Secret Of Celerities: Dukan Diet

What's the real reason French women stay so thin? We actually have no idea, but if you believe the smooth words of the diet industry's latest pitch man, it's a diet he stumbled upon by accident four decades ago. The man in question is Dr. Pierre Dukan, a 69 year-old neurologist whose books have already sold millions of copies and been translated into 14 languages. Now Dukan is set to bring his gospel to America.

"My dear friends, today I am reaching out to you with the certainty that I can help you put an end to the inevitability of weight problems in North America," he wrote in the preface of the American edition.

We sure hope so. With up to one third of Americans overweight or obese and type 2 diabetes on the rise, helping us drop a few pounds would be a welcome piece of cross Atlantic good will. But critics call Dukan's plan either an Atkins retread or an unhealthy fad.

"This is just another one of those diets invented by a charismatic individual who makes a lot of promises and has loads of testimonials but is not based on any scientific data whatsoever," Frank Sacks, professor of cardiovascular disease prevention at Harvard.

The basics are a high-protein, low-fat approach, lots of water, all the oat-bran you can eat, lots of veggies, no fruit, and a few wine and desert days to make it all livable. The exercise requirement sounds light enough for most Americans 20 minutes of walking and no elevators.

Instant Wrinkle Relief: DMAE Products

What's the latest wrinkle in skin care?

It's dimethylethanolamine (DMAE) at least if you believe Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a well-known dermatologist who appeared recently on Dr. Ehmet Oz's television program.

Perricone (the author of books on skin care and other health topics) says wrinkles don't stand a chance against lotions that contain DMAE, a compound that occurs naturally in salmon and other foods. "When you put it on, there is an almost instant change. "You will see an increase in radiance and an increase in skin tone. It's not a Gizmo."

Gizmo or not, Perricone may not be the most objective source of information on DMAE. His website sells a variety of DMAE-containing products.

What do other dermatologists say about DMAE?

Dr. Zoe Draelos, consulting professor of dermatology at Duke University tells, "The bottom line is that it is a marginally valuable compound. The effect wears off very quickly."

She said little little research has been done on DMAE's purported anti-wrinkle effect, adding "It's never been tested in a large study."