alt Hacker News> On the flip side, I firmly believe a lot of the issues that we are having societally with regards to hormone imbalance, mental health and fertility issues really comes down to insufficient intake of essential fatty acids which include some saturated fats.
Why werent those issues in the late 19th century? We certainly ate very, very little meat and didn't have any fertility issues.
I'm saying that, but even nowadays, the countries with the highest fertility are those where people eat the less meat.
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Some issues take effect or only become seriously problematic over multiple generations. It's also a matter of proportions... at what point does a lack of testosterone become an issue in men? Do you necessarily notice?
There's also the confounding factor of birth control and other measures reducing the noticeability of decreased fertility.
People also seem to forget the impact of lead on society just a couple decades back, and how we are probably going through a similar event now with microplastics. Not to mention many artificial sweeteners, ultra-processed foods, preservatives, etc. as well as widespread use of industrial chemicals.
Plus, it's amazing how collective stress can warp a society over time.