A recent ruling by the FDA (Dec 2009) permitted new criteria for the use of the cholesterol lowering drug, CRESTOR (rosuvastatin), thereby sanctioning its use as a preventative agent for healthy persons who may be judged to be at risk for cardiovascular disease. (1) Approval of the new criteria broadened the labelling for Crestor, and [...]
While no one can predict with certainty what the span of your life may be, there is new scientific evidence to support a choice that will increase very significantly your best chance of a long survival. Unsuspecting and unpredicted events are an ever present threat to longevity, and minimising these risks is our best form [...]
in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. While the health benefits of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) omega-3 have been well established for the past three decades, it is only recently, since its appearance as a pharmaceutical agent, that this remarkable fish oil product has received recognition for its usefulness as a preventive and therapeutic [...]
The traditional approach to the management of obesity has been the recommendation to “diet and exercise”, and to elicit the support of family doctors with aims to modify unhealthy lifestyle habits. The limited success of such conventional strategies is clearly apparent in the unabated escalation of global obesity and its wide range of adverse consequences [...]
In 1933 Nikolai Anitschkov produced his thesis that a high dietary intake of cholesterol led to increased levels of blood cholesterol, resulting in infiltration and accumulation on the inner walls of the arteries, thus causing vessel blockage, and ultimately ischaemic death of the heart muscles being fed by these arteries. His conclusions were based on [...]
There should be no confusion about the benefits of dietary saturated fats ! Current dietary guidelines in respect of saturated fat restriction reflects American Heart Association (AHA) dietary recommendations which have unfortunately influenced the food, nutrition, and bio-medical communities world-wide. These recommendations fail to take account of the long history of saturated fat intake which [...]
A recent change in the design format of patient request forms was instituted by the laboratory that I routinely use for chemical pathology analysis. In a departure from the previous format the new forms include an option for fasting lipids, in which instance an analysis of lipoproteins HDL-C and LDL-C and Triglycerides is reported. These [...]
It has been well established that alcohol can cause bodily harm. The ancient idiom, “there is a devil in every berry of the grape”, has long served as a warning of the treacherous consequences of alcohol abuse. More recently, scientific endeavours have uncovered hidden sources of potential health within the “berry of the grape”. Impressive [...]
Dear Editor, JUSTIFICATION FOR THE USE OF STATINS IN PRIMARY PREVENTION – re: the JUPITER Study report — (IMT, Issue 21.11.08) – has not been established in the Jupiter study, despite the reported claims of benefit by the study spokespersons. The dual purposes of SAFETY determination and long term EFFICACY have not been satisfied in [...]
DR. Neville Wilson ABSTRACT: A fundamental precept of modern medicine is that LDL-cholesterol is harmful to health and should be “managed” with a view to maximum reduction. This view reflects the policy statements of the National Cholesterol Education Programme (NCEP) and its target proposals. (1) This theory has been further modified to incorporate the widely [...]
