I wouldn't be surprised one little bit if you were shaking your head at the headline of today's blog post. Believe me, I was just as stunned reading the various headlines related to this much-discussed and joked-about British study that proposed handing out free statin drugs with fast food purchases in real time when it hit the news too.

After comparing a meta-analysis of seven trials and some 43,000 patients using statins to prevent coronary artery disease to the health risks associated with eating high-fat fast foods, British researchers concluded taking most any statin drug daily was more than enough to offset the extra fat associated with eating a 7-ounce hamburger with cheese and a small shake. It was this finding that prompted Dr. Darrel Francis and his colleagues at Imperial College London to recommend access to free statins -- swimming in plastic bins full of ketchup, mustard and other condiments -- as a "rational modern means to offset the cardiovascular risk" associated with eating high-fat foods.

No question, there was an uproar on both sides of the pond over this study. I can imagine Moms panicking all over the world at the thought of their young daughters being handed a statin drug in Little Mermaid wrappers. Or, perhaps, buying my grandson a Transformers 3-themed Happy Meal with a low dose of Crestor lodged conspicuously on the head of Optimus Prime. Neither one would be a pretty sight…

Rather than doing the easy thing -- reaching for a drug -- wouldn't it be a lot smarter, healthier and cheaper to consider incorporating realistic lifestyle changes like more exercise or better eating habits?

American Journal of Cardiology, Vol. 106, No. 4, pp. 587-592, August 15, 2010

Los Angeles Times: Booster Shots August 13, 2010

insciences.org August 12, 2010

Guardian.co.uk August 12, 2010