A guide to wellness and healthy living in the Mid-Willamette Valley

Quarterly 2010

TO YOUR

Midvalley Newspapers

HealthOctober 2011

mette ValleyA guide to wellness

y NMMidvalley

HealthHealthQuick reads about

health topics in the news

Concussion boomThe number of athletic

children going to hospitalswith concussions is up 60percent in the past decade, afinding that is likely due toparents and coaches beingmore careful about treatinghead injuries, according to anew federal study.

“It’s a good increase, if thatmakes any sense,” said SteveMarshall, interim director ofthe University of North Car-olina’s Injury Prevention andResearch Center.

Bicycling and football werethe leading reasons for thekids’ brain injuries, but healthofficials said that could be atleast partly related to thepopularity of those activities.

See the report online athttp://www.cdc.gov/mmwr.

— Associated Press

Texting dangerNew findings from a Texas

study show texting while driv-ing is more dangerous thanpreviously thought.

Reading or writing a textmessage behind the wheelcan more than double a dri-ver’s reaction time, accordingto a study by the Texas Trans-portation Institute.

“Our findings suggest thatresponse times are evenslower than what we origi-nally thought,” said re-searcher Christine Yager, aTTI researcher. “Texting whiledriving basically doubles adriver’s reaction time, andmakes the driver less able torespond to sudden roadwaydangers,” she said.

— Associated Press

Bedbug riskWorried about bedbugs?

Maybe you should be moreconcerned about the insecti-cides used to get rid of them.

A government studycounted one death and 80 ill-nesses linked to bedbug insec-ticides over three years. Manywere do-it-yourselfers who mis-used the chemicals or used thewrong product. Most of thecases were in New York City.

The study by the Centersfor Disease Control and Pre-vention is the first to look atthe issue. The CDC was ableto only get data from sevenstates. (Oregon was not in-cluded in the study.)

See the report online athttp://www.cdc.gov/mmwr.

— Associated Press

Subsidies for fatBillions in taxpayer dollars

are going to support highfructose corn syrup and threeother common food additivesused in junk food, accordingto a report by the CaliforniaPublic Interest ResearchGroup and the U.S. PIRG Edu-cation Fund, both consumeradvocacy groups.

The report,“Apples toTwinkies: Comparing FederalSubsidies of Fresh Produceand Junk Food,” makes thecase that federal farm subsi-dies are helping feed the na-tion’s obesity epidemic. Theresearch shows that from 1995to 2010, $16.9 billion in federalsubsidies went to producersand others in the business ofcorn syrup, high fructose cornsyrup, corn starch and soy oils.

— Los Angeles Times

Funny medicineLaughter may decrease

the perception of pain, ac-cording to a study publishedin September in the Proceed-ings of the Royal Society ofBiological Sciences.

This study looked at six ex-perimental studies in watch-ing videos and live perform-ances, checking for re-sponses to pain with andwithout laughter. The resultsshowed that pain thresholdsare significantly higher afterlaughter than in the controlcondition. That is, people whowere laughing felt less painwith the same stimuli thanthose who weren’t laughing.

— McClatchy Newspapers

STAT

Jessica Stallings staffs a booth a the Beaver Community Fair that was held Sept. 30 at Oregon State University.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

By Jennifer Rouseore than 300,000.

That’s how many womenare diagnosed with breastcancer and cervical cancereach year.

But a new program aimedat early screening and detec-tion aims to turn as many as

possible of those 300,000 from patients intosurvivors. The SCREEN program is runthrough Samaritan Health Services and has al-ready begun training volunteers, who areshowing up at local events.

“There are many great people already doingwonderful work in this area, especially aroundbreast cancer,” said program coordinator EmilyMcNulty. “But with many of them, the focusis on people once they have already been diag-nosed. We are trying to promote screeningsand early detection.”

The official name of the program is the Mid-Willamette Screening and Regional EducationNetwork. Funded by a five-year, $310,000grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation,the Knight Cancer Institute, the OHSU Cen-ter for Women’s Health and Samaritan HealthServices, the idea behind the program istwofold: that early detection increases thechance of survival, and that women’s ownfriends and neighbors are the best ones to ed-ucate them about that fact.

