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comfortable walking shoesWhy is it that some people are thin and others prone to obesity? Hundreds of books have been written to explain this dilemma. Someblame the underactive thyroid. Others cite genetics. But Dr. JamesLevine, an endocrinologist and professor of nutrition at the MayoClinic in Rochester, Minn., has a "NEAT theory" supported by "magicunderwear" to explain the difference. In Nutrition Action Health Letter he reports a unique experiment.He gathered together a combination of thin people and obese couchpotatoes who never went to the gym. He then gave both groups anextra 1,000 calories a day above their usual caloric intake foreight weeks to see what would happen. They were also fitted with underwear equipped to monitor everymovement and posture change. It was impossible to roll over in bedor scratch an ear without this magic underwear picking it up. Andit showed that obese people moved two-and-a-half hours less perday. This meant they burned 350 fewer calories every day. You don'tneed to be an Einstein to conclude that these calories, stored asfat, were the problem. So what is NEAT? Levine says it stands for "non-exercise activitythermogenesis," a fancy name, but the message is that you have tokeep moving, either shopping until you drop, tapping your toes orbeing a little twitchy. Levine doesn't like to use the word "walking" to explain thedifference. He says for most people this means putting on joggingshoes. He prefers the term "ambulation" to stress that just amblingaround in a variety of ways burns more calories for most peoplethan jogging. So how much of our daily energy expenditure comes through NEAT?First, remember we can't change our basal metabolic rate thataccounts for 60% of our daily energy. We use this amount of energyjust to keep our organs functioning. Then we use another 10% ofcalories to absorb, digest and store food. This leaves 30% forNEAT. Levine says NEAT is like disposable income which you can spend orsave. It's wise to save money for a rainy day. But here's onesituation where it's better to spend, spend, spend. Staying in bedall day saving NEAT means you're storing it as fat. So is it off to the gym to rid yourself of excess NEAT? It helps,but Levine says, "Most people don't like going to the gym and don'tgo even if they do like it." Moreover, it takes 15 minutes to get to the gym, 10 minutes tochange and 30 minutes on the bike to burn 100 calories. Doing thisthree times a week burns only 300 calories, just 42 calories a day. Levine suggests the best approach is to get out of your cushy,comfortable chair. He practises what he preaches by integratingwalking into his work. He answers telephone calls while walking onhis treadmill and responds to e-mails this way. He also talks withpeople while exercising on a $50 stepping device. You may haveguessed by this time that he has no chairs in his office. He standsto work. The Mayo Clinic shares Levine's enthusiasm for encouraging peopleto be more mobile. Its staff now employs "Movologists" to train people to increasetheir physical activity, to use walk and talk meetings to expendNEAT. And they're designing offices, schools and furniture toencourage mobility and reverse a lethal static trend. Remember, it's taken millions of years to evolve the human body,but only the last 100 years to develop the lethal rust of obesity,diabetes and other degenerative diseases by using modern technologyand devices that keep us immobile. I know NEAT could reverse this trend. I've recently returned fromKenya where I visited rural villages. All the school children werethin, largely because they were walking miles to school every day.And they did not return home to watch TV, sit on riding lawn mowersor stand on escalators. So, Dr. Levine, I like your "NEAT" idea. I recently wrote about InterceptCS, a non-prescription device thatprevents cold sores (Herpes Simplex), and many readers can't findit. InterceptCS is sold only at Shoppers Drug Mart. Have all the news delivered to your door 7 days a week. Next story: Low-fat mountain