Photo: Media Bakery

Ever hear of the “Twinkie Defense,“ a form of insanity plea that says a steady diet of sugary junk foods could lead to loss of control (and therefore lack of responsibility for one's actions, including murder)?

Well, a nutrition professor at Kansas State has proposed a kind of corollary: what might be termed the “Twinkie Diet,“ which says that it doesn't matter what you eat as long as the calories are restricted enough. Some would say he now also needs the Twinkie Defense because his conclusions are insane.

Professor Mark Haub limited his daily intake to 1,800 calories, with the calories coming mainly from snack cakes, powdered donuts, chips, cookies and other standard “junk food” favorites. He did add a daily protein shake and some vegetables (canned green beans, celery, etc.), but the bulk of his diet was the snack food.

The result? He lost 27 pounds in two months and his BMI (Body Mass Index) dropped from 28.8 to 24.9. Further, his bad cholesterol and blood triglycerides decreased while his good cholesterol increased.

Pass the donuts…