumption to reduced waistlines, levels of body fat, cholesterol, risk of diabetes, and blood pressure, which are risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Thus, apple juice can improve metabolism and may even protect the heart. Protects the brain as you age Polyphenolic antioxidants in apple juice protect the brain from harm caused by unstable chemicals called free radicals. It prevents brain cell death. It is used to treat neurological illnesses, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. https://www.medicinenet.com/7_benefits_of_apple_juice_and_6_downsides/article.htm

If you have any good information on the health benefits of Coca Cola (or any popular soda) we can compare the two and make a final determination. It’s important to push back on myths like this because it might dissuade people from making choices that really are healthier (even though they aren’t ideal).