Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site mot.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcs!mnetor!mot!waycott From: waycott@mot.UUCP (John Waycott) Newsgroups: net.suicide Subject: Re: Re: twinkies Message-ID: <443@mot.UUCP> Date: Fri, 8-Nov-85 20:23:29 EST Article-I.D.: mot.443 Posted: Fri Nov 8 20:23:29 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 10-Nov-85 18:17:37 EST References: <10780@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <3128@hplabsb.UUCP>, <8988@ritcv.UUCP> <1286@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP> Organization: Motorola Microsystems, Tempe, AZ 85282 Lines: 29 > Not long ago, someone wrote in saying 'what in hell do twinkies have to > do with suicide?'... > Namely, the famous Twinkie Defense... > ...was a legal plea used in a California criminal case > Well, the defense lawyer > claimed that his client had eaten so many Twinkies and > other junk foods with weird [spelt right] chemicals in them that > he became clinically depressed and so on and so forth, mood > alterations, blah blah blah... As far-fetched as this seems, it is quite plausible. The man almost certainly had hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). The symtoms are not specific, but I have read reports of people diagnosed as manic depressives, suicidal, antisocial, violent, etc. who were simply eating too much sugar. Even though many people's blood sugar will drop a few hours after eating huge amounts of sugar, most will suffer no ill effects. "True" hypoglycemia, were a person's blood sugar level can drop to dangerously low levels, is actually quite rare. As one who was diagnosed as a true hypoglycemic, I can see under an extreme case that someone might actually attempt suicide. I can remember being extremely depressed and paranoid for no apparent reason, even though I never got to the point of attempting suicide. The cure was simple: eat a balanced diet. -- John Waycott, Motorola Microsystems, Tempe, AZ, (602) 438-3164 {seismo!terak, trwrb!flkvax, utzoo!mnetor, ihnp4, attunix}!mot!waycott oakhill!mot!waycott@ut-sally.ARPA