Currently there are proposals to extend the range of people who will be offered statins on the grounds that this will reduce the risks of developing heart disease. There are serious doubts about the justification of this strategy. Many of the researchers who have evaluated the evidence have concluded that treatment of those who do […]
There is no doubt that the results of the study on fruit and vegetables which I discussed in my last blog have made quite an impact. In this blog I have picked out some of the headlines and a selection of the initial paragraphs of each report. INDEPENDENT (1) Forget five a day: You
“Fruit and vegetable intake: five a day may not be enough, scientists say” is one of the headlines in the Guardian to-day 1st April 2014(1). In the article it is stated that: “The clear finding was that eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, including salads, was linked to living a longer life generally and in
Statins are certainly in the news these days. NICE has put forward proposals that all those with a 10% risk of developing heart disease should be treated with statins. Effectively this means that everyone over the age of 50 years, including those who are fit and healthy, would be expected to have the treatment. On
The so-called “cholesterol/diet/heart disease” theory is based on the belief that the risks of death due to heart disease are associated with the concentration of cholesterol in the blood (TC). In other words if you have a high TC you can lower your chances of developing heart disease by reducing the TC level. It is
65. Do you really want to lower your Cholesterol? Read More »
In my last post (Blog 51) I explained how the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has been re-evaluating the evidence on the relationship between salt and health. This was initiated because of growing doubts about the current recommendations to reduce the intake of salt and emerging concerns that a low salt intake may actually be damaging
As this is Blog 50, I thought it would be instructive to look back over some of the earlier blogs and attempt to highlight some of the key message that have emerged. It is now over 30 years since official guidelines on diet were first issued by health professionals and usually endorsed by governments. Prior
The most up-to-date information on Vitamin D provides convincing evidence that most people suffer from an inadequate supply which is linked to increased risk of a wide range of common diseases. The role of Vitamin D in diseases other than rickets can be attributed to the work of 2 brothers Cedric and Frank Garland. In
On 23 September 2004 a number of distinguished medical and health professionals wrote a detailed letter to the officials in the US National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) requesting an independent review of the cholesterol guidelines(1). Although this was some years ago the key points raised are just as pertinent to-day as they were when the
There is now overwhelming evidence that the total cholesterol in the blood (TC) is not a reliable risk factor for heart disease. In Blog 38 I pointed out that the death rate due to heart disease in Belfast is 4 times that of Toulouse even though the TC levels are almost the same. In Blog