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Soylent Thinks It Found What Was Making People Sick: Algae

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Re: Soylent Thinks It Found What Was Making People Sick: Algae

#331

Post by lanebrain »

Zikes wrote: post #135
st3v3r wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Soylent is trying to do something more ambitious than other packaged food manufacturers" No, they aren't. There is nothing special about what they're trying to do compared to any other packaged food manufacturer. That's why they shouldn't be cut any more slack than any other manufacturer. "It's not unreasonable to expect there to be some small hiccups." It entirely is. If this happened to Twinkies, people would be l…

I think a lot of people are forgetting about Olestra. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olestra#Side_effects Edit: I think that a well-known incidence of a popular food product which got FDA approval and saw widespread use also causing gastrointestinal distress is entirely relevant to the discussion. If you disagree with me feel free to use the comments.

Anal leakage - thanks Olestra, didn't know that was even a thing.

Re: Soylent Thinks It Found What Was Making People Sick: Algae

#332

Post by nommm-nommm »

Retric wrote: post #177
_23sd wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That would be interesting if caffeine did affect the metabolism of alcohol. The points here are more about perception than any chemical mechanism as originally described: >It very well not have been the algae but the reaction of the algae that occurred when another chemical's concentration was increase and caused a second or third order reaction.

I can't think of any chemical reactions like that off the top of my head. Some times different chemicals or the same chemical from different foods will reinforce each other. Mixing Laxatives like prune juice and pineapples can have a stronger effect. Having two new foods that would both produce gas get's a significantly stronger reaction together. Excessive lean meat consumption can cause problems due to protein pois…

I've heard that oral contraceptives slow the metabolism of caffeine.

Edit, tiny study: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00544361

Re: Soylent Thinks It Found What Was Making People Sick: Algae

#333

Post by nommm-nommm »

baby wrote: post #279
nommm-nommm wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haven't you ever seen a commercial for meal replacement shakes before? They've been a staple in the diet industry as long as I've been alive. Liquid diets are also a "thing" in medical settings for patients who are unable to take solid foods. Remember "Carnation Instant Breakfast"? That's been around since the 60s. Its really not an original idea.

People keep saying that, but no one point me to a webpage where I can buy these. (even getting downvoted =) the hate against soylent is strong)

I don't hate Soylent in the least but you've gotta be closing your eyes and plugging your ears to believe what they are trying to do is new or original.

I mean I used carnation instant breakfast as an example, that's available in every single grocery store in America.

Re: Soylent Thinks It Found What Was Making People Sick: Algae

#334

Post by jacobolus »

cel1ne wrote: post #317
jacobolus wrote: post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m no Soylent advocate (I’m a fan of home-cooked fresh food). But... The mainstream US diet and lifestyle causes unbelievable health problems: obesity, heart disease, liver damage, dental caries, gastrointestinal conditions, some chronic anxiety, skin conditions, possibly some kinds of dementia, osteoporosis, seasonal affective disorder, and on and on.. Modern governments come absolutely nowhere close to teaching pe…

Sorry to be so bleak, but I don't think Soylent is "set up to have a meaningful effect on people’s overall diet. The people you are talking about never heard about Soylent, and probably won't ever buy an expensive (?), bland tasting product that sounds like something from Star-Trek.

I agree. My point is just that having the FDA ban Soylent isn’t going to help any of these people either.

If the FDA were reorganized to significantly reduce the amount of soda, cookies, chips, and candy people ate, that would have a much more useful effect.

Re: Soylent Thinks It Found What Was Making People Sick: Algae

#335

Post by ghurtado »

binoct wrote: post #264
ghurtado wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can also eat small amounts of poison and become immune. What kinds of poison can you build an immunity to by eating small amounts of it?

Iocane powder Actually there are a few, though it's definitely not the rule - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithridatism

Interesting link.

"It is important to note that mithridatism is not effective against all types of poison, and, depending on the toxin, the practice can lead to the lethal accumulation of a poison in the body."

"There are only a few, if any, practical uses of mithridatism. "

I think that will be my takeaway.

