This time my separate FML notes are on normal range trimness rather
than the individuals who are in those extreme caloric restriction
studies:
1. malignancy rates
2. outliers
3. prostate

1. It did not surprise me that the malignancy rate further reduced
with the caloric restriction diets. It already decreases with lower
but more normal range body weight/fat percentage in mammals (as do
heart disease, metabolic disease, osteoarthritis, and a number of other
problems.) so it might be part of a continuum. Although I have not read
up on that topic in some time part of the difference was then thought
to be related to nutrient processing complete with byproduct removal,
and part to the reduction of the hormonal products of body fat. An
indirect aspect is that trimmer mammals are usually more active (but
not always!) and exercise itself cuts the malignancy rate.

2. Of course, trim or thin do NOT always mean the same thing depending
on the individual. Nor is thinness always an indicator that the family
has a reduced rate of malignancies or heart disease; there can be other
factors like other genetics, diet choices, exercise levels, smoke
exposure...

A person with a large frame of the same weight as someone with a
smaller frame will usually be trimmer, ditto someone with more muscle
mass. In fact, there is a study recently done on retired football
players finding that some whom physicians had thought were obese
actually still had great muscle mass but had added some fat over it
so were not cut and visually that fooled the physicians. I've seen
the same thing happen to competitive body builders offseason.

On the other hand, not all unusually thin individuals are unhealthy,
anorexic, or starving. A friend is a runway and photographic
professional model and her build is unusually thin (which hangs
clothing well and adjusts for the camera's added pounds so is perfect
for her profession), but she eats about 3,000 Calories each day with a
healthy lacto-vegetarian diet, keeps it down, and exercises well. At
times people approach her about anorexia but if they bothered to look
they would notice that her weight is absolutely perfectly suited to her
frame. She just happens to have the same build as both of her parents.
Just as medical people do not worry about her weight for her build, so,
too, should people NOT try to fatten up gracile ferrets since that is
usually counterproductive for health. If some of your ferrets naturally
have a thin build then respect that, please.

Hey, builds just vary in us mammals, both four footed and two footed.
The friends we hold dear also include 3 women who are 6'7" or over in
height meaning that those friends of Steve's and mine are probably
about 1% of the women in the world that height, and as a teen one of
my friends who another friend and i would join in a midpoint town had
achondroplastic dwarfism but not arthritis yet so she loved to walk
with friends (and I guess we were a sight since I was thin then, our
mutual friend was heavy, and she was smaller than my 4'8"paternal
grandma, but what the heck since we made a fun trio). These types of
variations in length or limb length can be encountered in ferrets, too.
We have even personally had a ferret who had achondroplastic dwarfism
among her medical considerations. As with people it is not the size
that matters in ferrets, but the health, and learning about any medical
problems which might wind up being related.

That is true for ferrets. Their range is not as extreme as in humans
(who can go from healthy and hefty linebackers or body builders to
healthy and thin ultramarathon runners or ballerinas in build for
athletic and healthy). There are the gracile builds and the robust
ones. These are biological terms which refer to a robust build: those
body builders and linebackers who also are high in white muscle
comprise part of the outer portion in people, or think of gorillas or
bulldogs. Compare that to the gracile build: the ultramarathoners and
ballerinas who are high in red muscle comprise part of the humans outer
portion here, or think of gibbons or whippets. Each build is fine.
Ferrets also vary in build, genetic lines, and overall body size. That
is fine. One size does NOT fit all.

Keep all of them active, please! That helps everyone, four and two
footed! Aim for your ferrets to have high levels of muscle mass;
sarcopenia is very unhealthy in so very many ways. Thin, or heavy, or
average, long, or short, or average it is possible to try to optimize
one's level of muscle in ferrets as well as in people. Yes, that can
be more difficult with some medical problems (for example, lameness,
asthma, some endocrinological ones (with or without low core temp),
etc.) and with some meds (for example, steroids). Luckily, being active
enough can split up and done a bit at a time, so for most individuals
of any species exercise of some types is still possible. Ferrets love
their games: toys to stash and restash, empty bottles and balls to roll
and bat, toy mousies on "fishing poles" to chase and catch, playing
with you, etc.

3. Because men with prostate enlargement often can void more easily
with low body fat because of reduction in the fat that surrounds the
organs rather than the fat on the outside, I have to wonder if male
ferrets with adrenal disease and prostate enlargement may be helped
by being kept in a thin but healthy weight range and be less likely
to block.

Sukie (not a vet) Ferrets make the world a game.

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html

"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)

A nation is as free as the least within it.

[Posted in FML 7534]