STATINS DO NOT AFFECT HORMONES
Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins do not reduce reproductive hormone levels or cause women of child-bearing age to be less fertile. A study by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles found neither the use of statins nor low blood cholesterol levels significantly affected reproductive hormone levels in pre-, peri- or postmenopausal women. Low levels of low-density lipoproteins and total cholesterol in the blood are good but a certain amount of cholesterol is necessary because reproductive hormones are derivatives of cholesterol. Researchers wondered if statins, which reduce blood cholesterol, might also reduce reproductive hormones.
FARM-RAISED FISH KEY TO HEALTH
Purdue University researchers say farm-raised fish on a special diet high in fatty acids could improve people's health. The researchers are concocting designer menus for aquatic creatures. Fatty acid feed supplements for fish might help people get government-recommended amounts of macronutrients, says Paul Brown, a Purdue forestry and natural resources professor. He is studying a type of omega-6 fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid or CLA, which researchers have found is a weapon against cancers and diabetes. "We found by adding CLA to fishes' diets we can get more of these fatty acids into the fishes' tissues than is found in any other animal," says Brown. "Meat and milk from ruminant animals are good sources of CLA, but these fish retain even higher levels."
THIS BUD'S GOOD FOR YOU
A beer a day could keep heart attacks away, say Israeli researchers. A preliminary report on clinical studies of a group of men with coronary artery disease shows drinking one 12-ounce beer each day for a month produced changes in blood chemistry associated with a reduced risk of heart attack. The study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem adds to growing evidence that moderate alcohol consumption might reduce the risk of heart disease, the No. 1 killer in the United States. Heart-healthy changes observed in the blood of study participants following beer drinking included decreased cholesterol levels, increased antioxidants and reduced levels of fibrinogen, a clot-producing protein. The study also showed, for the first time, drinking alcoholic beverages causes structural changes in fibrinogen that make the clotting protein less active. These changes most likely were produced by the relatively high polyphenol content of beer.
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(EDITORS: For more information on STATINS, contact Sandra Van at (800) 880-2397 or e-mail [email protected]. For FISH, Beth Forbes, (765) 494-2722 or [email protected], and for BEER, Beverly Hassell of the American Chemical Society at 202-872-4065 or e-mail [email protected])
