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Objective: To assess differences in energy expenditure by race and ethnicity using nationally representative data. Results: We confirmed that Blacks exhibit lower resting energy expenditure than Whites—a difference of approximately 150 to 300 fewer kilocalories per day. This finding was significant in each permutation of our analysis—from the simple association of race and resting energy expenditure to our final regression model adjusted for common confounders (i.e. age, gender, income, and education), body fat content, diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, and weight loss in previous year. Further, we found that energy intake did not differ significantly between Blacks and Whites whereas Blacks were found to expend significantly more energy voluntarily than Whites. Blacks and Whites did not differ significantly in bodyweight, though Blacks were found to be leaner than Whites as evidenced by significantly lower body fat content in the former. Discussion: Our findings suggest that if rates of obesity are to be reduced in Black Americans, recommendations would need to encourage lower levels of average energy intake and higher levels of activity energy expenditure than extant in the general populace. In short, Blacks would need to adopt more austere lifestyle regimens relative to the general populace in order to reduce their rate of obesity below present levels

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The Amen Anti-Addiction Intervention (AAI) is an austere intervention intended to eradicate addictive impulses and behaviors. The theoretical and empirical foundations of this intervention are explicated herein. The AAI entails daily cyclic fasting, chronic caloric restriction, supplementation with specific neutraceutical agents, rigorous exercise, and minimalist meditation. The physiological focus of the AAI is twofold: the augmentation of neurogenesis in a manner analogous to the effect of psychotropic drugs and the activation of areas in the brain involved in the regulation of emotional arousal and reward. The psychological focus of the AAI is similarly twofold: the attenuation of anxiety and/or impulsivity and the cultivation of mental mastery and/or self-control. It shall be argued that the AAI, by virtue of its explicit integration of biological, psychological, and sociological elements-each of which evidently influence addiction-will plausibly be an improvement over existing interventions aimed at the treatment of addiction.There is evidence extant in extensive scientific literature that addiction to various agents and behaviors share common molecular mechanisms. Further, there is considerable scientific support for the supposition that biological, psychological, and sociological factors influence the propensity of individuals to succumb to addiction [1]. As such, it would seem that the most effective interventions should emanate from the integration of these three domains-biology, psychology, and sociology. In short, the most prudent theoretical perspective for the prevention and treatment of addiction is ideally bio-psycho-social in its overall orientation. Such is the case with the protocol proposed herein. The Amen Anti-Addiction Intervention (AAI) is an outgrowth of the Amen Optimal Health Protocol (AOHP). The aim of the AOHP is to incorporate into a single practical system every intervention that has proven to extend maximum longevity and/or optimize health in model organisms [2,3]. In accordance with scientific data amassed over nearly a century, the AOHP entails the following physiological elements: cyclic fasting amounting to 23+ hours per day; dietary restriction amounting to 25-50% reductions in customary caloric intake consumed in a single span of an hour or less; a fixed, virtually invariant, schedule of feeding consonant with the solar day; vigorous daily exercise; and supplementation with select nutrients and neutraceuticals (i.e. natural compounds with defined bioactive agents). The AOHP entails a single psychological element: minimalist meditation aimed at attenuating anxiety and instilling a state of psychic equanimity. Lastly, the AOHP entails a sociological element-specifically, social support conferred by the small community of committed practitioners of the analogous Amen protocols. Exposition of the Amen Anti-Addiction InterventionIn the course of exploring the biological bases of drug addiction, it became clear to the Author that the same neurological systems involved in dr...

The Amen Anti-Addiction Intervention (AAI) is an austere regimen intended to eradicate addictive impulses and behaviors. The theoretical and empirical foundations of this intervention are explicated herein. The AAI entails daily cyclic fasting, chronic caloric restriction, supplementation with specific neutraceutical agents, rigorous exercise, and minimalist meditation. The physiological focus of the AAI is twofold: the augmentation of neurogenesis in a manner analogous to the effect of psychotropic drugs and the activation of areas in the brain involved in the regulation of emotional arousal and reward. The psychological focus of the AAI is similarly twofold: the attenuation of anxiety and/or impulsivity and the cultivation of mental mastery and/or self-control. It shall be argued that the AAI, by virtue of its explicit integration of biological, psychological, and sociological elements-each of which evidently influences addiction-will plausibly be an improvement over existing interventions aimed at the treatment of addiction.