A growing number of American children are taking drugs for a wide range of chronic conditions related to childhood obesity, according to prescription data from three large organizations.
The numbers, from pharmacy plans Medco Health Solutions, Express Scripts and the marketing data collection company Verispan, indicate that hundreds of thousands of children are taking medication to treat Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and acid reflux — all problems linked to obesity that were practically unheard-of in children two decades ago.
The data, disclosed publicly in recent mo...
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What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol). Cholesterol is a lipid found in the cell membranes of all tissues, and it is transported in the blood plasma of all animals. Because cholesterol is synthesized by all eukaryotes, trace amounts of cholesterol are also found in membranes of plants and fungi.
The name originates from the Greek chole- (bile) and stereos (solid), and the chemical suffix -ol for an alcohol, as researchers first identified cholesterol in solid form in gallstones by François Poulletier de la Salle in 1769. However, it is only in 1815 th...
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Practically every day, a headline will scream about this or that new diet supplement that produces amazing health benefits. These supplements, of course, usually come and go. However, one compound very much in the news these days is likely to be around for a long time. These are the omega-3 fatty acids. Why is this so? Because omega-3 fatty acids are essential for your body in many functions, and they also help reduce a variety of health problems you might experience.
However, unlike some other substances such as cholesterol, your body can’t manufacture its own. You have to get omega-3 f...
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