“It’s designed as a grass-roots effort,” Mc-Nulty said. “We’re recruiting passionatewomen in the local community to be lay edu-cators, because we know that someone who isalready a part of the community is going to be

more successful than, for example, me com-ing in as an outsider.”

For SCREEN volunteer Jessica Stallings,getting involved with the program was a wayto expand her interest in health-related issues.A recent graduate of Oregon State Universitywith a degree in public health, Stallings wasbrowsing HandsOn Linn-Benton, a local vol-unteer website, when she spotted informationabout SCREEN.

“It just pulled on my heartstrings,” shesaid. “I really have a passion for women’shealth, and this detection and screening pro-gram is such a great way to empower women.”

Simple signupStallings said signing up to participate with

SCREEN was simple. Using the HandsOnLinn-Benton website, she sent an e-mail in-dicating her interest, and soon received a re-turn e-mail from McNulty. She went throughan orientation that was about two hours longand gave basic information about breast andcervical health. Since then, she’s worked at

local events like the Corvallis Farmers Marketand the Beaver Community Fair at OSU, en-gaging people in conversation and handing outinformation about detection methods, such asself breast exams, mammograms and PAPsmears. “It’s been really fun,” she said.

McNulty said program organizers aim tomake involvement as easy for volunteers aspossible. They ask volunteers to commit todoing two events or activities per year — itcould be working at an event, leading a discus-sion, or meeting with a community group.

“Maybe they only want to talk to their per-sonal church group, so they do a spring eventand a fall event,” she said. “That’s fine. You canmake it as much or as little as you want.”

The goal, she said, is not for every volunteerto give big public speeches or work on theissue round the clock. Instead, they hope to geta large group of committed people all over thevalley.

“We want people to use their own existingnetworks,” she said. One volunteer, she said, isa Mary Kay consultant who thinks she canreach out to her clients. Others are womenwho have seen family members or friendsstruggle with cancer and want to do some-thing to help.

The program reaches to Linn, Benton, Lin-coln and Lane counties and is funded for fiveyears. After that, McNulty says, there willhopefully be a group of volunteers in placewilling to keep it going.

“You don’t need a medical background orany experience at all,” McNulty said. “Theonly key is having a passion for women’shealth.”

Reaching out to fight cancerSCREEN program volunteers educate the public to promote early detection

MTO GET INVOLVED

Contact Emily McNulty at 541-451-6929 oremcnulty@samhealth.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONCheck out this website for more information:

http://www.samhealth.org/communitysupport/communitycollaborations/Pages/screenprogram.aspx

BY KAREN GARLOCHMCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Check your expertise duringBreast Cancer Awareness Monthin October.

1. A lot of people talk aboutpreventing breast cancer, but thecorrect term is risk reduction.

“We don’t really know how toprevent breast cancer. We knowhow to reduce people’s risks,” saidJudith Swasey, a nurse practi-tioner at the University of NorthCarolina-Chapel Hill’s cancerhospital. The basics: Don’t smoke,exercise a lot, watch your diet, an-nual screenings.

2. There has been lots of con-troversy in recent years over theusefulness of annual mammo-grams for some women. Some re-

searchers suggest they aren’tneeded until women reach 50 andthat it’s OK for women not athigh risk to have scans every otheryear.

But the American Cancer Soci-ety and many breast cancer cen-ters continue to recommend an-nual mammograms starting at 40.The cancer society also recom-mends clinical breast exams byphysicians annually, beginning atthe same age as mammograms.

For those at high risk for breastcancer because of family history,annual screening should beginbefore age 40. For example, if youhave a sister who developed breastcancer at 45, the recommendationis to start mammograms at 35.

Monthly self-exams have also

been the subject of debate, but thecancer society recommends themfor women starting in their 20s.

Mammograms are controver-sial partly because they produceboth benefit and harm. Awarenessand screening have led to moreearly detection. But critics saythat some patients have beenharmed by unneeded surgery, ra-diation and chemotherapy forsmall cancers that wouldn’t havebeen found without mammogra-phy and wouldn’t have causedproblems.

3. Post-menopause weight gainis particularly dangerous when itcomes to breast cancer risk. Withextra body fat comes more estro-gen, which can stimulate breastcancer growth. A normal body

mass index is less than 30.To calculate BMI, multiply your

height in inches by that samenumber; divide that total intoyour weight in pounds; then mul-tiply the total by 703. A personwho is 5-feet-5 (65 inches) andweighs 150 pounds has a bodymass index of 25. (Or Google “BMIcalculator” for an online tool.)

