December, 1998

• ZONE SURVEY RESULTS

 

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ZONE SURVEY RESULTS

Last year I wrote in this newsletter about the "Zone", developed by Barry Sears, Ph.D. This is a method of nutrition, which runs counter to the currently recommended low fat, high carbohydrate, calorie-counting way of thinking. The column stimulated an intense interest among people looking for a healthier way of eating in order to achieve greater energy and loss of excess body fat. In November of this year I mailed out a survey to those patients who had expressed an interest in the Zone during the past two years. Seventy-six surveys were returned. The average age of the respondents was thirty-nine years old; ninety percent were female (come on guys, get with it - no wonder women outlive men by almost ten years!) The average length of time following the Zone was seven months. The average weight loss was twelve pounds; the maximum weight loss was seventy pounds. Almost ninety percent of respondents reported more energy while on this diet. The most successful people tended to sustain their long-term goals, used books, video's, and Internet resources to increase their knowledge, and participated in a regular exercise program. Two men lowered their total cholesterol and triglycerides by more than one hundred points and were able to discontinue their cholesterol lowering medications within several months. Two women, whose pregnancies had been complicated by hypertension, were able to reverse their conditions and have normal uncomplicated deliveries.

The stumbling blocks that the less successful respondents reported included: lack of time to shop or cook, family members resistant to change, expense of protein sources, dislike of vegetables, and hopeless addiction to dense carbohydrates and sweets. We discuss these difficulties at the support group meetings and during personal consultations at the office. We now have a new state of the art infrared body composition analyzer which quickly and accurately assesses your percentage of body fat. This measurement is a much better indicator than body weight in determining optimal health. Ideally, men should have less than 15% body fat, and women should have less than 20%.

The following table summarizes the respondents' subjective assessment of their experiences with the Zone.

FUNCTION	BETTER	WORSE	TOTAL
Physical stamina	88.5%	0.0%	50
Mood	78.4%	2.0%	51
Concentration	60.8%	0.0%	51
Athletics	55.8%	0.0%	43
Immune system	54.3%	2.2%	46
Sleep quality	51.9%	3.8%	52
Digestion	50.0%	4.0%	50
Cholesterol	50.0%	0.0%	18
Aches and pains	48.9%	2.1%	47
Sex drive	23.9%	0.0%	46

The above results indicate that most of the respondents experienced an increase in energy and an improvement in mood and ability to concentrate. There were modest improvements in other areas. These results are especially encouraging given the average respondent had only followed the diet for seven months. I am continuing to recommend the Zone for those persons looking to permanently change their nutritional intake to establish good health, optimize physical performance, bolster the immune system, retard the aging process, and achieve a lasting, desirable percentage of body fat.

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