Over the course of three months, one set were fed a Mediterranean diet based on virgin olive oil (the least processed version and the highest in nutrients) as the main source of fat. The second was put on a Mediterranean diet whose fat derived primarily from walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds. The third group ate a low-fat diet that cut back on all types of dietary fat.

And the scientists discovered that eating foods full of healthy fats is better for your heart than a diet that limits all fats.

The low-fat diet wasn't nearly as effective in lowering bad cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels as the traditional Mediterranean diets rich in unsaturated fats from nuts and olive oil. In fact, the levels of "good" cholesterol in those on the low-fat diet actually declined, while they rose a little in those on the Mediterranean diets.

The people whose natural diet is low in red meats and processed foods, high in whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables -- known as the Mediterranean diet -- have long been on scientific record as having low rates of heart disease despite the quantity of olive oil and nuts they use in cooking.

This is something to bear in mind when choosing your new car.

Car designers, garages and drive-through restaurants are cottoning onto the fact that nearly 10 million Americans are driving over an hour to work. They are targeting this growing market and it's unlikely they will be pushing Mediterranean-diet type meals. You have been warned.

According to the NPD Group, Americans eat an average of 32 meals a year in their cars, one in four of them from drive-throughs. So buyers of the new Dodge Caliber will be offered an optional refrigerated glove box. In the new Nissan Altima, there are three cup holders for the driver alone -- for coffee, bottled water and juice. And wouldn't you know it, McDonald's is launching a range of new goodies, like the Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait, that will fit right tight into them.

If you stop at a filling station with a Sheetz convenience store, you'll be able to use the touchscreen menu bolted to the gas pump to order a sandwich you pick up at the drive through on your way back onto the road.

Better, perhaps, to choose a car according to its fuel consumption and take a slice of this walnut tart to eat in it if you must.

-- Tarte aux Noix

-- 1 package of ready-made flaky pastry

-- 7 ounces of walnut halves

-- 5 fluid ounces table cream

-- 4 ½ fluid ounces water

-- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

-- 2 tablespoons sugar

-- Preheat oven to 425 F.

-- Line a 9-inch tart tin with the pastry and chill 1 hour.

-- Bring the cream to the boil.

-- In a heavy-bottomed pan, boil the water and sugar together for 10 minutes to make a syrup, stirring it with a wooden spoon at intervals, then leave to cool 2 minutes.

-- While whisking non-stop, pour in the hot cream and incorporate well, then add the nuts and butter.

-- Put back over a very low heat and stir without stopping for 3 minutes.

-- Pour into the pastry case and bake for 25 minutes.

-- Sprinkle the sugar over all, lower the oven to 325 F and bake a further 15 minutes, checking halfway through that it isn't burning on top.

-- Cool on a wire rack.

NIHSeniorHealth Adds Information on Heart Attack

What causes a heart attack, and how can I reduce my risk? What are the symptoms of a heart attack, and do I have to have all of them before calling 911? Does having a heart attack mean that I can't do the things I enjoy doing? The answers to these and other questions about preventing, detecting and treating a heart attack are available on NIHSeniorHealth (www.NIHSeniorHealth.gov). This Web site, which was designed especially for older adults, is a joint effort of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM), which are part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“Each year, more than one million people in the U.S. have a heart attack,” says Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which developed the content for the heart attack topic on NIHSeniorHealth. “The more people know about making healthy lifestyle choices to prevent heart attack, recognizing symptoms early and seeking treatment promptly, the better the chances of reducing or even eliminating permanent damage to the heart. NIHSeniorHealth now provides this information in a senior-friendly format.”

One of the fastest growing age groups using the Internet, older Americans increasingly turn to the Internet for health information. In fact, 66 percent of “wired” seniors surf for health and medical information when they go online. NIHSeniorHealth, which is based on the latest research on cognition and aging, features short, easy-to-read segments of information that can be accessed in a variety of formats, including large-print type sizes, open-captioned videos and even an audio version. Additional topics coming soon to the site include clinical trials, nutrition and falls. The site links to MedlinePlus, NLM’s premier, more detailed site for consumer health information.

