So, they used to think that smoking was good for you. Will the past repeat itself?

Question

Similar to smoking, do you think that there is something we do on a regular basis right now because we think it's good for us... but then ten years on, we'll realise that we were idiots and that, in fact, it does more harm than good, if it does any good at all?

And no, this is NOT a debate about whether we did believe smoking was ever good at all or not. I'm just using it as an example, please don't get into the details of why it's bad and who thought it was bad, blah blah blah.

I don't know. I was trying to convince my friend to not eat apple seeds and then I thought of cancer and then I thought of smoking and then I thought of proverbs and I ended up here. (That's the edited version of the my thought process. It's usually a lot longer, more strange and definitely more random. Never that logical.)

Answer 1

Look at eggs.

In the 20th century, the general concensus has flip-flopped from bring pro-eggs to anti-eggs 4 or 5 times.  That's ridiculus.  And they're also arguing about cholesterol.  Apparently foods high in fat actually *don't* increase your cholesterol.  Idonno.  I pretty much just do what I want when I want and if something doesn't make me feel good (for example, smoking a lot or eating pork chops for breakfast) I don't do it.

And by the way,

A) "they" never though smoking was good for you.  Only tobacco sellers did.

B) History *always* repeats itself.

Answer 2

It did before.

You know, when Marilyn Mason ate an axolotl?

You know what I mean.

Answer 3

I'm pretty sure it will. The more we find out about things, the more we realise what is good and what isn't. However, sometimes the scares are wrong. It was considered beneficial, then dangerous to eat raw mushrooms at some point, then that was overturned again.

But yes, I'm sure that certain "beneficial" things will turn out to be harmful upon further research.

As regards to your friend: apple seeds contain a poison, but the quantity is minute. Even so, it is better not to eat them.