gwern comments on Be Skeptical of Correlational Studies - Less Wrong

8 Post author: jkaufman 20 November 2013 10:19PM

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Comment author: gwern 22 November 2013 08:50:20PM 1 point [-]

I'm rather skeptical of this, because it seems that morning sickness eliminates nutrients as much or more than toxins.

Harm and benefit are not equally balanced. If you snarf down some hemlock, the minimal calories you gain from digesting it do not offset the poison you've ingested. One bad meal can kill you (the Buddha died of some bad pork, legendarily), but skipping one meal certainly won't kill you. You would have to skip a lot of meals to equal one bad poisoning episode.

Comment author: Randy_M 25 November 2013 02:16:53PM *  1 point [-]

Is there some indication that morning sickness is related to ingesting harmful toxins, now or in the evolutionary past? It doesn't seem from my experience (close second hand only) that morning sickness is more than increased sensitivity to certain foods, and rather a general nausea that makes many nutrious foods difficult to keep down.

"You would have to skip a lot of meals to equal one bad poisoning episode."

Such as one or two a day for 2-3 months?

Comment author: gwern 25 November 2013 04:24:06PM *  1 point [-]
Comment author: NancyLebovitz 22 November 2013 09:05:14PM 1 point [-]

Morning sickness can get that bad, but it's rare.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/morning-sickness/DS01150