The NIA leads the federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. The NLM, the world's largest library of the health sciences, creates and sponsors Web-based health information resources for the public and professionals. The NHLBI is the nation’s primary supporter of research in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood and sleep disorders. All three institutes are components of the NIH in Bethesda, Md.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

Finding mental-health help online

When a woman whose online alias is LonelyLittleGl struggled last month with her craving for alcohol, she turned to her online journal for support. The twentysomething Californian posts frequently in her blog about her battles with depression, loneliness and alcohol abuse.

"I was going for at least one night of not drinking, but it didn't happen," she wrote on RealMentalHealth.com, a networking Web site for people suffering from mental illnesses where she blogs several times weekly. "I gave up and went for the bottle as soon as things got boring."

The site, launched by entrepreneur Martin Ogawa, bills itself as the first online social network for people with mental illnesses. What sets it apart from other free blogging tools, its editors say, is that it is filled with like-minded users who are looking for -- and looking to give -- support and information.

Only hours after LonelyLittleGl posted about giving in to alcohol, online friends responded with messages of well-intentioned support.

One who calls herself Izzycat wrote: "At least drinking is legal and not as bad as ... meth or crack."

Izzycat's response, hardly that of a doctor or counselor, is typical of online support sites like RealMentalHealth.com. And as more services pop up, many doctors warn that they can provide the illusion of authority -- without sound medical advice.

While it is difficult to measure the number of sites like RealMentalHealth.com, experts who study the phenomenon of online support groups say more and more people are turning to the Internet for medical information.

One 2002 article in the American Journal of Psychiatry said 33 million Americans use the Internet as a health resource. Doing so, experts say, can have both risks and benefits.

"When people get on the Internet, there's a disinhibiting effect," said University of California at Davis psychiatrist Don Hilty, who has studied psychiatry telecommunications. "People want an answer and they want it fast. Unless you're pretty savvy at some of this, it can be really dangerous."

RealMentalHealth.com has health resources managed by a team of editors, but its blogs and message boards are not moderated. Similar sites for mental health support range from user-created groups on Yahoo to those officially run by the National Institute of Mental Health.

Giving those suffering from depression and other mental illnesses online refuge from waiting rooms and doctors' offices can have its benefits, however.

One user, who suffers from depression, said she feels more comfortable discussing her condition on RealMentalHealth.com because her online friends offer her unconditional support her physicians could not.

"You're feeling like your world is ending, and you're going to a perfect stranger, saying, 'You need to fix me because something inside of me is broken,'" she said. "It seems to me like they're more interested in giving you a prescription and shoving you out the door."

And some doctors actually do agree that such in-person services increasingly lack the personal touch.

"They're not getting enough of their doctor, and that's an unfortunate trend in medicine," said Marc Jacobs, director of the psychiatry residency training program at the University of California, San Francisco. "People are being seen for ever-briefer periods of time, and they want to talk to someone."

Stanford University psychiatrist Keith Humphreys, who has researched online support groups for chronic illnesses and substance abuse, says they can be helpful for people in rural areas or for whom visits to psychiatrists are not covered by insurance. The anonymity offered by the Internet can help users open up about their personal struggles.

And especially for those suffering from depression, finding a social network -- even online -- can help them fight it.

"People who participate in this have higher levels of social support," said Brooklyn College professor Joshua Fogel, who studies the psychology of the Internet. "If you have somebody to share with, you're not as lonely anymore."

Amarillo BioSciences testing cough drug

AMARILLO, Texas, July 7 (UPI) -- Amarillo Biosciences said Friday it has filed for approval to test its oral interferon to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The company said it hopes to launch a study of an oral formulation of interferon alpha in 60 patients with the condition at about six U.S. sites. Amarillo said the study patients will get interferon or placebo for four weeks to assess the drug's effect in treating chronic cough.

As many as 90 percent of IPF patients have a chronic cough that impacts their quality of life, Amarillo said.

The firm said it previously completed a pilot study of the treatment in roughly six patients that showed the drug significantly reduced chronic cough.

Amarillo said it is also testing oral interferon alpha to treat influenza in chickens.