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totalhealth’s Special Report
Obesity, Weight Loss and Glucose Control
7-Keto —The Dieter’s Advantage
by John L. Zenk, M.D., chief medical and scientific officer,
Humanetics Corporation
At any given time, 50 percent of all
Americans are dieting. However, the
majority of diets end in failure and worse
yet, as we get older, our ability to lose
weight through dieting becomes increasingly
more difficult. Why is this? Scientists
now say that the answer may lie deep in
our DNA. The fact is, Mother Nature has
designed human beings to survive, even
in the face of starvation. Millions of years
of evolution have resulted in the creation
of a remarkable and involuntary ability to
slow down our metabolism. This can be
good if you really are starving, however, it
is a real problem if you are simply
reducing your calories in an effort to diet
and lose a few extra pounds. You see,
your body doesn't know the difference. It
sees less calories coming in and immediately
starts to conserve your energy stores
(better known as fat). It does this through
lowering your body's metabolism.
Unfortunately it is an automatic response
and one that until now, you had no control
over. The body's automatic response
to dieting is very similar to what happens
to animals that hibernate. This drop can
be as dramatic as 20 percent in just a few
days. When your metabolism drops, your
ability to burn calories, especially calories
stored as fat, declines as well. This is why
you see some good initial results on most
diets and then they just seem to stop
working—no matter how hard you try, the
weight just doesn't seem to come off. You
get frustrated and the diet ends.
We have now discovered that there is a
natural substance, produced by your
body, called 7-oxo DHEA (7-Keto.), which
plays a significant role in regulating this
drop in metabolism. What is really interesting
is that this natural substance
declines dramatically after age 25.
Remember how easy it was to maintain
your weight or even drop a few pounds
when you were a teenager? Now we may
know some of the answers as to why it
gets so hard to lose weight as we get
older.
What happens if we simply add back
some 7-Keto, you ask? The answer, which
is supported by two published clinical
studies, is that it appears that adding back
7-Keto while you diet can make your diet
significantly more effective. In these clinical
studies, individuals who practiced a
moderate diet and added 90 minutes of
light exercise, such as walking, over an
eight-week period and took 7-Keto, lost
three times more weight and body fat than
those individuals in the study who also
dieted and exercised but took a placebo
pill. The results of these studies and
others confirm that the metabolism of
those individuals who took 7-Keto actually
increased, while the metabolism of these
individuals who took the placebo
decreased. In addition, these studies also
demonstrate that there was no difference
in side effects between those dieters who
took 7-Keto and those who took the
placebo pill. It is important to note that
7-Keto is not a stimulant like caffeine or
ephedra and does not elevate blood pressure
or heart rates like many other popular
weight loss supplements.
The best method to lose weight and
keep it off is to change your diet and
engage in moderate exercise. Most individuals,
however, give up on their weight
loss plans after failing to notice much or
any weight loss. Now, with the addition
of 7-Keto, dieters can enjoy more success,
which can motivate them to continue
toward their ultimate weight loss
goals.
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