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One Burger, Hold the Pickles, and Lipitor on the Side
Researchers from the UK — where, it should be noted up front, you can buy a low-dose statin drug over the counter — suggest that fast-food restaurants could offset some of the cardiovascular effects of their meals by including a statin with that shake.
Authors of the new paper, from Imperial College London, draw from a meta-analysis of statins used for primary prevention of heart problems. They argue that the reduced cardiovascular risk associated with a once-daily dose of most statins is larger than the added risk from the extra fat in a 7-ounce burger with cheese and a small milkshake.
They suggest that a “MacStatin” packet (with the catchphrase “I’m neutralizin’ it”) could be handed out just like salt and ketchup packets, along with a leaflet advising people that the best way to cut heart risk is to eat well, exercise, stay trim and avoid smoking — and to see a doctor “for complete advice.”
After completing a residency in pediatrics and one in preventive medicine at Johns Hopkins, I started a practice for my neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn in September 2007. People would visit my website; see my Google calendar; choose a time and input their symptoms; my iphone would alert me; I would make a house call; they'd pay me via Paypal; and we'd follow up by email, IM, videochat, or in person.
Fast Company calls me The Doctor of the Future. I've got a design and consulting firm called The Future Well. Read more about me here.
