You remember when your mama said “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!”  That may be the case with the Jupiter Study, the study of 18,000 people with normal cholesterol but high CRP levels.  Test subjects taking Crestor appeared to lower risks of heart attack, stroke, and the need for bypass or angioplasty.  Perhaps the name says it all; Jupiter stands for “Justification for the Use of Statins In Prevention.”  (One of the first rules of studies is NOT to set out to justify something.)  They went into it saying “We want to justify using this drug for prevention!”  Then there’s the matter of the test subjects – they’re not a typical bunch since high CRP usually goes with high cholesterol.  They’re a fringe group,  you might say, not typical.  Then there’s the fact that the placebo group had a higher incidence of family history of high cholesterol and metabolic syndrome, and the fact (more…)

A sandwich wrap can have crap in it, like any other prepared food – hydrogenated oils, preservatives, artificial colors.  Skip the so-called spinach wraps, they’re often just seasoned with spinach powder for color.  But if you pick the right ones, you can lose weight and boost antioxidants with whole grain corn, wheat, and brown rice tortillas, wraps, and pitas instead of bread.  I’d go with two 6-inchers over one big one – it stays neater, it’s the same calorie count, but seems like more food.  Two brands at the supermarket stand out: (more…)