More Health Notes

• The ad claims by General Mills apparently are true: eating two 1.5 cups of Cheerios daily can help lower LDL (so-called “bad”) cholesterol by 10% in one month (as part of a reduced-calorie, low fat diet). The American Heart Association estimates 98.6MM Americans have total blood cholesterol levels of 200 mg per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher, the threshold for risk of heart attack or stroke. The bad news is the FDA wants to regulate Cheerios like any other drug if it's going to make those kinds of claims.

• FoodEssentials.com is a searchable database allowing consumers to compare foods from different manufacturers according to which ingredients or nutrients they wish to avoid or find, a potentially life-saving aid to persons with dangerous food allergies.

• In news of interest to older men, researchers at Eli Lilly and Co. claim their studies of erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs Viagra and Cialis did show adverse effects on visual acuity, color discrimination or intraocular pressure, or create other eye problems after daily treatment for six months. The results might not apply to patients with co-existing systemic or ocular disease, the study authors said.

• We have been reporting regularly to our clients on the rise of e-prescriptions and how retailers are rushing to corral those dollars. Now comes news that the state of Tennessee plans to implement over $14MM in grants and incentives to promote the use of electronic prescriptions. Advocates say the e-scripts reduce drug interaction problems, since the databases highlight potentially dangerous mixes to the physician and the pharmacist, as well as helping avoid them when different doctors prescribe incompatible drugs without knowing about each other’s actions. Critics say the centralization of the health care industry will eventually lead to higher prices and less choice to consumers. Despite criticism, retailers continue to market themselves, with Walgreen announcing it will give away $60MM in mobile health screenings in partnership with the seniors group AARP. The screenings will reach up to 2.5MM Americans.

• Wegmans Food Markets is promoting healthy eating to children with its Eat a Rainbow demonstrations. The in-store promotion will include educational handouts and food stations featuring fruits and veggies.

• While it’s hardly news that companies are trying to cut health care costs, Safeway is enlisting its employees in the process by encouraging them to be accountable for their own health. That includes keeping their weight down, watching cholesterol and blood pressure levels and other preventative steps the company claims is saving millions of dollars. So far, nearly 75% of employees have signed on to the program in return for discounts to their health care out-of-pocket.

• Among all the other bad things diabetes can do to the human body, the lowered blood sugar apparently increases the risks of dementia.

• A lack of vitamins A & C could increase the risk of asthma according to UK researchers.

• The use of energy drinks is highly controversial on several levels, including allegations their high citric acid content and sugars are bad for teeth, but now experts say their salutary effects aren’t what most consumers think they are. The rush of performance enhancement users report comes from the way the drinks boost motivation by activating reward and pleasure centers in the brain, not rejuvenating or repairing muscles. This boost is unique to these drinks and can’t be mimicked by other artificially sweetened beverages according to the latest research.

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