The TV commercial is enticing: A crestfallen man, whose doctor has ordered him to lower his cholesterol, is dragging a bulging bag of junk food out to the trash when a postal carrier happens by and hands him a free sample of a breakfast cereal that, viewers are told, can lower cholesterol.
The Mayo Clinic, for instance, offers patients information about suggested dosages and potential side effects of various, largely unproven cholesterol-lowering alternatives on its MayoClinic.com website. “Most of the information consumers get are from commercial sites that over-hype the benefits [of alternative medications],’’ said Dr. Brent Bauer, director of the complementary and integrative medicine program at the Mayo Clinic.
Boston Globe By Kay Lazar, 09/21/09
Tags: cholesterol, Complementary/Alternative Medicine, Nutrition