Statins don’t permit cheatin’
Cholesterol levels are dropping in older Americans, most likely the result of increased use of lipid-lowering drugs called statins.
But experts warn that these drugs are no replacement for lifestyle changes to reduce cardiovascular risk, especially given that triglyceride levels–fats in the blood–went up at the same time.
“Statins are sometimes perceived by their recipients as a credit card to eat indiscriminately,” said Dr. Howard Weintraub, co-clinical director of the Lipid Treatment & Research Center at New York University Medical Center. “Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is not the only risk factor for heart disease. We all know that triglycerides increase atherosclerotic risk. This is not good news. This is a Trojan horse.”
Weintraub was not involved with the study, which appears in the Oct. 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
ADHD linked to smoking
People who reported symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in childhood have a greater risk of becoming cigarette smokers later in life.
Although the researchers who reported these findings looked only at self-reported symptoms and not a clinical diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the study could help in fine-tuning smoking prevention.
“This gives us some additional insight into the kinds of things that place people at risk for smoking, and that is all of these [ADHD] symptoms,” said study author Scott H. Kollins, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center. “The far-reaching implications are that this can provide additional ways of identifying kids who are at risk of smoking earlier who can be targeted for specialized intervention.”
The findings appear in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Kids priced out of health
Higher prices for fruits and vegetables may lead to increased weight gain in school-age children, particularly those who live in low-income areas.
By contrast, new research finds, children who live in neighborhoods where fruits and vegetables are more affordable gain less weight in the years from kindergarten to 3rd grade.
Although previous studies have linked the availability of food with diet, this one, conducted by the Rand Corp. and published in the current issue of Public Health, is the first to look at the relationship between children’s weight gain and the price of food, said lead author Roland Sturm, a Rand senior economist.
“It’s a very important study,” said Dr. Tom Farley, a professor of community health sciences at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans. “It’s the first that I’m aware of that does link the price of fruits and vegetables or any food item with obesity in kids and maybe even obesity in any age population.”
In another obesity study, reported in the Archives of Neurology, Swedish researchers found that being significantly overweight in midlife, with a body-mass index over 30, is a major risk factor for dementia in later life. People with the highest midlife BMI were also more likely to have a history of heart attack and diabetes.
