2001 September

Do you remember the following commercial that ran on TV a few years ago? It showed a series of kids talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up: a teacher, an astronaut, a fire fighter.

There's so much pressure around us to be thin that it's easy to forget that optimal body weight really is about our health, and not just our pant size. But this week, a couple of new studies on health and weight confirmed that maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves – and that letting it slide can be the most dangerous.

Scientists in the Netherlands found significant evidence that both birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy increase a woman's risk of developing a condition called microalbuminuria. People with this condition have increased levels of protein in their urine, which is an early marker for kidney disease. And a Canadian study published in JAMA this past July concluded that microalbuminaria was a risk factor for heart disease, based on its analysis of more than 9,000 people age 55 and older.

Ten days ago, we sent you a message on new research that was raising concerns about the safety of soy. Since then, many of you have written back to us to ask how you should alter your diet, or to point out apparent contradictions in the soy research.

Because I eat a lot of soy, I've been following the growing controversy about its safety. A majority of us, after all, are not at risk for kidney stones. But there is evidence that soy may contribute to vascular dementia, breast cancer, interference in thyroid function, osteoporosis, and other serious and potentially deadly diseases.