He said that one of the problems with fen-phen, a diet drug combo that wound up causing heart-valve problems, was that doctors were too eager to hand them out.

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But that figure could go higher as a result of the lawsuit brought by hundreds of thousands of people seeking damages for heart problems associated with taking either of two diet drugs made by American Home Products ahp (nyse: ahp - news - people) in combination with another diet drug.

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Unfortunately, unforseen side effects emerged sometimes when Redux was combined with another diet drug, phentermine: Patients developed potentially lethal problems with their heart valves.

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Over the long term, a diet with too much protein can pose risks of problems including kidney stones.

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For example, other research has found that higher adherence to the diet seems to protect against hypertension, also associated with these brain problems.

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But Livas, of the local food pantry, says a good diet is especially important for the poor, as a first step toward addressing their other problems, with things like work, health care and education.

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