HOLISTIC HEALTH NOTEBOOK

Fat and Frustrated? As the author of several weight loss books, college curricula, and training programs, I am frequently asked if I have read the latest weight loss book,

or looked at the newest diet

fad on the market. To my

interviewer's surprise, I always say, "No." And

when asked why not, I answer that there is

simply nothing new

on the market. All

diets and weight

loss books are simply

re-writes of

the failures of the

past, with a few

"twists of plot" so the books will sell.

Does that sound terribly cynical?

Perhaps. But cynicism is appropriate here because merely changing the diet in any direction often produces some weight loss. Most people will drop a few pounds just by adding a little protein, a few carbohydrates, or a little more water. The diet protocol itself really is not that important, in terms of simple weight loss.

The staggering 90 percent plus failure rate of virtually every diet program is no longer news.

I did, however, just read the abstract of a rat study showing that a high-fat diet combined with low ambient temperatures increased a homologue called uncoupling protein 1 and 2, especially when combined with supplementation of a hormone called enterostatin. Uncoupling proteins assist dramatically in weight loss, as they release the power of brown fat thermogenesis, which in turn increases body heat and burns calories. In other words, it helps turn your body into a fat-burning furnace.

Before you rush off to find a doctor to inject you with the hormone and load your refrigerator with potato chips and fast-food burgers, let's rework your health paradigm.

You say you want to lose weight, but would you rather lose body fat and gain lean tissue, thereby improving body composition and making you look better, even into your senior years? Would you rather couple your weight goals with a reduction in disease risk factors? In other words, how about getting thinner, more toned, and reducing your risk of metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease?

This is not an insignificant question because according to a recent study, 40 percent of Americans are currently diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, a forerunner of diabetes and heart disease. These numbers are staggering.

The good news is, however, that the problem is easily fixed.

Carol Simontacchi is the owner of

the Island Nutrition Center on Sanibel.

She can be reached at 472-4499 or on the

Web at www.islandnutritioncenter.metaehealth.

com. ¦