spotlight on health How “Healthy” Is Your vansControl Program? (NAPSA)—For many American, few things consume the mind more than the battle to manage weight. Evening newscasts regu- i i 4 as ances) larly deliver more and more evidence that obesity has reached epidemic levels. And on the heels of those worrisome newscasts, there is the endless parade of commercials for “miracle, lose- weight-quick-and-keep-it-off” programsorpills. Yet Americans keep taking it off and putting it back on, or not taking it off at all after following untested and sometimes dangerous weight loss products and fad diets. The reality, according to the Surgeon General and leading health organizations, is that safe, effective weight loss, “healthy weight loss,” occurs gradually— between one-half and two pounds a week.In fact, at least three fac- tors identify healthy weight loss programs: Gradual weight loss rather than rapid shedding of pounds; A realistic behavior modification program that encourages peo- ple to eat better and move more— behaviors that can last a lifetime; and A focus on loss of fat, while maintaining or building lean muscle mass andbonedensity. According to Dr. Gilbert Kaats, director of the Health and Medical Research Foundation, some diets can do more harm than good, exposing unsuspecting dieters to dangerous health risks. “People should demand that their weight loss programs promote slow, healthy weight loss that depletes fat while protecting or increasing bone and lean muscle mass,” he says. A “healthy” weight loss pro- gram should promote a loss of body fat, with gains in bone density and lean mass. One of the weight-control programs that meets these standards is the Body Solutions Weight Loss System, which Dr. Kaats and his team of highly qualified co-investigators have researched extensively. “Weight loss should not rely on magic potions that offer quick rewards for little effort. The goal for dieters should be to lose weight by doing some of the same things they will have to do in order to maintain their weight loss,” states Dr. William Squires, Professor of Biology at Texas Lutheran University and one of Kaats’ co-investigators. “In short,” Squires continues, “weight loss should be a practice session for continuing weight maintenance.” Body Solutions has developed a three-phase program that goes beyond simply losing scale weight. This healthy weight loss system combines nutritional supplements with a behavior modification program to encourage healthy weight loss. The company’s products are designed to improve body compo- sition by helping people reducefat while maintaining or increasing muscle mass and bone density. “Body composition—the relationship between bone density, lean muscle and fat—is the key to successful and healthy weight loss,” says Dennis Pullin of Houston’s St. Lukes’ Hospital, another of Kaats’ co-investigators. “Our research on the Body Solutions system shows that those who take the supplements and follow the behavior modification guidelines consistently improve their body composition. In fact, the studies we have conducted have repeatedly found that following the Body Solutions system is not only safe, but enables 85 to 95 percent of study participants to improve their lean-to-fat ratios.” In all of their independentclin- ical trials, Kaats’ research team use an FDA-approved technology called Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry, or DEXA, to measure the body fat, bone density and lean mass of participants in the Body Solutionsclinicaltrials. “The DEXA test provides accurate measures of these three key components of a healthy weight loss system,” Kaats says. “When dieters add or preserve lean muscle and bone mass while losing weight, they’re strengthening their bones and improving their immune system, increasing their metabolism while getting firmer bodies. And these changes will also increase the odds of maintaining lost weight. In short, a healthy weight loss system provides a pathway to optimal health.” For more information about Body Solutions and its research program visit the company’s Web site at www.bodysolutions.com.
