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.

“The science is clear. Secondhand smoke is not a mere annoyance but a serious health hazard.”

These are not my words, but those of Surgeon General Richard Carmona. His remarks accompanied the release of a 700-page updated report that cites “massive and conclusive scientific evidence” of the alarming public health risk posed by secondhand smoke.

Furthermore, the risks are not mitigated by non-smoking sections or “smoke eater” ventilation systems. Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke have as much as a 30% greater risk of heart disease and cancer. There is significant risk from even brief exposure.

Only smoking bans are effective in reducing the risk. Unfortunately, smoking will never be banned in the home, and children are at unusually high-risk. Second-hand smoke, like global warming, is an inconvenient truth. The debate is over, but thanks in no small part to the wealth of tobacco companies, the foot-dragging has just begun.

Health professionals fear that youngsters do not get enough Omega-3 in a daily diet dominated by modern convenience foods. They believe a lack of these nutrients can contribute to poor learning, disorder and violence in the classroom. So it is proposed that schoolchildren in Great Britain be given daily supplements of 500mg of Omega-3. In fact, nearly everyone can benefit from Omega-3 fish oil supplements.

Omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in brain-cell development. In fact, more than half of the fat from which the brain is built is made of an Omega-3 called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A new report says there has been an 80 per cent decline in the average intake of fatty acids over the past century. According to the report in the London-based Journal of Perinatology, “The health and well-being of the child in the short and long term appears to be improved by the availability of adequate amounts of Omega-3 during fetal and postnatal development. Deficiency is a common problem and may be a contributing factor for certain maternal and paediatric health problems.” Read the article here.

In 2004, pharmaceutical giant Merck pulled its painkiller Vioxx from the market because of heart problems, strokes and death among participants of a large study under way at the time. The untold story, before now, is that Merck had conducted another large study in 1999, and although similar heart problems were revealed, that study was not stopped and the problems not made public. That’s because a “safety panel” monitoring the study did not intervene even though there were clearly more cardiac events with the group taking Vioxx compared to the group taking naproxen. The problems appeared after just 4-6 weeks. Why did this happen? Believe it or not, one of the panel’s members was a Merck employee, another lied about ties to Merck, and when rheumatologist Michael Weinblatt of Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston was appointed head the safety panel, he owned $73,000 of Merck stock!

NPR interviewed three scientists who are authorities on heart disease and clinical studies. Their findings and more about the conflict of interest that, according to the FDA’s own scientist, cost the lives of 38,000 Vioxx users over 5 years are detailed at npr.org. For more see “Conflicted Safety Panel Let Vioxx Study Continue”

Charles, Prince of Wales, has been advocating “”integrated healthcare” for over 20 years now. His advocation of non-conventional medicine to the British Medical Association in 1982 was rebuked as “crank” theory at that time. Nonetheless, the Prince continues to promote techniques such as chiropractic, acupuncture and herbal medicines to treat serious illnesses. Read about his speech to the World Health Organization.

According to Dr. Steven Nissen, the interim chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, the risk of heart problems continue on for at least a year after Vioxx is last taken. In fact, the results of a large study suggest that more than increased clotting results from Vioxx use. The drug may increase the risk of cardiovascular problems by doing long-lasting damage to the arteries, perhaps by increasing the buildup of plaque in them.

Risks associated with prescription drugs that purport to alleviate arthritis pain are causing increasing concern, suggesting sufferers should consider safer effective nutraceuticals to fight arthritis .

A few years ago, “The Hunger Hormone” on CBS Sixty Minutes II (August 13, 2003) was a story about ghrelin, a hormone produced in the stomach that tells the brain when it’s time to eat. The story focused on the race among pharmaceutical companies to develop a drug to counteract this hormone. I was particularly disturbed by a comment by British obesity researcher Stephen Bloom who says the common advice to eat less and exercise more is generally ignored, “so the answer is, as we have with blood pressure, take a tablet. As we have with cholesterol, take a tablet. So, I fear, with overweight, we have to damp down appetite. We can’t actually control ourselves. We have to accept that as a fact.”

The message is that we are not capable of managing our appetites so we obviously need another expensive drug. What nonsense. It strikes me as completely hypocritical that physicians will tell their patients that they should not use dietary supplements to maintain their health, but rather rely on their diet and lifestyle changes.

Yet if there is a drug available to treat a health problem, they can’t write a prescription fast enough. This, in spite of the fact that prescription drugs are man-made chemicals with dubious safety records, whereas most supplements are very safe, naturally occurring nutrients missing in the typical Western diet.

With few exceptions, prescription drugs do not cure disease; they treat the symptoms. Our web site and the Best Choices Diet are intended to address the underlying causes of poor health and obesity, offering the prospect of a long healthy life free from the physical and financial slavery of life-long prescription drugs. To review my recommendations, read the Best Choices Diet.