A friend told me something alarming last night and I wondered if anyone
out there could verify or refute it. Her doctor told her that she should
avoid diet sodas, etc. because aspartame was now being linked to memory
loss. Seems the doctor's mother was getting forgetful and there was fear
of Alzheimer's, but further investigation linked her forgetfulness to her
large consumption of diet soda. I don't drink a _lot_ of diet soda, at
least not as much as some people, but do eat Dannon Light yogurt and Fiber
One, both sweetened with aspartame.
Hearing that I might be losing my memory (in addition to my sanity) while
writing my dissertation is a horrifying thought!
Another question: my SO's doctor tells him he needs to watch his
cholesterol because his _good_ cholesterol is too high--he was vague on
the numbers but the total was 300 (give or take a few points no doubt). I
know there can be a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol, and there
must be since we're about 95% veg/vegan, no butter and only nonfat dairy
products. I don't understand the cholesterol counting process or theory,
like what's a desirable total (under 200?) or what the ratio of HDL to LDL
should be. And of course any specific dietary recommendations would be
appreciated, since his doctor basically said "cut down on red meat and
eggs," which we don't eat in the first place! Aaaaarrrrgghhh!
I'm sure these questions are off-topic, so please feel free to e-mail me
privately. Thanks,
Vicki
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Victoria Modarresi Dept. of English
vmodrsi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx University of Arizona
(520)621-1836 FAX (520)621-7397 Tucson, AZ 85721
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