r e Mil A • MAIM3MMOMMMOMMOMMWar.VAKAW6V.ZMWatMWDAMMVAG 1023.~A §74741WVAWAWM,A3M01; HEALTH WATCH page 73 ommended as well," Dr. Chastain says. CHILD DEVELOPMENT How are parents to know if their children are developing nor- mally? Experts at the American Occupational Therapy Association say that even first- time parents are pretty good at spotting problems that could in- terfere with a child's develop- ment. "Every youngster is unique, but there are certain milestones that help you look at your child's development," says Leslie Jack- son, a registered occupational therapist. Some common milestones in- clude: • At 1 month: frequently holds hands in fists, kicks feet when on back, looks at parents. • At 6 months: moves toys from hand to hand, sits without support, repeats sounds like "Da- Da." • At 1 year: scribbles sponta- neously, may take a few steps in- dependently, says three to five words. Alison Ashton is a writer for Copley News Service. T youob your qes i centuries of je- vvis bistoq wiii Live again. Poiano POLISH AIRLINES Polish National Touris t Office (212) 338-9412 (312 ) 236-9013 /800/ 223-0593 Cr) LL, C/) w acute 35n't otben CD CC cn LU 74 CRUZ HEARING AID SERVICE We hear you! Stop by or call Felix Cruz at 810-424-8450 • At 2 years: rides a tricycle, drinks from a cup using one hand, sings phrases of songs. Parents who think their child is not developing normally should consult with their pediatrician. FAT AMERICANS Dire health warnings that ap- pear in newspaper headlines al- most daily appear to be having little effect on the American peo- ple who are, as a whole, getting fatter. "As a country, we're still gain- ing weight. Studies show obesi- ty is more prevalent now than a few years ago," says Dr. David C. Dale, editor in chief of Scien- tific American Medicine. Lack of exercise and a high-fat diet are usually the culprits for weight gain, which can lead to such health problems as high blood pressure, severe os- teoarthritis, fatigue, depression and even low self-esteem. "Obesity is a very insidious problem. People will say, 'Oh, my mother was like this,' or just eat the same as everyone else. There's nothing wrong with me.' But by gaining even a pound a year, lots of people gradually be- come obese," Dr. Dale says. ❑ Burn Fat, Not Lean Body Mass JACK WILLIAMS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS W il ' e widely publicized re- search in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine would seem to indicate we can't win for losing weight, there may be hope on the horizon. A study by Gilbert Kaats at the Health and Medical Research Foundation in San Antonio, Texas, indicates combinations of certain nutrients may help solve a dieting dilemma: the loss of weight at the expense of lean body mass. Lean body mass — mainly muscle — is the good stuff that in- creases our caloric requirements and enables us to burn calories ef- ficiently. Most calorie-restricted diets re- sult in the loss of muscle, a major reason dieters' metabolisms slow to a crawl. Dr. Kaats' study monitored 186 obese people — 75 percent of them women — over a four-week period. All were assigned a diet appropriate to reaching and maintaining a realistic goal weight. For example, a 190-pound woman wishing to reach and maintain a weight of 140 would Jack Williams is a writer for Copley News Service. be placed on a 1,400-calorie regi- men in which the fat content ranged between 10 and 20 per- cent, Dr. Kaats said. All were encouraged to increase physical activity without neces- sarily becoming involved in a for- mal exercise program. Half of the subjects were placed on a supplemental regimen in- volving 600 micrograms daily of chromium picolinate, 1,200 mil- ligrams of Larnitine, and 1,500 milligrams of a citric acid natu- rally found in garcinia — a berry indigenous to Thailand and India. The citric acid, known scientif- ically as hydroxycitrate, or HCA, was in a capsule called Brindall Trim. Those on the supplemental regimen lost 2.84 pounds of body fat. Those on the placebo lost less than half that, 1.40 pounds of body fat, over the four-week pe- riod. "The difference is highly sig- nificant," said Dr. Kaats, who presented his findings to a group of bariatric physicians in Mexico prior to submitting it to medical journals: "You have to be impressed with anything that depletes body fat with no adverse effect on lean tissue," Dr. Kaats said. "What you love to see is the same kind