A daily serving of 3 ounces of unprocessed meats may increase the risk of developing type II diabetes by 20%, while just 2 ounces of processed red meat-for example a hot dog, sauces, or two slices of bacon is associated with a 51% increased risk of diabetes, according to research conducted at the Harvard School of Public health.
Are cholesterol drugs used unnecessarily?
A recent study published in the Lancet medical journal is the latest want to suggest that too many people are being prescribed and taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs would show no evidence of ordinary artery calcium, according to the daily telegraph newspaper.
Tens of thousands of patients at low risk of developing heart attacks or strokes, could be taking statin drugs needlessly.
As many as 7 million middle aged and senior citizens in Great Britain are thought to take statin drugs at a cost of almost $1 billion the year according to the national health service.
The researchers said the findings have important public health implications and significant water savings could be realized if cholesterol-lowering drugs were given only to those who would generally benefit from them.
Dr. Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British heart foundation said, “the greatest challenge for preventive medicine is identifying people who are at highest risk of heart disease and who should be given drugs, particularly statins, to reduce that risk.”
Source: the Daily Telegraph.