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Drugs Are No Substitute for a Healthy Lifesylte

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Just for the record, I am not anti-drug. But when we view drugs as magic bullets, we can easily shoot ourselves in the foot. A recent medical study—funded by pharmaceutical company Amgen—is a perfect example.

The study tested the effects of a drug called Enbrel (entanercept) on subjects with metabolic syndrome. Folks with this syndrome tend to be overweight and the excess fat they carry around their waists produces inflammatory chemicals that increase their risk of heart disease. Enbrel is a potent anti-inflammatory drug that is approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis—an incurable condition that often brings crippling pain and disability. Continue reading “Drugs Are No Substitute for a Healthy Lifesylte” >

Important Information on Women and Alcohol

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Is moderate alcohol consumption good for you or bad for you? For women, the research has been contradictory and confusing.

On the one hand, a wealth of evidence shows that moderate drinkers (one to two drinks a day) enjoy longer, healthier lives than either heavy drinkers or teetotalers. They are less likely to suffer from heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of senility, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Moderate drinkers even get fewer colds!

On the other hand, the same amount of alcohol has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in women. A statistician would probably argue that the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption clearly outweigh the risks. Far more women die of heart disease than of breast cancer. Nonetheless, breast cancer is a source of great anxiety for many women. Continue reading “Important Information on Women and Alcohol” >

Why Cholesterol-Reducing Diets Sometimes Fail

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, your doctor has probably recommended that you make dietary changes, such as reducing the amount of fat and cholesterol you eat. The problem is that this approach doesn’t seem to work for everyone. For some people, cholesterol levels remain high despite their best efforts on a cholesterol-lowering regime. When diet alone doesn’t work, cholesterol-lowering drugs are usually the next step.

But there may be another solution. A recent study has shed some light on why some people respond to a cholesterol-lowering diet and some do not. Researchers at Penn State discovered that people with high levels of inflammation are less likely to be successful with a cholesterol-lowering diet. Continue reading “Why Cholesterol-Reducing Diets Sometimes Fail” >