Another Supplement That Doesn't Work for Weight Loss

By Craig Ballantyne

I get sick and tired of hearing about the latest "miracle" fat-burning supplements. Hopefully you haven't been fooled by the marketing hype, because these so-called miracles are anything but.

Researchers from Purdue University put 35 women on a weight-loss program. They divided the women into two groups. One group received diet and exercise instruction. The other group received the instruction and took two of the "fat-burning" supplements you may have been reading about: chromium picolinate (CP) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

After 12 weeks of the diet (eating 500 calories less than normal) and exercising five days per week for 30 minutes, both groups ended up losing the same amount of weight (over 11 pounds) and body fat (over 9 pounds). In other words, there was no benefit from taking the supplement.

Instead of wasting your money on worthless pills, invest your time and energy in a fitness program and nutrition education.

The Language Perfectionist: Full House

By Don Hauptman

Can you see any problem with the following two sentences (drawn from published articles)?

• Fully half of the businessman's profits went to bribes.

• A repeat episode still drew 24.34 million viewers - a full 7.67 million more than...

The phrase fully half is contradictory and oxymoronic. Logically, only 100 percent can be characterized as full. Yet careless writers describe just about any number as full or fully.

The practice can have ludicrous consequences. For example, an article I found in a trade publication, within the space of a few paragraphs, gives us "a full 40 percent," "a full 36 percent," and even "a full 17 percent."

The writer is trying to say, "Wow! This is a really large number in this context." But that point can be made in other, clearer ways. Most of the time, full can be fully expunged.

[Ed Note: Don Hauptman, a direct-response copywriter for more than 30 years, may be best known for the space ads he wrote with the classic headline "Speak Spanish Like a Diplomat!" He also writes books and articles on language and wordplay.]

It's Good to Know: The Pros and Cons of Lead Paint

Lead paint, specifically its use in children's toys, has been in the news lately, with several companies issuing recalls for imported toys covered in the stuff. If ingested, lead paint can cause brain damage and other serious problems. The U.S. government banned its use in children's products, hospitals, and residences in 1978, but it may surprise you to learn that it's still widely - and legally - used. It is on road signs, ships, heavy equipment, bridges, and the like. Why? Because lead paint is cheaper, brighter, and more durable than its less-toxic cousins, and it's also mildew-resistant.

(Source: Slate)

Word to the Wise: Expunge

To "expunge" (ik-SPUNJ) is to erase, obliterate, or destroy. The word - ultimately from the Latin for "to prick" - is derived from the practice of marking a name on a list for deletion by pricking dots above or below it.

Example (as used by Don Hauptman in his "Language Perfectionist" brief, above): "Most of the time, [the word] full can be fully expunged."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2256, 01-19-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

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