Cholesterol

If you're tired of oatmeal and craving an omelet, take heart: The incredible, edible egg, once vilified as a source of artery-clogging, heart-disease-causing cholesterol, has rolled back into favor in recent years. The latest research isn't an excuse to eat them soft-boiled or scrambled three times a day or to gorge on quiche, but it does show that healthy people who eat an egg a day are not at greater risk for heart disease. (Diabetics and people whose bodies don't process cholesterol properly need to be careful.

Call it "lite" medicine. Researchers are now finding that smaller-than-usual doses of a wide range of drugs pack as potent a wallop as the standard amounts. What's more, cutting the dosage back -- sometimes by 50 percent or more -- can mean far fewer side effects and in some cases dramatic cost savings.No fewer than 183 drugs now are sold with information for doctors on "low dose" use. Over the past year, more than 200 studies have been published on the safety and efficacy of low-dose drugs aimed at such conditions as high blood pressure, osteoporosis, ulcers, high cholesterol and depression.

Donald S. Fredrickson, 77, a former director of the National Institutes of Health and an expert in cholesterol, drowned in his pool Friday after suffering a heart attack, authorities said. Known for his work in lipid metabolism and its disorders, Mr. Fredrickson first worked for NIH in 1953 at the National Heart Institute as a clinical associate. He went on to hold several positions, including director of intramural research, before being named NIH director in 1975. He held the position at the nation's premier biomedical research agency until 1981.

CINCINNATI -- While the San Francisco Giants' loss total soars, so does manager Roger Craig's cholesterol level, and that along with tightness in his chest and fear of heart trouble has him remotely hinting of an early retirement.Speaking with remarkable candor before a 6-2 loss last night against the Cincinnati Reds, Craig said that only health factors would influence his decision to step down before his contract expires after next season."If it affects your health, you have to think about it, and this has affected my health," Craig said of San Francisco's 12-28 record, the worst 40-game mark in the Giants' 109-year history.

LONDON -- The British are usually receptive to styles in film, fashion and art and to social trends that make their way across from the United States. But they are tenaciously resistant to American food and health fads. For the most part.For instance, one could easily get the impression that cholesterol has yet to be found in British veins and arteries. It is rarely described as a threat. Foods that might be without it are scrupulously avoided. Sandwiches in pubs and restaurants are spread with plenty of butter.

With Easter comes the ritual of painting eggs in pretty pastels and hiding them for egg hunts.And with that ancient custom comes leftover hard-cooked eggs.It's not hard to detect an egg that's been lying around awhile, says Linda Braun, a spokeswoman for the American Egg Board in Park Ridge, Ill."Eventually you will learn where those eggs are because you will smell them," she says. "When an egg gets old, it loses carbon dioxide and moisture. . . . All that remains are the minerals, including sulfur, which has an odor.

I once observed the child of a psychotherapist throw a so-called temper tantrum.It was a strange and chilling experience, not only amplifying my deeply held antipathy for shrinkdom but giving rise to great concern over the future of a young life."

JUST WHEN I thought I could cut down on the amount of exercise I do and coast for the rest of my mortal existence, a new study comes out that says to forget everything we've heard about the major health benefits from moderate exercise.This "new" study with startling "new" results was conducted by Harvard University.For middle-aged baby boomers who want to preserve their lives longer than they should reasonably be allowed to, the Harvard study offers definitive results on the benefits of vigorous exercise; the conclusions are about as definitive as any of the recent cholesterol studies.

Now that my shares of Merck & Co. have revived, should I sell them? - K.R., via the Internet As it tries to put the problems from its once-popular painkiller Vioxx behind it, the drug giant is moving boldly forward. Merck has agreed to pay $1.1 billion to acquire Sirna Therapeutics Inc., a developer of drugs based on the RNA interference technology that attempts to silence the activity of some genes. This creates potential for drugs to target disease-related genes, particularly those contributing to cancer.

Michael Rae is on a diet. A serious diet. Subsisting largely on "loads and loads and loads of vegetables," he consumes 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day, about 25 percent fewer than the USDA recommends for adult males. "In truth, I'm a little bit hungry most of the time," he said. "You get used to that, although it can be distracting." The regimen has lowered his libido and can also make him snappish. One other fact about Rae - unlike most other dieters, he's already thin. Very thin - 6 feet tall and 117 pounds.