|
| Dear Kelley Statins shown not to save lives in women (even those at high risk of cardiovascular disease) Statins are not very effective drugs for preventing heart attacks and strokes, though their benefits are generally greater in those who have already had a heart attack or stroke than in essentially healthy individuals. It is commonly said that in the former case, statins reduce the risk of death. However, a recent review reveals that this only true for men and not for women. I write about this review this week, as well as an accompanying commentary in which two researchers take a distinctly unscientific stance in an apparent attempt to persuade us the statins are as good for women as they are for men (even though the evidence says otherwise). For more on this, click this link. Vitamin D again linked with anti-depressant effects I came across a report this week that concerned some case reports presented at a scientific meeting recently. It concerned three individuals, all of whom suffered from major depression, and all of whom had low levels of vitamin D too. Most importantly, all three appeared to respond well to vitamin D supplementation. This sort of evidence is interesting but does not prove much. However, as I write in one of my blogs this week, there is at least some good evidence that vitamin D can have mood enhancing and anti-depressant effects. For more on this, click this link. More reasons to be cynical about the food industry's initiatives to curb obesity I recently wrote a blog post based on a radio interview I'd done regarding the food industry's attempts to have us eat less and help curb the burgeoning rates of obesity. In a blog post this week I write about a few examples of where foodstuffs which appear to have benefits for weight loss might be viewed with at least some cynicism. For more on this, click this link. To your good health! Dr John Briffa www.drbriffa.com | | |
