Ever Seen a Fat Mouse? report from Dr. Weil

For the life of me I have never paid attention to mice and whether they are fat, muscular, slim, or just pesky. But, it seems as though they are tested for everything and then the studies reveal some of the things we should know about our bodies and how we can do as the mices do. Anyway, since I think so much of what I have been reading from Dr. Weil I am going to share some of the latest from his daily tips e-mail(hoping you took my advice and have this coming to you, it will be boring stuff or old stuff) concerning weight loss and drinking milk. Q: I have been seeing more and moe advertisements claiming that drinking milk helps in weight loss. What do you make of this? Are these claims based on studies? Are the studies valid? Answer from Dr. Weil: Some evidence suggests that high calcium consumption in the form of dairy foods can promote weight loss, but that doesn't mean that all you have to do is drink lots of mile. Here's the story(digested): In one study, the researchers fed obese mice a high-fat, high-sugar diet for six weeks. The animals' body fat increased by 27 percent. Then the researchers put the mice on different low-calorie diets. They also gave one group calcium supplements, another group dairy foods, and the third group just the low-calorie diet. The mice in the third group lost only 8 percent of their new body fat; the mice that received calcium lost 42 percent, and the mice that got dairy products lost 69 percent of the fat they had gained. When the same researchers tried similar tactics on obese people, the ones who lost weight were the ones whose diets included dairy products. From Greerman: Here's the kicker, this study was sponsored by the National Dairy Council and published in April 2004 in Obesity Research. Meanwhile, a study at Creighton University in Nebraska showed that over a 20 year period, women whose intake of dairy foods was highest had an average weight gain of zero while those whose dairy intake was lowest gained a pound per year. Other studies have showed the intake volume of dairy products, or not, made no difference. Bottom line is we know for sure rats lose on this diet. Dr. Weil summarized by saying, "I think the jury is still out on this one. But I can tell you that you won't lose weight by adding yogurt or some other type of dairy product to what you're eating now. However, if you replace some of the calories in your diet with yogurt or other types of dairy products, over time you may see a difference." This makes good sense to me and is very common sense. Also, when I am ask if, due to my advanced age, I have ankle, knee, or hip problems and if not why? My answer is No, and I feel that the real reason is that when I was a teenager playing football, running track, riding a motorcycle, etc., I drank 3 quarts of whole milk at every meal. My mother thought about buying a cow and my father thought I was nuts. But, I believe it paid off for now. So, that is why I talk about taking care of ourselves when we are young so that we can be healthy when we age. Dr. Weil agrees with this.

The statement has been made by many learned men/women, that you are what you eat. I have added a little verse to this, you are what you think! From what I have seen by some of our population I wonder what they eat and think!

"Sooner or later you figure out that pragmatisms are principles in a democracy. It's not selling out your convictions."--Bill Clinton(not bad for the zipperman)

The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind is next, I don't have time for it now. This creative mind is out the door for a Legal Mediation.

Also, keep abreast of current affairs, there will be a name recognition quiz given to my readers on the next post(Jen or Pam won't be on it).

greer