4. Many studies have lookedfor a link between diet and breastcancer risk, but results are con-flicting.

Experts say it’s good advice toeat a diet high in fruits, vegetablesand whole grains, and low in fatand red meat. “That’s what I tell

10 things to know about breast cancer

SEE 10 THINGS | A6

BY ALEXIA ELEJALDE-RUIZCHICAGO TRIBUNE

Even the best-inten-tioned person can becomespeechless or tongue-tiedwhen reacting to a lovedone’s breast cancer diagno-sis. What should you say?And what should you notsay? Several peer coun-selors at Y-Me NationalBreast Cancer Organizationoffered the statements theyfound most and least help-ful to hear during their ownbreast cancer battles.

Helpful• “I’m here for you, and

we’ll see this through to-gether.”

• “I’ll organize yourfriends to make dinners,drive car pools, shop, etc. —whatever would be helpful.”

• “I know this is difficultfor you, but please know Iwill do all I can to supportyou.”

• “I’m so sorry you haveto go through this, but I’m

here to help in any way.”• “Would you like to tell

me more about it?”

Not helpful• “You’ll be fine.”• “You poor thing.”• “I know how you feel.”• “I know someone who

died from that.”• “Call me if you need

anything.”• “Will you be OK finan-

cially since you won’t beable to work?”

• “I think you should ...”

As for timing ...Many friends and family

members rush to offersupport upon hearingnews of a cancer diagnosis— but then the calls sub-side, even as the cancertreatment stretches on.Stay connected for thelong haul, checking in withperiodic phone calls oremails to see how she’sdoing or just to talk aboutsomething normal.

my patients,” Swasey said.“Whatever diet is heart-healthy is probably the bestone to follow.”

5. Evidence is growingthat regular exercise lowersthe risk of breast cancer. “Itdoesn’t have to be high-intensity exercise,” saidRachel Burns, dietitianwith Levine Cancer Insti-tute at Carolinas MedicalCenter. “It can be as easy asjust walking, being physi-cally active 30 minutes aday.”

6. Avoid soy supple-ments, Burns said. Soycontains isoflavones, whichcan act like estrogen andstimulate the growth ofcertain types of breast can-cer. Supplements usuallycontain more concentrateddoses of isoflavones thanwhole forms of soy, such assoy milk, tofu or edamame,Burns said. “Three serv-ings a day of those (whole)forms are OK.”

7. Smoking hasn’t beenlinked specifically to breastcancer risk, but a recentstudy of women at high riskfor breast cancer foundthat, for those whosmoked, the more they

smoked and the longer theysmoked, the more their riskincreased, Swasey said.

8. MRI scans are not rec-ommended as regularscreening tools for the gen-eral population. But theyare used, in addition tomammography, for screen-ing high-risk patients andfor diagnosis after mam-mograms that detect suspi-cious masses.

9. Women with densebreasts are at higher risk forbreast cancer, and mam-mograms aren’t as effectivein detecting cancer in verydense breasts. Ask yourdoctor whether you havedense breasts and, if so,you might benefit fromregular MRI scans or ultra-sounds along with mam-mography.

10. Breast cancer riskgoes up with age. Theoften-repeated statisticthat “1 in 8” women willget breast cancer is calcu-lated over a lifetime to age95. The National CancerInstitute has created aBreast Cancer Risk As-sessment Tool. Take thetest at www.cancer.gov/bcrisktool.

Benton, Linn clinicsuse a team of

caregivers to bestmeet health needs

BY MARIA L. KIRKPATRICKTO YOUR HEALTH

Imagine suffering achronic illness and havingyour own medical team, allbased in one location, towork with you on the pathto wellness.

Staff members are famil-iar withyour file andindividualsaddressyour needsto ensureyou under-stand yourdiagnosisand treat-ment andhave timelyappoint-ments to come in regularly— even when nothing iswrong.

This is what happens topatients at the CommunityHealth Centers of Bentonand Linn Counties.

For nearly two years, thehealth centers have beenworking on a differentmodel for delivering healthcare — patient-centered“health homes.”

