Q.
Deep down, I've never really accepted
your or other experts' claims that
overeating is the cause of overweight. I knew
better. I knew that my sister eats twice as
much as I do, yet she is never overweight
and I have a constant battle trying to fit in
the same size dresses. I have finally found
the evidence that I 'm right! I've just read a
medical report in my morning paper which
said that obese people burn their calories
slower than normal weight people. The
paper says that: "energy used by the red
blood cells of very obese people was 22%
less than that observed in the red blood cells
of normal controls." It seems that this new
study proved that some people are born with
this genetic metabolic abnormality which actually
causes overweight. Overeating has
nothing to do with it. What can you say to
that? - M.M.P., Wichita, Kansas
A.
You are referring to a study by a
published in the prestigious New England
Journal of Medicine (October 30, 1980).
then picked up, sensationalized and
distorted by the news-hungry media.
It is true that the red blood cells of 21 severely
obese people did use 22% less energy than
the red blood cells of normal controls. But
you, and many others, seem to draw the
wrong conclusion from this study: that
calories really don't count. Calories still do
count! They only count more for some than
for others. But this is nothing new. In
Everywoman's Book, on page 474, I have
written the following: "Persons with a low
metabolic rate, so-called 'slow-burners,' can
put weight on faster than those who are 'fast
burners' on the same amount of calories."
Many causes can slow down the metabolic
rate: thyroid insufficiency, physical inactivity,
overeating, improper food mixing, lack
of digestive enzymes, psychological causes,
hypoglycemia, diabetes, etc. Even damage
to the liver can slow down the conversion of
food to energy when the liver is not able to
synthesize an adequate amount of energy-producing enzymes.
This latest study must be interpreted with
due scientific caution. It only shows the
reduced energy used by red blood cells. In
order to conclude that there is a basic
metabolic difference between obese and normal people,
we need more evidence. Reduced energy use must be
demonstrated in other
body tissues and in other vital processes. It
just may be that these grossly obese study
subjects had normal red cell energy use
before they became obese, but the gross
obesity damaged the vital organs and glands
involved in energy conversion to the point
where it affected the red cell function. The
total metabolic story is much more complex
than just the energy used by the red blood
cells.
I am not trying to minimize the importance
of the aforementioned study. But,
even if we take it at its face value, all it
proves is that there are truly two kinds of
people in respect to the use of energy by red
blood cells. For those belonging to the low-energy-user group it is even more important
to avoid overeating and overconsumption of
calories in order to prevent obesity.
Thus, overeating, or excessive dietary
calories, is still the number one cause of
obesity. This study proves, if anything, that
some of us put weight on faster than others
on the same amount of calories. But we
already knew that. The ultimate secret of
reducing - no matter what category of red
blood cell typing you belong to - is still
consuming fewer calories than the body needs,
which, in plain language, mean eating less.
Q.
I am a vegetarian. I've read recently
that vegetarians risk serious health
problems since there is no vitamin B12 in
the vegetarian diet. Is this true? - M.M.,
A.
No, it is not true. Research by the
meat and dairy industries has been
slanted. New discoveries show that B12 can
be found in numerous non-meat sources,
such as olives, mushrooms, bananas,
spirulina, bee pollen, concord grapes,
sunflower seeds, dates, ginseng, prunes,
parsley, watercress, rice polishings,
apricots, kelp, blackberries, soybeans,
fortified yeast, fresh wheat germ and, of course, milk.
Although most vegetable sources are relatively low
in B12, nevertheless if a variety of the above-mentioned
foods is eaten regularly,
the daily requirement of B12 can be safely met,
especially if your diet includes milk and milk products.
Also, vitamin B12 is manufactured in our
intestines by the beneficial bacteria that
normally exist in a healthy organism. So if
you keep your intestinal tract healthy and
eat regularly some of the foods mentioned
above, you need not fear that you will
develop a B12 deficiency.
Q.
Several books dealing with diet assert
the vitamin C content of the potato.
As the boiling and baking processes destroy
the vitamin C, how is it possible that the
vitamin C content of the potato remains intact
even if boiled or baked with the skin on? - S.D., Zion, Illinois
What Causes Overweight?
Plant Sources of Vitamin B12
Vitamin C in Potatoes