I don't know how you -- OR ANY ONE ELSE ON THE LIST -- looks. So, again, don;t shoot the messenger. Okay?? And you KNOW I have never made a foray into Nancy and other's medical / physical characteristic realm. But I have to make this suggestion. [Drum roll, please . . . . . . . . .] Are you obese? Okay, fat? Chunky? Heavy? On the portly side? Choose your own euphemism. I fight it. And the women on my Dad's side are beset with weight roblems. -- their Collins's. Why am I bringing up this (probably) painful subject? There is a LOT of evidence that modern-day Native Americans, Native Alaskans, Native Hawaiians, Samoans, Fijians -- and lots of other Native people -- are absolutely plagued with obesity. And, in fact, that it is a latter-day "mark" of their native heritage. How so? Because those cultures led a very "feast & famine" lifestyle--loading up on food when they had it, and then trying to survive the lean periods till the picking and hunting went back on line. Consequently, their metabolism developed the ability to very SLOWLY pull out nutrients from fat, enabling them to last the harsh winter -- and enabling mothers to give nutritious milk, etc. With the advent of European foods [including butter, lots of carbs, fats, and alcohol], as well as their three-meals-a-day eating patterns, Native people were grossly affected [no pun intended. . . . Well . . . .] There is a lot of rigorous scientific evidence of this being true. I am NOT trying to get myself flamed by a lot of sweet Melungeon ladies on the Weight Watchers' program,. in fact, I have NO way of knowing whether or not any of you might be a we bit on the Reubenesque side. But I'm GUESSING that if you are Black Dutch or if your Melungeon heritage includes native people that you MIGHT be able to relate to what I'm saying. that is, you MAY have inherited an ancient metabolic pattern that was great for your hunter-gatherer ancestors -- but which has been playing havoc with the weight and related health of your own and your Mom's and Aunt's and daughters [and the men, as well, of course]. Also note that Black folk in America suffer from certain dietary problems that, while not necessary unique to that group, are somewhat more prominent in that group. For example, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. You CAN make the argument that that is ALL due to the diet within the African American culture. But IS it? If their ancestors lived in Africa for thousands of years, and if they only came here to mix with the Europeans in the last 350 years, then isn't it conceivable that there MIGHT be some diet-related health problems among Melungeons that harken back to the fact that Africans and European eating patterns were so different? --In Africa and Europe, not to mention on the plantations [but I doubt that lasted long enough for the whole culture to be affected with some kind of microevolutionary change in metabolism]. Just a thought! Oh . . . in case you don't believe me, read this on INDIANS: "Potential contributors: The causes of obesity are complex and include cultural, familial, and genetic factors. Studies of energy expenditure among the Pima Indians suggest that a low metabolic rate contributes to the familial aggregation of obesity in man (Bogardus, Lillioja, Ravussin 1990). In addition, there may be multiple metabolic differences between Indians and non-Indians that may predispose Native Americans to become obese when food is abundant. Neel's thrifty-gene hypothesis in 1962 suggested that obesity results from the introduction of a continuous and ample food supply to people who have evolved an ability to store energy efficiently, permitting survival through millennia of feast-famine cycles (Neel 1962). Since obesity may have multiple possible determinants, it is unclear whether the primary defect is genetic, environmental, or an interaction between the two" (Howard et al. 1991). Howard BV, Bogardus C, Ravussin E, et al. Studies of the etiology of obesity in Pima Indians. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 53:1577S-85S, 1991. And read this on AFRICAN AMERICANS: "Genetic Risk Factors The common finding that "diabetes runs in families" indicates that there is a strong genetic component to type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Many scientists are now conducting research to determine the genes that cause diabetes. For type 1 diabetes, certain genes related to immunology have been implicated. For type 2 diabetes, there seem to be diabetes genes that determine insulin secretion and insulin resistance. Some researchers believe that African Americans inherited a "thrifty gene" from their African ancestors. Years ago, this gene enabled Africans, during "feast and famine" cycles, to use food energy more efficiently when food was scarce. Today, with fewer such cycles, the thrifty gene that developed for survival may instead make the person more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes." NIH Publication No. 98-3266 ; August 1998 ; e-text updated: 20 September 1998 see: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/diabetes/pubs/afam/afam.htm#3 . . . and then check out these sites: Feast & Famine metabolism: http://www.heartinfo.org/reutersnews/t0728-4f.htm this one is about our PETS, but the idea is the same: They used to have to hunt -- and had slim pickin's some months. Now they lounge around eating treats and watching the soaps (with us), and GET FAT! That ain't healthy! http://www.netpets.com/cats/reference/food/obesity.html "Obesity 101" http://www.obesity-101.com/101-1.htm http://www.cma.ca/cmaj/vol-155/issue-11/1569.htm [Canadian site, but states it well--and there's more in English below the French part] http://www.uic.edu/depts/idhd/ced/text/nativetxt.htm [ a sad commentary on the affect of European society's ways on Native people] http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/canusa/papers/usa/english/indigen.htm http://www.4woman.gov/owh/pub/woc/native.htm [This one includes Native Hawaiians] http://www.azcc.arizona.edu/in_print/N_Summer2000/n_Native_american.htm [^^ includes good photo of elderly Native American lady] Indian obesity: http://www.cyfc.umn.edu/Diversity/nativeamer.html http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/cbm/amindhlt.html [<<search this one with EDIT, FIND on this page), looking for weight, and metabolism http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-NIH-92-HL-008-P.html http://www.4woman.gov/faq/Easyread/native_american-etr.htm http://www.obesity.org/Obesity_Youth.htm http://sun3.lib.uci.edu/~m2martin/bibliography.html http://www.nicoa.org/biblio.htm Black Obesity: http://www.stockton-press.co.uk/server-java/Propub/stockton/spijo_v24_n1_p4_ o1.fulltext http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/69dc6.htm http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/ss-fact/0172.html http://www.blackhealthcare.com/BHC/Diabetes/Description.asp SOME GOOD NEWS, too: Chinese Green Tea as a true health tonic: http://www.azcc.arizona.edu/in_print/N_Summer2000/n_green_tea.htm THIS IS OF REAL BLACK DUTCH & MELUNGEON INTEREST: http://www.naturalhealthvillage.com/reports/rpt2oam/herb.htm concerning herbal medicine, see section on "in America" that starts with material on Indian herbal medicines. Another: http://www.elixir.net/RRFiles/RR_nih-1f-herbal.html So, anyway, hope you won't hold it against me. It's my "feast-or-famine" blood, too! Curtis