Friday, March 19, 2010

Are Statins Making You Sick?

A new study published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology has found some evidence that the statin Simvastatin may impair the ability of immune cells to kill pathogens.

Statins are medications used to lower cholesterol. This is a good thing, since cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is believed that cholesterol plays a roll in atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), a disease which can ultimately lead to blocked arteries, preventing adequate blood flow to the heart and causing a heart attack.

That's the good part.

The bad part; however, is that some statins, like Simvastatin appear to have negative side effects, like an impaired immune response.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

National Nutrition Month...

March is the American Dietitic Association's National Nutrition Month. The ADA is a fantastic resource for learning about the basics of healthy nutrition and disease prevention through diet and nutrition. One of my take-aways from last years Obesity Society's Conference is that nutrition is the largest determinant in maintaining a health body weight. Not only is eating the right foods critical for getting the most out of your meals but understanding what is the right amount and eating the right amount of foods is just as critical to good health.

The ADA has a page giving the following recommendations for ways to reduce calories seen here. Two great Unicity products will help you fulfill some of those recommendations, Slim and Bios Life E. Drinking Slim will help you control your portions. Rather chugging down your Mountain Dew, drink Bios Life E. It has low calories and full of anitoxidants and vitamins to boost your metabolism and energy levels.

Also, nearly every registered dietician will tell you to eat more fiber in your diet which you can do simply by drinking Slim. Slim will help keep your appetite in check and will be help manage your lipid panel and blood sugar. Check out the ADA website. It's free and the information will help you get even better results with Slim.