The three O's: Omentum, Oz and Oprah
Last week Dr Mehmet Oz (and his colleague Dr Michael Roizen) appeared on Oprah. The two M.D's have written two fabulous health & wellness books (You: The owner's manual, and You: on a diet), the latter of which is a new publication. The docs are very enthusiastic but very non-sensensationalist which is a nice change in the world of health information.
The first book is great for the person that wants to lead a healthier life, as it gives accurate, no nonsense information, and (unlike most books it will compete with) gives the reader an understanding of what 'health' means, and is.
The second I haven't yet read, but I'm sure it's more of the same, with a focus more on how our bodies metabolize what we eat, and how that impacts our health.
What impressed me most is how Dr Oz made the focus of his presentation health, not weight loss, not aesthetics. For example, everybody wants to have their waistline under control, but Oz let the viewer visualize why that's so important. The omentum is an organ that sits underneath your stomach, between your abdominal muscles and your digestive system. The classic beer belly is really a beer-omentum. I'm no expert on the organ, but my understanding is that it works like a kind of filter. The omentum is able to absorb toxins and particles that are taken up by the intestines. Fats, and trans-fats in particular, are readily absorbed by the omentum, and as they lie inside the actual torso (not under the skin) they represent a huge health risk.
The viewers were able to visualize how McDonalds and french fries impact their bodies by showing them two human omenti, one from a heathy person and one from an overweight person. The first was looked like a dishcloth; the second omentum was about as big as my book bag. This person who was about 30 lbs overweight, was carrying 10-15 of that right on top of his/her liver & intestines. 30 lbs overweight isn't a huge amount by todays standards either. It corresponds with about 25% of the population of the US. Even as someone with a concept of what that type of fat can do to a person's health, to see it was shocking.
I don't ever watch Oprah's show, but I do realize how many people do watch it, and what a hugely influential woman she is. For example, in 1994 Oprah ran the New York City Marathon, the biggest marathon in the world, with 90 000 participants last year. That year 20% of the runners were women. The following year, 45% of the runners were women. Without knowing how many total participants there were in 94 or 95, even extremely conservative estimates are that 10 000+ women ran a marathon because they saw Oprah do it.
Rundown on our 3 O's for today:
The first book is great for the person that wants to lead a healthier life, as it gives accurate, no nonsense information, and (unlike most books it will compete with) gives the reader an understanding of what 'health' means, and is.
The second I haven't yet read, but I'm sure it's more of the same, with a focus more on how our bodies metabolize what we eat, and how that impacts our health.
What impressed me most is how Dr Oz made the focus of his presentation health, not weight loss, not aesthetics. For example, everybody wants to have their waistline under control, but Oz let the viewer visualize why that's so important. The omentum is an organ that sits underneath your stomach, between your abdominal muscles and your digestive system. The classic beer belly is really a beer-omentum. I'm no expert on the organ, but my understanding is that it works like a kind of filter. The omentum is able to absorb toxins and particles that are taken up by the intestines. Fats, and trans-fats in particular, are readily absorbed by the omentum, and as they lie inside the actual torso (not under the skin) they represent a huge health risk.
The viewers were able to visualize how McDonalds and french fries impact their bodies by showing them two human omenti, one from a heathy person and one from an overweight person. The first was looked like a dishcloth; the second omentum was about as big as my book bag. This person who was about 30 lbs overweight, was carrying 10-15 of that right on top of his/her liver & intestines. 30 lbs overweight isn't a huge amount by todays standards either. It corresponds with about 25% of the population of the US. Even as someone with a concept of what that type of fat can do to a person's health, to see it was shocking.
I don't ever watch Oprah's show, but I do realize how many people do watch it, and what a hugely influential woman she is. For example, in 1994 Oprah ran the New York City Marathon, the biggest marathon in the world, with 90 000 participants last year. That year 20% of the runners were women. The following year, 45% of the runners were women. Without knowing how many total participants there were in 94 or 95, even extremely conservative estimates are that 10 000+ women ran a marathon because they saw Oprah do it.
Rundown on our 3 O's for today:
Omentum: know what it is, and if yours could kill you, do something about it
Oz: Check out either one of his books and learn how to treat yourself better
Oprah: You don't have like her or her show, but appreciate that she does a lot more with her good fortune (and financial fortune), than most in her shoes
