Text of Letter Sent 08-30-05 to various recipients at Yale

I am writing you regarding:

“The Yale University endorsed 3-Hour Diet™” which “is about uncovering the buried concept of timing – the fact that when you eat is critical to weight loss.” [i]

Although Mr. Filer claims that Yale University has no such connection to this venture (see attachment), Mr. Cruise still avers this relationship as of the date of this writing.

I find it reasonable to conclude that the passage of almost 2 ½ months since Mr. Filer’s letter to me and close to 3 ½ months since my letter to Yale, without any evident disassociation from this diet scheme implies an avowal of Mr. Cruise’s declaration.

Therefore, I wish to express some concerns I have about Yale’s very apparent roles in promoting Mr. Cruise and his claim of “America’s Leading Weight Loss Expert.” [ii]

This will not be an exhaustive review of the book.  I will merely point out a couple of points which caused me discomfort re: Yale’s endorsement.

It is my opinion, that some of the information and conclusions which appear in Mr. Cruise’s book and on his website, are different from my understanding of weight science.  Admittedly, I am having difficulty comprehending why Yale University and medical doctor experts from it are cheerleading for this.  I will cite sources where my interpretation of the data differs from Mr. Cruise and his Yale University supporters. [iii]

It is always possible that I can be wrong.  If you determine that I am incorrect, besides offering my sincere apologies in advance, I would appreciate citations to which I can refer so I can edify my knowledge in this area.

David L. Katz, MD, MPH, Associate Professor Adjunct in Public Health Practice “co-founded and directs the CDC-funded Yale Prevention Research Center (PRC) where he oversees diverse studies in disease prevention and health promotion.” [iv]

Dr. Katz wrote and copyrighted his foreword to Mr. Cruise’s magnum opus, The 3-Hour Diet: How Low-Carb Diets Make You Fat and Timing Makes You Thin, Collins (April 1, 2005).  Dr. Katz’s name appears next to the author’s on amazon.com and his association with the Yale University School of Medicine is conspicuous in the book. [v] [vi]  An amazon.com search for “David L. Katz” yields this title.

A brief bio of Dr. Katz appears in the “Foreword.”  “Dr. David Katz is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on nutrition, weight control, and the prevention of chronic disease, (sic) Dr. Katz is a board-certified specialist in both Internal Medicine and Preventive Medicine…” [vii]

Referring to Mr. Cruise, Dr. Katz states that “his friend and colleague” “understands weight control.”  Additionally, “…the one word I would choose to represent my friend and colleague to you is understanding.  Jorge will guide you to both weight loss and lasting weight control with an incomparable wealth of understanding.” [viii]  (italics appear in the original)

Further, “He has been everywhere, talked to everyone, and listened with genuine interest, concern, and rare empathy.  Jorge understands weight loss.” [ix]

Another Yale faculty member, Lisa Sanders, MD,” clinical instructor in internal medicine,” authored “The Perfect Fit Diet: Combine What Science Knows About Weight Loss with What You Know About Yourself (Rodale).” [x]  She contributed an endorsement which appears in the “Praise for Jorge Cruise’s The 3-Hour Diet ^tm,” on page ii.

In the book, Mr. Cruise states:

“Lean muscle controls your resting metabolism.  Yep, lean muscle tissue controls how many calories you burn when doing nothing… Each pound of muscle burns approximately 50 calories every day just doing nothing.  Lose just 5 pounds of muscle and your metabolism burns 250 calories less per day; in the course of just one year that will equal 26 pounds of new fat!” [xi] 

The “basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories used by your body when it is at rest.” [xii]

The BMR is an absolutely basic number in weight loss.

An approximate BMR can be obtained by multiplying one’s weight in pounds by 10 (female) or 11 (male).  A 150 pound man’s BMR is ~1650.  A woman’s of the same weight is ~1500. [xiii]

Suppose muscle constitutes 45% of the man’s body mass and 36% of the woman’s.

The man’s muscle only BMR (150 x 0.45) using Jorge’s, Dr. Katz’s and Dr. Sanders’ 50 is 3375.

