Your Health

By David Bjerklie

GOOD NEWS

Diet Pill: Effective, If Messy

In a study released last week, obese dieters taking the drug Orlistat lost more weight (19 lbs.) in the first year than dieters taking a placebo (13 lbs.) The drug also helped them keep the weight off. Side effects include cramps and "fecal incontinence." The drug awaits FDA approval in the U.S. but is now being sold in Europe.

Food Supplements Online

Looking for the latest on zinc, fish oil or St. John's wort? Check out www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/IBIDS You won't find full-length scientific-journal articles, but you will be able to read research citations and abstracts and link to general-information pages and other helpful sites.

BAD NEWS

Heart Drugs Go Begging

A panel of 150 experts last week concluded that many congestive-heart-failure patients are not getting the best possible treatment. The experts recommend a regimen that includes digitalis and diuretics as well as two other key drugs, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, which are now underprescribed.

New Links to Lung Cancer

When nonsmokers suffer from lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis or asthma, their lung-cancer risk rises as much as 94%. The cause might be genetic or the result of chronic inflammation.

--By David Bjerklie

Sources: Journal of the American Medical Association (1/20/99); NIH; American Journal of Cardiology (1/21/99) supplement; American Journal of Epidemiology (1/99)