INTERESTING TIMES

Ingredients
( thanks Susie )

dietary supplementation with coconut oil-->reduction in waist circumference after 1 week!!
also coconut--> higher HDL, lower LDL:HDL ratio
randomized, double-blind clinical trial, 12 week long diet
n = 40 women in 2 groups, daily soybean oil vs daily coconut oil
all walked and ate low cal diets
at 1 wk: soybean oil group had incr total chol, LDL and LDL:HDL ratio, decr HDL
(bad trend in fats)
( the study )

Red Rice Yeast
mainstay of Chinese medicine since ancient times
now available OTC as supplement for lowering cholesterol
promoted as alternative to statins
docs may recommend it when someone can't tolerate statins dt muscle pain
derived from a fungus that grows on rice
eaten as a dietary staple some places in Asia
BUT: RYR is a statin drug too w/ same SEs
( notes )

Where is the thyroid?
anterior neck C5-T1
though it can slip down the neck and into the thorax in some older folks

How much does a normal thyroid weigh?
10-20grams

What nutrient is concentrated in the thyroid?
iodine

What nutrient is it important to take if you are exposed to a nuclear radiation accident?
iodine, in the form of potassium iodide tablets, seaweed, bladderwrack
Japanese after Hiroshima/Nagasaki survived better with big seaweed diet
immediately, to prevent the thyroid from uptaking too much radioactive iodine
( Part 3 from Miller's notes )

The other night Suz and I watched Supersize Me. It was more interesting than I expected. If you haven't seen it, basically the movie tracks a healthy young man (Morgan Spurlock) who decides to experiment on himself by eating only McDonald's food for an entire month. His girlfriend is a vegan chef, so he normally eats mainly vegetables. But it becomes apparent that part of his motivation is a certain relish for big greasy burgers.
( more )

--6/25/08 report from U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
--statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs, and are said to lower the risk of heart attack or stroke by lowering "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides, and raising relative levels of "good" cholesterol
--use increased by 156% between 2000 and 2005
--15.8 million people-->>29.7 million people
--spending on statins: $7.7 billion-->>$19.7 billion annually
--total number of outpatient prescriptions for statins 90 million-->>174 million in 2005
--average individual annual expenditure on statins: $484 in 2000-->> $661 in 2005.
--including atorvastatin (Pfizer, brand Lipitor), pravastatin or Pravachol (Bristol Myers Squibb), fluvastatin (Novartis, brand Lescol), and more
--my mom is on a statin
( STATINS: a huge topic, this is only a taste )