In case you didn't know, it looks like Iocane Powder is an imaginary substance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_toxins

Re: Soylent Thinks It Found What Was Making People Sick: Algae

#336

Post by EdHominem »

surge wrote: post #258
amelius wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can say the same thing about the food in any restaurant. But Soylent is supposed to be consumable on a daily basis, so long-term effects are important. Remember the documentary Super Size Me, which tested long term effects of food from a certain fast-food restaurant? [1] [1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521

Super Size Me was ridiculous, I bought into it too, but he was going out of his way to eat unhealthy at McDonald's. Even McDonald's puts nutritional information out there and doesn't recommend the daily intake of calories that guy was making.

The point is that they do recommend it, just not in the tiny print. 99% of what they say is "eat more", 1% is "with care".

The advertising shows combinations of items, the staff offer upsizing for a deal, etc. Their business model clearly takes advantage of upselling and impulse buys.

SSM is a story about what happens to someone who doesn't know any better and just goes to the convenient restaurant, eating the standard portions they sell. It's best viewed with that other documentary, about the guy who got skinny eating at McDs (and exercising!). It's not (strictly) the food that does it, but the portions and lifestyle it encourages.

Re: Soylent Thinks It Found What Was Making People Sick: Algae

#337

Post by gaius »

macspoofing wrote: post #289
andrewpi wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>. So if a product is intended to be consumed as 100% of your diet Soylent isn't marketed as being intended to replace every meal anymore. I know some of their earlier press focused on the founder replacing all of his food with Soylent, but they've transitioned from that approach more recently.

>I know some of their earlier press focused on the founder replacing all of his food with Soylent I'm pretty sure it was marketed as a 100% meal replacement. It's nice to see they came to their senses.

Too late if they have already lodged that in everyone's mind - they should have gotten a new brand if the brand proposition was going to be radically different.

Re: Soylent Thinks It Found What Was Making People Sick: Algae

#338

Post by Pitarou »

cthalupa wrote: post #318
Pitarou wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I take your point about the class-action. I also take your point about human choice, as far as it goes, but I still think Soylent is a special case. If I eat ridiculous amounts of pesto and rupture my duodenum, nobody would hold the pesto producer responsible, because that's not the way people eat pesto. But if eating lots of Soylent made me ill, Soylent's makers should, in principle, bear some responsibility, becaus…

If I release a product containing lactose, clearly state it contains lactose, and a bunch of people have stomach problems after ingesting it because they are lactose intolerant, is it my fault? Regardless on whether or not it was meant to be a 100% meal replacement? This is a fairly ridiculous argument. People's lack of knowledge about their own food sensitivities is not Soylent's fault, nor should it be expected to…

Your analogy is inappropriate. You know as well as I do that common ingredients such as flour and milk are regulated differently from novel ones.

Re: Soylent Thinks It Found What Was Making People Sick: Algae

#339

Post by Pitarou »

jacobolus wrote: post #313
Pitarou wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are people who believe that market forces are the only product safety regulation we need. If that's your philosophy, we're clearly never going to agree. But if you DO believe that some level of consumer protection beyond honest labelling is appropriate, then I think I can make a case that a product like Soylent should be regulated a little more than other foodstuffs. Please see the other threads of this discuss…

I’m no Soylent advocate (I’m a fan of home-cooked fresh food). But... The mainstream US diet and lifestyle causes unbelievable health problems: obesity, heart disease, liver damage, dental caries, gastrointestinal conditions, some chronic anxiety, skin conditions, possibly some kinds of dementia, osteoporosis, seasonal affective disorder, and on and on.. Modern governments come absolutely nowhere close to teaching pe…

You make a very good point. We are straining out the gnat and swallowing the camel.

Re: Soylent Thinks It Found What Was Making People Sick: Algae

#340

Post by dzhiurgis »

DashRattlesnake wrote: post #267
dzhiurgis wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if they run any sort of A/B testing. Wouldn't harm if they sent few packages with one ingredient missing once in a while, then see what's the response.

> I wonder if they run any sort of A/B testing. Wouldn't harm if they sent few packages with one ingredient missing once in a while, then see what's the response. The idea of using A/B testing for food safety testing is horrifying.

Why?

Do you actually think anything bad will happen if you ate for a month sans one micronutrient will permanently damage you?

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