LDL down, but triglycerides up

Since 1980 American adults have managed to lower their levels of LDL or bad cholesterol slightly, but over the same time our triglyceride levels have gone through the roof, nearly quintupling since the 1980s. Back in 1980, 48 percent of Americans had higher than ideal LDL levels, while in 2006, 41 percent did. But about one-third of adults have high triglycerides, about five times more than had the problem in 1980. One of the big reasons for the decrease in LDL has to do with more people using cholesterol-lowering drugs, but triglycerides are higher thanks to more people being obese these days.

Activity, sleep can cut cancer for women

Physical activity is important for everyone to stay healthy and prevent cancer, but a new study shows that being active, combined with getting enough sleep, may be especially protective for women. Research presented at a cancer prevention meeting hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research looked at 6,000 women in Maryland for nine years. Among those who got the most physical activity, about an hour a day, cancer rates were 47 percent lower when those women also slept at least seven hours a night compared to those who slept less. Researchers are quick to say sleeping alone won’t cut cancer risk, but getting enough activity and enough rest might.

700,000 kids face struggle for food

Nearly 700,000 children live in families that at some point in 2007 struggled to put food on the table, an increase of 50 percent over 2006 and the highest level since 1998, according to a government report on food security. In all, 36.2 million people struggled to put food on the table in 2007, and a third of those were not able to eat what was considered a proper meal. The others cobbled together a more acceptable diet through the help of government assistance and food pantries, eating a less-varied diet and cheaper foods. Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas and Arkansas have the highest rates of food insecurity, and Florida and Hawaii both saw a decrease in the number of people struggling to feed themselves.

Food may be tainted with superbug and frozen meals recalled

In food safety news today there are reports that the hard-to-kill and aptly named Clostridium difficile, usually found in hospitals, is also in the food supply. A University of Arizona scientist looked at data on samples of packaged meat from three stores taken in 2006 and found that 40 percent of the samples were tainted with C. diff. About 30 percent of the samples, from foods such as ground beef, pork and turkey, were the same strain or closely related to the strain that’s becoming so common in hospitals. The researcher says C. diff may have come from animals, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says such a link hasn’t been established. Meanwhile, Lean Cuisine has recalled three types of frozen dinners because they may contain plastic: the Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta, the Chicken Mediterranean and the Chicken Tuscan. No one has been injured from eating the meals.

Unilever drops Hoodia pill

Finally, Hoodia has been one of the hot natural supplements for weight loss since it was outed on “60 Minutes” back in 2004, but apparently it’s not safe or effective enough for Unilever to want to produce it. The company’s already put $40 million into research and development of a Hoodia beverage, which it expected to become a huge seller. A spokesman for the British company Unilever was working with said the supplement metabolized too quickly in liquid form to be effective as part of a beverage, but the company still hopes to market its Hoodia to someone else.

(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 and is filed under Diet pills, drugs, supplements and devices, Exercise and fitness, Food safety, Kids and families, Nibbles: diet news shorts. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed. Permalink.