“It makes you thinkabout reorganizing care andputting the patient in thecenter and what theirneeds are,” said SherlynDahl, executive director.“And then it creates ateam-based approach toservices.”

Team-based means thecare is delivered through arelationship between pa-tients and their teams.Team care not only targetsthe treatment of one illnessor symptom, it incorpo-rates a very strong preven-tion and health promotioncomponent.

“This is about workingwith the patient to im-prove their health statusand health outcomes,”Dahl said. “We startedwith envisioning what itwould look like to put thepatient at the center. Youstart with the patient andassign them to a provider,who has their own patientpanel.”

The panel includes med-ical assistants, schedulers,registered nurse care coor-dinator and a behaviorist.There are two completeteams at the BentonCounty center.

Care coordinators pro-vide health education andfollow up after hospitaldischarge. Behavioristshelp patients change theway they live to incorporateexercise and reduce stress.

The intent is to help peo-ple get healthy and stayhealthy and to help thosewho need help.

Accessible at right timeProviding better care can

be as simple as being ac-cessible when patientsneed care. Simple thingslike changing the way ap-pointments are scheduledcan make a big impact.

“It’s no longer OK to callin and find your providerdoesn’t have an opening inthe schedule until threeweeks from now if whatyou have is an urgentissue,” Dahl said.

Follow-up appointmentsalso are closely monitored.If a patient misses schedul-ing a follow-up appoint-ment, their scheduler willcall.

Providers also work theirschedules to fit in sched-uled and same-day ap-pointments.

In Benton County, thehealth center is located inthe same building as theHealth Department, whichincludesmental andpublic healthservices. Thisfacilitates in-tegrated serv-ices with thespecialtyhealth clinicas well ashealth pro-motion andpublic health.

In LinnCounty, serv-ices may notbe under thesame roof butcontractingwith special-ists allows forthe same teamcare.

“We aregetting ourpatients em-bedded in a full range ofhealth care, not just acutecare,” Dahl said.

Also available is preven-tion and education throughthe public health depart-ment.

Every patient who comesin to the clinic and does nothave a health home getsthis total treatment. Ac-tively targeting the specialand vulnerable population,

the clinic reaches out tothose in need.

Plugging the gapsAs R.N. care coordinator

for Community HealthCenters of Benton and LinnCounties, it is EliciaMiller’s job to plug holes sopatients don’t fall throughthe cracks.

Miller teaches chroniccare patients how to beproactive instead of reac-tive to their care andreaches out to those whohaven’t been in to check upon their condition and keepthem out of the emergencyroom.

She works regularly withthe same staff and pa-tients. This way, she ex-plained, patients can comein and know the medicalstaff available on any givenday and that staff is famil-

iar with thatpatient’srecords.

Informationtransferssmoothly, shesaid, espe-cially in caseswhere thewhole familyis being seen.Staff mem-bers are awareof chronic ill-ness, includ-ing high bloodpressure anddiabetes, thatwhen presentin one mem-ber may affectanother.

Millerfloats be-tween the twoteams. This

way if one provider is out,the patient can see theother and have Millerpresent as part of their in-formed team.

“It provides more of ahands-on approach,” Millersaid. “And lends a sense ofcomfort and personaliza-tion.”

That level of comfort ex-tends from patient toprovider.

Dr. Kristin Bradford hasbeen at the clinic for twoyears and has been a part ofthe program since its in-ception some 18 monthsago.

“I feel like our patientsare able to more often seetheir provider and getthrough to communicatewith my team. There is a lotless waiting and a lot lesspeople they have to gothrough.”

This program also makesa big difference in the wayBradford is able to providecare. She said it is easier toget information needed fora patient because resultsand reports that used to bemessages or lost in some-body’s inbox are relayedmuch faster.

“We are working betterwith different levels of staffnow that we are in teams,”Bradford said. “I know ex-actly who to go to forwhatever needs a patientmay have or that I mayhave in order to meet a pa-tient’s needs. It is muchmore efficient.”

And it all ties into thegoal of keeping people outof hospitals – which, inturn, should help reducehealth care costs.

“The concept feelsright, when you get it,”Dahl said. “What is reallydifficult is changing basicprocesses that are so in-grained in how we deliverhealth care in the tradi-tional model.”

