Research shows that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide.

People given a diagnosis of depression who were taking fluoxetine (Prozac) were 2.6-times more likely to commit suicide over the next five (5) years compared to people given a diagnosis of depression who were taking no antidepressants according to a recent analysis.

Research shows that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide.

People given a diagnosis of depression who were taking sertraline (Zoloft) were 2.9-times more likely to commit suicide over the next five (5) years compared to people given a diagnosis of depression who were taking no antidepressants according to a recent analysis.

Research shows that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide.

People given a diagnosis of depression who were taking paroxetine (Paxil) were 4-times more likely to commit suicide over the next five (5) years compared to people given a diagnosis of depression who were taking no antidepressants according to a recent analysis.

Research shows that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide.

People given a diagnosis of depression who were taking trazodone (Oleptro) were 5-times more likely to commit suicide over the next five (5) years compared to people given a diagnosis of depression who were taking no antidepressants according to a recent analysis.

Research shows that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide.

People given a diagnosis of depression who were taking venlafaxine (Effexor) were 5.7-times more likely to commit suicide over the next five (5) years compared to people given a diagnosis of depression who were taking no antidepressants according to a recent analysis.

Research shows that antidepressants increase the risk of suicide.

People given a diagnosis of depression who were taking mirtazapine (Remeron) were 9.5-times more likely to commit suicide over the next five (5) years compared to people given a diagnosis of depression who were taking no antidepressants according to a recent analysis.

Women who consumed 2 or more diet drinks per day were 30% more likely to have a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack or stroke, over the next 8.7 years compared to women who consumed few to none, 0-3 diet drinks per month, according to a recent study.

This was after controlling for other cardiovascular risk factors.

Women who consumed 2 or more diet drinks per day were 50% more likely to die from cardiovascular disease over the next 8.7 years compared to women who consumed few to none, 0-3 diet drinks per month, according to a recent study.

This was after controlling for other cardiovascular risk factors.

Women who consumed 2 or more diet drinks per day were 30% more likely to die from all causes over the next 8.7 years compared to women who consumed few to none, 0-3 diet drinks per month, according to a recent study.

This was after controlling for other cardiovascular risk factors.

Men consuming 1-3 servings of chocolate per month were 7% less likely to get diabetes during an average follow-up of 9.2 years compared to men who never ate chocolate according to data from 18,235 male physicians in the Physicians Health Study.

Men consuming 1 serving of chocolate per week were 14% less likely to get diabetes during an average follow-up of 9.2 years compared to men who never ate chocolate according to data from 18,235 male physicians in the Physicians Health Study.

Men consuming 2 or more servings of chocolate/week were 17% less likely to get diabetes during an average follow-up of 9.2 years compared to men who never ate chocolate according to data from 18,235 male physicians in the Physicians Health Study.

The effect was much stronger in normal-weight men (BMI less than 25), and in men younger than 65.

In men younger than 65, those who consume 2 or more servings of chocolate/week were 27% less likely to get diabetes compared to those who never ate chocolate.

In normal-weight men (BMI less than 25), those who consume 2 or more servings of chocolate/week were 41% less likely to get diabetes compared to those who never ate chocolate.

People who consumed one-half (0.5) serving of fruits and vegetables per day lived an average of one (1) years longer than those who never consumed fruits and vegetables according to a recent study which followed 38,221 men and 33,485 women who were 45- to 83-years-old for an average of 13 years.

People who consumed one (1) serving of fruits and vegetables per day lived an average of 1.7 years longer than those who never consumed fruits and vegetables.

People who consumed 2 servings of fruits and vegetables per day lived an average of 2.5 years longer than those who never consumed fruits and vegetables.

People who consumed 3 servings of fruits and vegetables per day lived an average of 2.8 years longer than those who never consumed fruits and vegetables.

People who consumed 4 servings of fruits and vegetables per day lived an average of 3 years longer than those who never consumed fruits and vegetables.

