Sharing - Letter to the Editor

Better Nutrition, March, 2003

BN stands out because it includes stories that contradict conventional "natural health" wisdom.

As an example, I point to "[H.sub.2]O Myth All Wet" (December 2002). We've heard about the eight glasses of water myth for decades, and yet not one study has ever backed up the claim. Your article explodes the myth and even suggests its origin.

In the same issue, one finds "Setting the Record Straight: Fresh vs. Frozen," explaining why frozen foods can be just as healthy as fresh. And a page further on, readers encounter "Vitamins for Energy," which reveals this frequent claim for what it is: a conscious lie. Vitamins don't provide energy.

And on page 39, "Low-Calorie Longevity" states a simple medical truth that has been lost amid numerous, fuzzy, anti-aging product claims: "... calorie restriction is the only strategy that has been scientifically proven to extend the maximum life span." Doctors know this, but the public keeps getting duped.

Thank you for being one health magazine that dares to print the scientific truth without falling into the trap of repeating the same old, well-everyone-knows-it's-true wisdom that is continually espoused by self-appointed experts.

Elliot Eybel, MD
Houston, Texas

I have become an avid reader of BN during the past six months. I never thought I'd find time to write. But I so thoroughly enjoyed your story "Low-Calorie Longevity: The Anti-Aging Diet" in the December 2002 issue that I had to drop you a note.

I've followed all the calorie restriction studies going back to Roy Walford's earliest days. Yet I have never before seen any article that was able to speak so well to the lay person while furnishing the most technically minded and latest theories on calorie restriction.

As a gerontologist and nutritionist, I'm keeping this article as my quick-check reference guide. It's that good. And if I'm lucky, you'll provide me with an updated version someday down the road.

Congratulations on a comprehensive investigation and in-depth investigation. Full marks.

Frank Kim, MD, PhD
San Francisco, California