Issue Date: August 28, 2005
Milk is not diet magic
You've seen the ads saying you can lose weight by drinking more milk. But many scientists say it's far from a good bet.
Evidence is piling up that milk and other dairy foods, contrary to what some scientists had hoped, do not dissolve fat -- including dangerous belly fat. In fact, they may add pounds.
Kids: A new study from Harvard tracked nearly 13,000 9- to 14-year-olds and found that adolescents who drink more milk tend to gain weight, not lose it. Those who drank the most milk (more than three glasses a day) gained more than those who drank less or none. The conclusion: High intakes of milk, including skim and 1% milk, made kids fatter. Milk, researchers said, may provide too many calories.
Adults: In a new major test, Purdue University researchers had 155 women, ages 18 to 30, eat various amounts of calcium-rich dairy foods for a year. Calorie intake was kept equal. Dairy mattered not: Women who ate lots of dairy, like those who ate less, did not lose weight or body fat. The study was supported by the National Dairy Council.
Overview: At the University of British Columbia, 26 related studies were reviewed. Of nine dairy-product studies, two found greater weight gain in the dairy-supplemented group. Of 17 calcium studies, only one found more weight loss in the supplemented group. Neal Barnard, of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, says that when dairy eaters have lost weight, they cut calories, too.
Bottom line: This doesn't mean you have to shun dairy products, which provide valuable protein and calcium. But don't think they're weight-loss aids.
Jean Carper, now heard weekly on HealthRadioNetwork.com, can be contacted at stopagingnow.com. Scientific sources for this article are at usaweekend.com.
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Changing jobs? Keep your 401(k) invested
When you change employers, it's tempting to cash out your 401(k) and spend it -- but that not only guts retirement savings, it adds to your tax bill (in most cases, you must pay state and federal income taxes, plus a 10% penalty if you're under age 591/2). Cashing out has been easy -- in fact, some employers insisted on it.
Now, new federal rules say that if your 401(k) contains more than $1,000, your former employer must keep it invested until you say to move it. If you say nothing, the company can either keep the funds in the 401(k) until you give instructions or turn 65, or roll the funds into a company-established IRA. Exception: If your balance is less than $1,000, you'll probably still get cashed out.
The new rules also increase contribution limits. If you're under 50, you can put in a maximum of $14,000 in 2005, and $15,000 in 2006. If you're over 50, it jumps to $18,000 in 2005 and $20,000 in 2006.
My advice: If you change jobs, tell your former employer to roll your 401(k) into an IRA. The return from investing over time will pay off.
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When to work out
What time of day should you work out? It depends on what you want to accomplish. For most people, morning workouts are most effective: By getting exercise in early, you are more likely to stick to a regular routine. But research shows exercising later in the day also provides benefits, such as less chance of sleep deprivation and of injury. Whenever you choose to schedule fitness is fine; researchers agree that exercising at any time is better than not at all.
Morning benefits
-- More likely to stick with it
-- Better moods and less tension throughout day
-- Better mind-set for food intake
-- Improvement in sleep patterns and cognitive function
Afternoon benefits
-- Less chance of injury
-- Increased respiratory capacity
-- Less chance of sleep deprivation from rising early
-- Greater improvement in sleep patterns and cognitive function
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What your nails say
Look at your nails. Leading New York dermatologist Joshua Fox says that you may want to see a skin doctor to rule out underlying illness if your nails are:
Curved. Nails that resemble the back of a teaspoon (doctors call them "clubbed") can indicate a lung, heart or liver problem. If they're curved in, like the cup of a teaspoon, and whitish or very pale, you could have anemia.
Streaked. A new or changing dark streak running the length of a nail and widening at the base can signal potentially deadly melanoma. If you're dark-skinned, you're apt to have harmless dark pigment on your nails -- but you still can get melanoma.
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