A small study with 14 subjects showed that eating one meal high in saturated fat (89.6%) can impair the ability of high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), the “good” cholesterol, to ward off inflammation of the blood vessels, which is thought to be a key event in vascular disease. It can also impair the ability of blood vessels to react normally to stress.

On another occasion, the study group ate a meal that included 75% polyunsaturated. They found that HDL collected six hours after the saturated fat meal was less effective in blocking expression of molecules associated with inflammation than HDL collected six hours after the polyunsaturated meal. What’s more, HDL collected six hours after the polyunsaturated meal was more effective in inhibiting inflammation-related molecules than HDL collected during a period of fasting.

Some observations: This was a small study. They did not test a monounsaturated fat version of the meal, which is unfortunate, since polyunsaturated fats are more highly prone to oxidation than either of the other 2 which can accelerate processes sensitive to oxidation like aging. Conclusion: My advice has always been to include monounsaturated fat in your diet and avoid both saturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Study: Dr. David S. Celermajer from The Heart Research Institute in Sydney, Australia published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

All painkillers of the type known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) seem to increase the risk of having a heart attack, according to a population-based study conducted in Finland. This includes not only selective COX-2 inhibitors such as celecoxib but also to non-selective drugs like ibuprofen or naproxen. It was noted that while this is the largest population study yet (33,309 heart attack patients), and it showed a 40% increased risk, other smaller studies have shown that NSAIDs actually help prevent heart disease. A larger study is underway to attempt to resolve these contradictions.

Draw your own conclusions, but it would seem wise to avoid long term use of these anti-inflammatory drugs until more studies are completed.

In a small study, patients with pre-cancerous polyps in the colon who took a pill containing a combination of curcumin, which is found in the curry spice turmeric, and quercetin, an antioxidant found in onions, experienced a marked reduction in both the size and number of polyps.

The potential of curcumin to prevent and/or treat cancer in the lower intestines surfaced in studies in lab rats fed curry, as well as in observational studies of Asian populations that consume a lot of curry. Quercetin has also been shown to have anti-cancer potential.

Dr. Paolo Boffetta, of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France, and colleagues write in the International Journal of Cancer that a causal link exists between alcohol drinking and various cancers. 3.6% of all cancer cases and 3.5% of all cancer deaths are attributable to alcohol consumption. For men, cancers of the upper GI tract were most common and for women, breast cancers were most common.

"On the other hand, there is strong evidence that moderate consumption of alcohol reduces the risk of … heart disease … stroke, and (gallstones)," Boffetta and colleagues note. "The burden of alcohol-associated cancer should be considered in the light of the evidence that alcohol drinking modifies the risk of numerous other diseases."

Bottom line is that moderate alcohol consumption, particularly red wine, imparts many health benefits. Increased consumption yields no more health benefits, while increasing the cancer risk. Moderation is the key.