Maggie's Farm

So an apple a day won't keep you from the doctor and fish oil one of the biggest money makers in the whole supplement scam won't do diddly squat for your health. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you! The whole foods, organic, herbalist, supplements and CAM (complementary alternative medicine) is very seductive especially for anyone with actual health issues. Wouldn't it be great if you just eat yourself to good health or take a pill everyday and live to age 90? Wouldn't it huh, wouldn't it? I predict this will do nothing to dissuade someone from spending good money for these discredited products. You cannot logically argue someone out of a position they did not arrive at logically

I believe that in fact the japanese life expectancy is roughly one to two years longer than the life expectancy of Americans of european descent. There could be many reasons for this. They tend to keep their older family members in the family home and take very good care of them. They are (the Japanese) all the same ethnicity. They culturally believe in staying physically active. There are a lot of reasons other than diet.
One of the significant mistakes that statistics brings to this discussion is to lump all "Americans" together. African Americans tend to have shorter life expectancies due to genetic predisposition to illness, obesity and due to risky life choices. Hispanic Americans too have a genetic predisposition to diabetes, obesity and to a lesser extent risky life choices. There are more examples of these islands of diversity in America that get lumped in together when a statistic is needed to prove or disprove something.
Part of the problem with proving or disproving the value or lack of value to eating specific foods like fish or popping supplements is that there is a very large number of people with their own biases making a lot of money and using the 1st amendment to sell their biases. The simple truth is no matter which food or diet you choose to "prove" is better there is another agendized group who will insist that the exact opposite is true. So no matter what diet or lifestyle you pick to prove via the internet is the right one you will indeed find something that will support your beliefs. And of course you will need to ignore all the data on the internet that disproves your biases.
I like fish, fresh caught salmon or trout, halibut is one of my favorites. That is the reason to eat fish not because of some crazy activist who claims it will make you live longer.

I have to say that it even makes sense. It seems logical when you can show that some component in our food is beneficial and essential that if we eat more of it that we will benefit from it. SO TEST IT! And they have tested it and found nothing. No one really knows why the testing of these theories don't support the theories. If omega-3 fatty acids were an essential daily requirement why do so many people live long and healthy lives and never eat fish or other food sources for this theoretically essential nutrient? What you are really talking about then is that this very appealing theory that is supported by quacks and well meaning "real" doctors sounds really good but cannot be proven. So the hell with it lets make believe it's true anyway because, gee it sounds so good. And right there is the basis for almost all of the quackery and health fraud in the supplement/herbalist industry. I.e. and appealing theory and a willingness to to accept the theory because it is so appealing to or basic human nature. After all wouldn't it be great to live to 100? Wouldn't it be great to be as physically fit as a teenager in our golden years? Wouldn't it, huh!?