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PaperclipPerfector  3d ago (text post)   1792 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 20, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Why is high-fructose corn syrup bad (compared to cane sugar)? If it's not bad, why do people think that it's bad?

Cane sugar tends to generally-but-not-consistently taste better. I'm unconvinced that the health difference isn't just another 'gluten sensitivity'.

I don't know. When I moved from Europe to the US, taking my 2-liters-of-soda-a-day habit with me, it resulted in a slew of crippling gastric issues which responded well and quickly to (1) forcing myself to not drink soda and/or (2) switching to "Mexican coke". Now, of course, there are more differences in the formulations than the type of sugar used. I am however generally very skeptical towards food sensitivities, so it seems unlikely to me that this was pure nocebo.

Aren’t European soda formulations very, very different? I’d assume it was some dye or something before pointing to the kind of sugar.

And I’ll point out that Mexico is an extremely fat country, despite a good chunk of their population being poor enough to worry about starving to death. The portion sizes probably helped you though.

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