Plain English with Derek Thompson Plain English BEST OF: A Grand, Unified Theory of Why Americans Are So Unhealthy
42 snips
Dec 16, 2025 
David Kessler, a physician and former FDA commissioner, shares his personal struggles with weight and the alarming impact of ultra-processed foods on obesity. He explains how our brains are hardwired for scarcity in a world overflowing with calorie-dense options. Eric Topol, a cardiologist, discusses the concept of inflammaging, highlighting how chronic inflammation can lead to serious diseases over time. They also delve into the promising role of GLP-1 drugs, which not only help control appetite but may also reduce inflammation, offering a potential new avenue for health improvement.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Calorie Abundance Explains U.S. Poor Health
- The U.S. has higher obesity and chronic illness because our food environment supplies far more calories than human brains evolved to manage.
- Caloric abundance plus energy-dense ultra-processed foods explains cross-income poor health outcomes in America.
Kessler's Personal Weight Struggle
- David A. Kessler recounts his lifelong cycle of gaining and losing weight to illustrate how hard weight control can be.
- He describes using food to calm himself and how environmental cues like a refrigerator triggered grazing.
Structure Loss Drives Metabolic Spikes
- Ultra-processed foods remove natural food structure so nutrients absorb rapidly and create metabolic chaos.
- Fast absorption causes repeated glucose spikes that overwhelm normal metabolic signaling.