Here are a couple of excerpts from our email newspaper. news@infobeat.com

*** Rice extract lowers cholesterol

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A rice extract that was unsuccessfully challenged by the government because it closely resembles a prescription medicine has been shown to be a powerful means of lowering cholesterol. The results of one of the first two U.S. studies of the substance, called Cholestin, were presented Thursday in Orlando at a medical conference sponsored by the American Heart Association. It showed that people with mildly elevated levels can drop their cholesterol about 35 points by taking four capsules of Cholestin a day. Cholestin is made from red yeast that has been fermented on rice. See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558937663-fb9

*** FDA functional food rules sought

WASHINGTON (AP) - A split-pea soup boasts that it contains the antidepressant herb St. John's wort to "give your mood a natural lift." A carrot cake touts heart-healthy fiber psyllium. Such foods are drawing the ire of consumer advocates who say a bowl of soup will not treat clinical depression and fiber cannot counter the cake's fat to make it heart-healthy. The advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest urged the government Thursday to tighten controls over these "functional foods," which add drug-like ingredients to boost foods' healthfulness. While some functional foods do work, too many companies tout unproven ingredients or make misleading health claims, the consumer group said in a report. See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558938014-1eb

It would be nice to know who the "Center for Science in the Public Interest" really reresents. These days the bad guys are all putting on white hats.

Me.

-- Floyd Baker (fbaker@wzrd.com), March 26, 1999