Good diagnosis. Wrong remedy.

We are genetically predisposed to like sweet food because our bodies can easily convert it into energy. Up to recently, most of our ancestors experienced a permanent shortage of food. In particular, we were getting sugar mostly from seasonally available fruits. Our bodies developed a mechanism to store the excess sugar as fat that could be burned when our diet is low on sugar.

It changed about 100 years ago when we learned how to produce commercially cheap sugar. Now sugar is added in abundance to every product possible. Our bodies still store the excess of it, resulting in most of us getting fatter.

The solution is not in making sugar more expensive, hoping that people would consume less of it.

The solution is in explaining to everyone, starting from kindergarten, how excessive sugar consumption causes obesity.

There is a big philosophical difference between my approach and that presented by Mr. MacDonald. In his view, people are stupid, and we need a smart government to issue clever regulations forcing unthinking people to act reasonably. I believe that people are rational and act resolutely according to the best information available.

Added on Dec. 8, 2020.

Thank you for mentioning my article. HAK