The woman’s muscle only BMR (150 x 0.36) using Jorge’s, Dr. Katz’s and Dr. Sanders’ 50 is 2700.

Lean muscle appears to “control” nothing.  Muscle accounts for merely 18% of resting metabolism. [xiv]

Assume that this standard text is correct.  We need to multiply Jorge’s, Dr. Katz’s and Dr. Sanders’ numbers by 5.5 to get ~100% BMR. [xv]

The man’s total BMR is 18562.5.

The woman’s total BMR is 14850.

These seem a tad high.  By comparison, Shaq’s total BMR is ~2955. [xvi]

I find both the muscle only BMRs and the total BMRs using Jorge’s, Dr. Katz’s and Dr. Sanders’ figure implausible.

As to the “26 pounds of new fat” “in the course of just one year” assertion, I will refrain from analyzing it at this time.  If you desire an analysis, please let me know.

“The true problem is the loss of lean muscle tissue from years of poor meal timing and/or fad dieting.  And muscle loss equals a lowered resting metabolism and thus a life of chronic weight gain. [xvii]

“In accord with the first law of thermodynamics, the energy balance equation dictates that body mass remains constant when caloric intake equals caloric expenditure.” [xviii] (italics appear in the original)

Unintentional weight gain is an increase in body weight that occurs when caloric intake exceeds body requirements, causing increased fat storage. [xix]

Overweight and obesity result from an energy imbalance. [xx]

There are many others who seem to suggest that the “true problem” re: “weight gain” is energy imbalance, not “the loss of lean muscle tissue from years of poor meal timing and/or fad dieting.”

Per Dr. Katz, “If I may have two words to describe Jorge, then I would add caring to understanding…Because of this caring, Jorge will not resort to deception or exaggerated sales pitches to gain your interest or attention.” [xxi]

On pages 7 and 332 and the back dust jacket the following image and caption appear:

"Muscle loss happens on most fad diets, as shown in this cross-sections of thighs (by magnetic imaging)."

On Mr. Cruise’s website the following image and caption also appeared:

"Muscle loss can begin after age 20, as shown in cross-sections of thighs (by magnetic imaging).  Only resistance training can restore youthful fat-burning muscle tissue."

I do not claim to have the image analysis skills possessed by Mr. Cruise and his Yale supporters, Drs. Katz and Sanders.  To me, these images appear substantially similar.  Yet the captions suggest that the differences between the image on the left and the one on the right are due to disparate causes.  Is the thigh on the right an allegedly obese one from following a “fad diet” or is it a thigh from being “age 40+” and having lost muscle from aging?  Is the thigh on the left from some "3-hour diet" or from being “age 20”?  Hence, my confusion.

Dr. Katz appears to be in demand to provide endorsements.  This must be a perk of expertise.

“’In Lean Mom, Fit Family, Michael Sena and his colleagues offer clear, practical step-by-step advice you can use to improve your own weight and health—and that of your whole family! Michael has it just right, with his emphasis on health for all members of the household. Take I from a father of five—family power is a key ingredient in lasting improvements to fitness, nutrition, health, and weight. I commend this book to you. It is full of the rarest, common think I know; abundant good sense!’

— David L. Katz, M.D., M.PH., F.A.C.P.M., F.A.C.P., Yale University School of Medicine” [xxii] (typos and broken English appear in the original)

Further comments about Mr. Sena’s science and website are beyond the scope of this communication.

There are other areas where I fail to appreciate the bases for Mr. Cruise’s and Dr. Katz’s assertions, but, as I mentioned earlier, this is not an exhaustive review of their work.  It is my failure to understand these matters that caused me discomfort with Yale University’s endorsement.  I hope that you can appreciate my good faith concerns.

If you determine that there is some validity to my points, then I trust you will accept the sympathy I feel for those at Yale University and elsewhere who do good work and seem to have been relegated to a position subservient to Mr. Cruise’s “incomparable wealth of understanding.”

Also, as mentioned earlier, I may be mistaken as to my understanding of the science.  If this is the case, I once again offer sincerest apologies and a humble request for enlightenment.

Encl.: Letter from Mr. Filer dated June 15, 2005.