What human waste can tell us about income, diet and health


Olde Hornet

Well-Known Member

The samples, collected from wastewater treatment plants across the country, frozen and mailed to researchers at the university, have been described as a treasure trove of insight into the dietary and drug habits of different communities. And the key to getting them all collected? “Asking very nicely,” says research fellow Jake O’Brien.

O’Brien and PHD candidate Phil Choi took those samples, collected during Australia’s last national census in 2016, and, in the first peer-reviewed study of its kind, analysed the wastewater of communities around Australia to measure different diet and lifestyle habits.
The richer the community, the more healthy its diet. And all this information came encoded in that community’s human waste
They found that in higher socioeconomic areas, consumption of fibre, citrus and caffeine was greater. In lower socioeconomic areas, prescription drugs were in significant use. In short, the researchers found, the richer the community, the more healthy its diet. And all this information came encoded in that community’s human waste.
 
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The rich can afford to eat the healthier foods.
It’s not so much about the rich being able to afford healthier foods. It’s about them having better ACCESS to healthier foods. I’d bet that the diets of poor people would reflect they live in food deserts or in areas where there is limited access to where fresh, healthy food is sold. Eating healthy really isn’t that expensive. It’s just some people and families have a location advantage compared to others.
 
I must respectfully disagree. I have tried to eat healthy and I have found it to be quite costly. Hell, I bought an apple at HEB the other day, and that apple was like a buck thirty. I was like DAMN!!!!

You can buy a 3-pound bag of apples from Walmart for less than $4.00.
 
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