Your Health: Jun. 24, 2002

SUPERSIZE BLUES High-fat, high-calorie fast-food meals don't just make you fat; they may also raise the level of free radicals in the blood, triggering inflammation that can damage the lining of blood vessels. That's the bad news. The good news is that taking a few antioxidant vitamins such as E and C with your fast food can nullify the inflammatory response.

TWO FOR ONE Controlling insulin levels is the first priority for diabetics, but sugar imbalances also put diabetics at higher risk of heart disease. Help for their hearts may be as close as a drug diabetics are already taking. Rosiglitazone, which blocks insulin resistance, also appears to reduce the inflammation that can lead to plaque buildup in the heart arteries.

PRESSURE POINT Protecting the eyes from glaucoma, a major cause of vision loss in the U.S., could be as simple as dribbling a few medicated drops into the eyes. Too much ocular fluid building up in the eyes squeezes the optic nerve, impairing sight. But eyedrops designed to drain that fluid in a flush of tears can reduce the risk of developing glaucoma more than 50%, according to a study of over 1,600 patients. That's especially encouraging since 3 million to 6 million Americans have elevated pressure in the eyes that puts them at high risk for developing the disease. --By Alice Park

Sources: American Diabetes Association (2); Archives of Ophthalmology