People who consumed 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day lived an average of 3.1 years longer than those who never consumed fruits and vegetables.

People consuming the most chocolate were 13% less likely to have a cerebral infarction (stroke), and 17% less likely to have a hemorrhagic stroke, according to data from six prospective studies.

People consuming the most chocolate were 10% less likely to have coronary heart disease, and 14% less likely to have a heart attack, according to data from six prospective studies.

The one-fourth of people with the highest intake of chocolate were 17% less likely to have a stroke over the next 10 years compared to the one-fourth of people who ate the least according to a study from Sweden.

A meta-analysis of 5 studies found similar results, that people consuming the most chocolate were 19% less likely to have a stroke (of any type) compared to people eating the least, the paper notes.

People who ate chocolate more than once a week were 48% less likely to get type 2 diabetes over the next 5 years compared to people who never ate chocolate according to a new study.

This was after adjusting for cardiovascular, lifestyle and dietary factors including other polyphenol-rich beverages.

“Compounds in cocoa and chocolate have established cardiovascular benefits, including beneficial effects on insulin resistance, a risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus,”  the paper notes.

“Statin treatment increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 46%, attributable to decreases in insulin sensitivity and insulin secretion,” concludes a 2015 study that followed 8,749 non-diabetic participants, 45– to 73-years-old, for 5.9 years.

The one-fourth of people with the highest levels of byproducts from dairy fat had a 46% lower risk of diabetes over about 15 years compared to the one-fourth of people with the lowest according to analysis of the blood of 3,333 adults in the Nurses’ Health Study of Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

Compared with people who never or rarely ate eggs, people eating roughly one egg per day were 18% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease according to a study looking at more than 500,000 people in China.

Compared with people who never or rarely ate eggs, people eating roughly one egg per day were 28% less likely to die from hemorrhagic stroke according to a study looking at more than 500,000 people in China.

Compared with people who never or rarely ate eggs, people eating roughly one egg per day were 12% less likely to have ischemic heart disease according to a study looking at more than 500,000 people in China.

Compared with people who never or rarely ate eggs, people eating roughly one egg per day were 14% less likely to have a major coronary event according to a study looking at more than 500,000 people in China.

Compared with people who never or rarely ate eggs, people eating roughly one egg per day were 10% less likely to have an ischemic stroke according to a study looking at more than 500,000 people in China.

Compared with people who never or rarely ate eggs, people eating roughly one egg per day were 26% less likely to have a hemorrhagic stroke according to a study looking at more than 500,000 people in China.

People given the statin, pravastatin (Pravachol), had 25% more cancer than those given a placebo in the PROSPER trial.

• 65% more breast cancer
• 46% more gastrointestinal cancer
• 12% more respiratory cancer
• 41% more other cancers
• and they did not including non-melanoma skin cancer.
  (Previous studies have found that statins increase the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers.)

Women given the statin, pravastatin (Pravachol), had 12-times as much breast cancer as women given a placebo in the CARE trial.

Drug companies and their paid researchers have tried to convince people that statins lower the risk of cancer, but this study and many others suggest that the exact opposite is true — that statins increase the risk of cancer, not decrease the risk.

Long-term statin use (10 years or more) is associated with a more than 2-fold increased risk of breast cancer according to researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.

Drug companies 
and their paid researchers have tried to convince people that 
statins lower the risk of cancer,
 but this study 
and many others 
suggest that the 
exact opposite is true — 
that statins increase the risk of cancer, not decrease the risk.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s) increase the risk of major depression according to a study from Taiwan.

People taking 31-120 doses per year were 10% more likely (1.1 times more likely) to have major depression than non-users.

(This difference did not quite reach statistical significance, but was very close—close enough for me.)

People taking 121-365 doses per year were 61% more likely (1.6 times more likely) to have major depression than non-users.

People taking more than 365 doses per year were 108% more likely (2.1 times more likely) to have major depression than non-users.

The risk of subsequent major depression after starting various PPI’s is shown below.

