more often, and yet the studies that we have looked at so far seem to be sort of one-time semistarvation or some sort of—I know the same thing that yo-yo dieting issue, the fact that yo-yo dieting is shown to have a negative health effect in the Framingham study.

Is anybody doing anything to look at the impact of episodes like this on health issues? There are a lot of people doing it.

MARY MAYS: I mean, if you are asking if people are investigating that in an epidemiological compilation?

EILEEN THOMPSON: No, I meant in terms of these Army studies. You know, has anybody done a follow-up with the Rangers when they actually go out and do their thing?

MARY MAYS: I don't think there is a consensus that there is a real phenomenon.

STEPHEN PHINNEY: They supposedly do it only once. They pass the course, and they don't go through that again.

EILEEN THOMPSON: But then, if they are out there in Somalia or wherever, they are probably doing this underconsumption that you guys have been talking about.

So, in general, the sense is that this is probably only happening—this is not happening to these people on a regular basis and that it isn't a health issue.

MARY MAYS: I think I don't find that entirely valid because the types of folks that are going our on a repetitive and prolonged period field deployment, or are your support troops, they are not your combat troops—the Rangers and special forces—but it is the CSS community that is—it is a smaller trail.

I mean, the reconfiguration in the military over the last 15 and 20 years, the tail has shrunk. So, the support base for all these other folks is the same population.

So, when all these other lead elements go out, the same support element trails with them, although A, B, and C on the maneuver units, the Ranger units, if you will, those guys will rotate. But the guys who are supporting those people are the ones that are going out on very short-term functions and stuff. And we are seeing this particularly in the European community where these guys are going out to the major training centers, spending months upon months upon months, coming back for a 5 and 6 day break, bringing your laundry, balancing their checkbooks, and then going out again. And it is the same support troops, but not the same fighter population that is in training there.