 |
|
Ethical Aspects of Recommending Lifestyle Interventions to Patients
|
|
| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
|
|
|
To the Editor: Dr Jenkins and colleagues1 reported that hyperlipidemic adults who received a diet high in plant sterols, soy protein, viscous fibers, and almonds (called the "dietary portfolio") had statistically significant reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and C-reactive protein levels compared with a control group receiving only the diet very low in saturated fat. Participants who received lovastatin plus a diet low in saturated fats also had significant improvements in their lipid profiles.
In his accompanying Editorial, Dr Anderson2 concluded that "For most patients, dietary intervention should be the first line of therapy . . . before introducing pharmacotherapy for hyperlipidemia." The results reported by Jenkins et al, however, do not support that conclusion. In fact, no data could conceivably support that recommendation. No statistically significant differences were found in the results of statin vs dietary portfolio interventions, but even if there were such differences, Anderson's recommendation would not . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Robert M. Veatch, PhD
Kennedy Institute of Ethics
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
RELATED ARTICLES
Ethical Aspects of Recommending Lifestyle Interventions to Patients—Reply
James W. Anderson
JAMA. 2003;290(20):2660-2661.
EXTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Effects of a Dietary Portfolio of Cholesterol-Lowering Foods vs Lovastatin on Serum Lipids and C-Reactive Protein
David J. A. Jenkins, Cyril W. C. Kendall, Augustine Marchie, Dorothea A. Faulkner, Julia M. W. Wong, Russell de Souza, Azadeh Emam, Tina L. Parker, Edward Vidgen, Karen G. Lapsley, Elke A. Trautwein, Robert G. Josse, Lawrence A. Leiter, and Philip W. Connelly
JAMA. 2003;290(4):502-510.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
|
