Exercise Is The Answer

Here's a trivia question for you. In what culture do skinny people with low blood pressure and excellent cholesterol profiles eat a high-fat diet that's fairly deficient in carbohydrates? The answer is the nomadic Masai of Kenya and Tanzania. They are serious meat eaters who walk the equivalent of 20 kilometers a day.

According to scientists from Norway's Karolinska Institute, the secret to the Masai's low risk of cardiovascular disease can be found in their extremely active lifestyle. The Masai expend 2,500 kilocalories a day compared to 1,500 for their farmer and 891 for their city-dweller contemporaries.

The Bigger Picture: Although the Masai diet contains what most Americans would view as too much fat, this is simply a product of their hunt-what-you-eat way of life. Still, it's hard not to notice the similarities between their habits and our high-protein diet coupled with regular exercise. The Masai take it to the extreme, and exercise appears to make up the difference.