Frontline: LDL cholesterol; urinary incontinence; healthy eating and mortality risk
Supplements Don’t Reduce LDL Cholesterol—Statins Do
If you’re looking to improve cholesterol levels, count on statins, not supplements. The Supplements, Placebo or Rosuvastatin Study (SPORT) trial reported that for people at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, preventive low-dose statin therapy was the only treatment that lowered LDL (“bad”) cholesterol more than a placebo. Among 199 study participants with LDL cholesterol in the 70-189 mg/ dL range, those taking 5 mg daily of rosuvastatin (Crestor) for four weeks reduced their LDL levels by an average of 38 percent. The supplements tested included fish oil, cinnamon, garlic, turmeric, plant sterols, and red yeast rice; none of them lowered LDL more than the placebo. Participants taking the statin also had reductions in total cholesterol and triglycerides. These findings appeared in the January 2023 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Artificially Sweetened Drinks Linked to Urinary Incontinence
Women who consumed artificially sweetened beverages were more likely to report experiencing urinary incontinence, according to a study published in the March 2023 issue of the journal Menopause. The study included more than 80,000 women participating in the long-running Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study. The researchers found that women who had one or more servings per day of an artificially sweetened beverage had a 10 percent higher risk of mixed urinary incontinence than women who never drank the beverages or had less than one serving per week. Mixed urinary incontinence refers to a combination of stress incontinence— urine leakage when coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercising—and urge incontinence, which is a sudden urge to urinate.
Healthy Eating May Reduce Mortality Risk
Healthy eating actually helps you live longer, according to a study published Jan. 9, 2023, in JAMA Internal Medicine. Researchers who analyzed data collected from almost 120,000 health professionals for up to 36 years found that participants who most closely adhered to healthy eating patterns had lower risks of total and cause-specific mortality (death). Participants whose diets scored in the top one-fifth of adherence to any of four healthy eating patterns had a 14 to 20 percent lower risk of mortality, compared to those with the lowest adherence. The healthy eating patterns all emphasized eating plenty of whole or minimally processed plant foods, including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), and nuts, and limiting or avoiding red and processed meats, refined grains, and foods and beverages high in sodium and/or added sugar. Following a healthy diet was also associated with lower risks of death from cardiovascular disease, heart disease, cancer, and respiratory disease.
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