Patients 75 years and older taking a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) were 38% more likely to have any type of dementia and 44% more likely to have Alzheimer’s than non-users according to a study from Germany.

People who consumed seven (7) servings of fruits and vegetables per day were 33% less likely to die over the next 7.7 years than people eating less than one (1) serving per day according to a study from England.

This protective effect rose to 42% after excluding deaths that occurred during the first year.

“A robust inverse association exists between fruit and vegetable consumption and mortality, with benefits seen in up to 7+ portions daily,” the authors of the study concluded.

People who consumed 2-3 servings of vegetables per day were 19% less likely to die over the next 7.7 years than people eating less than one (1) serving per day according to a study from England.

People who consumed 2-3 servings of fruit per day were 10% less likely to die over the next 7.7 years than people eating less than one (1) serving per day according to a study from England.

People who consumed nuts (less than one serving per week) versus people who did not consume nuts were 11% less likely to die over a median follow-up of 7 years according to a study from Iran.

They studied a group of people where nut consumption does not track with a healthy lifestyle.

People who consumed one to less than three (1-3) servings of nuts per week were 25% less likely to die over a median follow-up of 7 years than people who did not consume nuts according to a study from Iran.

They studied a group of people where nut consumption does not track with a healthy lifestyle.

People who consumed three or more servings of nuts per week were 29% less likely to die over a median follow-up of 7 years than people who did not consume nuts according to a study from Iran.

They studied a group of people where nut consumption does not track with a healthy lifestyle.

People who consumed artificially-sweetened beverages were 3-times more likely to have an ischemic stroke over the next ten (10) years compare to people who drank no artificially-sweetened beverages according to a study which followed 2888 people age greater than 45 years

People who consumed artificially-sweetened beverages were 2.9-times more likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease over the next ten (10) years compare to people who drank no artificially-sweetened beverages according to a study which followed 2888 people aged 45 years and older.

Men whose total cholesterol levels were less than 160 mg/dL were 60% MORE likely to die during the next 5-13 years compared with men whose cholesterol levels were 160-199 mg/dL according to a 2008 meta-analysis of 5 studies in Japan which included a total of more than 173,000 people.

In other words, having LOW cholesterol levels was associated with a dramatically HIGHER risk of death.

Based on this data, do you think that it is a mistake to try and lower your cholesterol levels as low as possible as recommended by the “experts”?

Yes, of course it is!

It is a big mistake!

Men whose total cholesterol levels were 200-239 mg/dL were 18% LESS likely to die during the next 5-13 years compared with men whose cholesterol levels were 160-199 mg/dL according to a 2008 meta-analysis of 5 studies in Japan which included a total of more than 173,000 people.

In other words, having HIGHER cholesterol levels was associated with a LOWER risk of death.

Or to say this in reverse, having HIGHER cholesterol levels was associated with a LOWER risk of death.

Why would I want to lower my cholesterol levels?

I don’t!

Men whose total cholesterol levels were 240 mg/dL or greater were 24% LESS likely to die during the next 5-13 years compared with men whose cholesterol levels were 160-199 mg/dL according to a 2008 meta-analysis of 5 studies in Japan which included a total of more than 173,000 people.

In other words, having HIGHER cholesterol levels was associated with a LOWER risk of death.

Or to say this in reverse, having HIGHER cholesterol levels was associated with a LOWER risk of death.

Why would I want to lower my cholesterol levels?

I don’t!

Women whose total cholesterol levels were less than 160 mg/dL were 41% MORE likely to die during the next 5-13 years compared with women whose cholesterol levels were 160-199 mg/dL according to a 2008 meta-analysis of 5 studies in Japan which included a total of more than 173,000 people.

Data from this meta-analysis suggests that elevated cholesterol levels do NOT increase a woman’s risk of death, but if cholesterol levels are LOW — below 160 mg/dL — there is a dramatic (41%) INCREASED risk of death.

Should a woman try to lower her cholesterol levels?

No, I don’t think so!