Current Posts – 28 January 2015

There is a major flaw in our current theory about cancer: This says it’s caused by random genetic changes in a cell that allow it to grow uncontrollably and the only solution is drugs and surgery. This ignores, says a University of California professor, the many ways our bodies can encourage a tumour or block the gene changes driving it. If she’s right a new range of treatment possibilities opens up. Read more…

Have you ever noticed that while trials involving humans frequently show a high fat diet is not harmful, feeding high fat foods to rats and mice usually makes them diabetic and fat? So are high fat diets dangerous or is it that humans are different to rodents? But if it’s due to a species difference, why keep doing the studies and why use this research to advise humans on diet? Shockingly, it is a rigged game.

If you rely on headline news for your latest update on statins and other cholesterol lowering drugs it was good news all the way about the new improved son of statin drugs at the American Heart Association annual conference last month. But if you like your updates unvarnished read Dr Malcolm Kendrick’s telling of the real story behind the hype and the PR. Things nearly went badly wrong for the new arrivals.