Big-Belly Blues

In the second study, Australian researchers obtained knee MRIs on healthy men and women 50 to 79. People who reported vigorous physical activity over a 10-year period actually had more robust, healthier knee cartilage than sedentary folks.

Cartilage does not have its own blood supply, so it must get oxygen and nutrients from the joint fluid that bathes it. Exercise compresses joints, forcing more nutrients into cartilage. Supplements do not protect joints; even popular products like glucosamine do not stave off arthritis.

Charleston, W.Va.: I have high cholesterol (a total of 280 with high HDL). Statins give me leg pain and fatigue. I already eat a low fat diet and have always done that. Can diet control my problem?
A total cholesterol of 280 is quite high, but if your HDL ("good") cholesterol is also quite high, say above 70, your numbers may be acceptable. You should bring your cholesterol down if your HDL is less robust or if you have cardiac risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, or obesity.

Although most doctors turn to a statin drug to lower cholesterol, you can do quite well without one. Here are three suggestions:

First, improve your diet even more. Instead of reducing all fats, cut down sharply on saturated fats and eliminate trans fats. Both of these fats trick your liver into making more LDL ("bad") cholesterol, and trans fats will also lower your protective HDL cholesterol. Cutting down on dietary cholesterol is less important, but it can help to some degree.

On the other hand, you don't have to deprive yourself of moderate amounts of mono- and poly-unsaturated fats. All this translates to a low intake of animal fat (red meat, whole dairy products), egg yolks, palm and palm kernel oils, coconut milk and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils You can also help yourself by eating more foods that lower your cholesterol. The soluble fiber found in oats, barley, apples, oranges, beans and prunes can really help as can the supplement psyllium.