Why can’t all health carebe provided in this way?Because, Dahl said, inhealth care, the reimburse-ment process still driveshow services are deliveredand reimbursement isdriven by procedures anddiagnosis.

Focusing on patients’whole health translates intostaff salaries that may notbe covered under insur-ance. This is where thecenter’s federally qualifieddesignation helps to getgrants that help supportthe center’s sliding-feescale.

To Your HealthTuesday, October 11, 2011A6

AMANDA COWAN | TO YOUR HEALTH

Dr. Kristin Bradford, left, meets with patient Anthony Garcia Navarro, 4, of Corvallis and his mom, Sofia Navarro, Thursday afternoon atBenton Health Center.

‘Health home’ model puts patient in center

Elicia

Miller

10 thingsContinued from A5

What do you sayto a friend who’sbeen diagnosed?

FINDING THE WORDS

“We are workingbetter with

different levels ofstaff now that we

are in teams. Iknow exactly who

to go to forwhatever needs a

patient may have orthat I may have in

order to meet apatient’s needs. It

is much moreefficient.”

DR. KRISTIN BRADFORDCOMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS OF BENTONAND LINN COUNTIES

BY ELLEN WARRENCHICAGO TRIBUNE

How’s this for some greatnews? By making one, tiny,almost painless change, youcan lose 10 to 20 pounds in ayear.

I just got off the phonewith a Cornell Universityprofessor who has made acareer of studying people’sreal eating habits, and he’sgiven me new hope.

By making just a singlechange, we can put an end tothat cycle of what the pro-fessor, Brian Wansink, calls“creeping calories.”

“The same levers that al-most invisibly lead you toslowly gain weight can alsobe pushed in the other direc-tion to just as invisibly lead

you to slowly lose weight —unknowingly,” writesWansink in his eye-openingbook, “Mindless Eating.”

For each of us, there is asingle behavior change thatcan make all the differenceand result in a weight losswith none of that deprived,angry feeling that we dietersknow so well.

The catch? That one smallchange varies for each ofus, depending on our special“dietary danger zone,”Wansink told me. You’llhave to experiment to findyours.

For Wansink, using asmaller dinner plate to makehis portions look bigger wasa key to mindless weight lossbecause his danger zone was

overeating at mealtime.Another example?

Wansink found that snack-ers who had to walk 6 feet tothe candy dish ate less thanhalf as much as those whokept the dish in plain sighton their desk.

If eating meals at yourdesk or in the car is yourdanger zone, brown bag itfrom home or only eat whenthe car is in park.

Some other tips fromWansink:

• Keep tempting foods outof sight.

• Set your fork down be-tween bites.

• Ask the waiter not tobring bread.

• Alternate water everyother drink.

BY CHRISTINA REXRODEASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Americanstalk skinny but eat fat.

No matter that First LadyMichelle Obama has beenon a crusade for a year anda half to slim down thecountry. Never mind thatsome restaurants havestarted listing calories ontheir menus. Forget eventhat we keep saying wewant to eat healthy. WhenAmericans eat out, weorder burgers and friesanyway.

“If I wanted somethinghealthy, I would not evenstop in at McDonald’s,” saysJonathan Ryfiak, 24, a NewYork trapeze instructor whowatches his diet at home butorders comfort foods likechicken nuggets and frieswhen he hits a fast-foodjoint.

In a country where morethan two-thirds of the pop-ulation is overweight orobese, food choices are oftenmade on impulse, not intel-lect. So, while 47 percent ofAmericans say they’d likerestaurants to offer healthieritems like salads and bakedpotatoes, only 23 percenttend to order those foods,according to a survey lastyear by food research firmTechnomic.

That explains the popu-larity of KFC’s DoubleDown, a sandwich of baconand cheese slapped be-tween two slabs of friedchicken. It’s the reasonIHOP offers a Simple & Fitmenu with yogurt and fruitbowls, but its top seller re-m a i n s a 1 , 1 8 0 - ca l o r i ebreakfast sampler of eggs,bacon, sausage, ham, hash

browns and pancakes. It’salso why only 11 percent ofpa re n ts o rd e re d a p p l eslices as an alternative tofries in McDonald’s HappyMeals.

The mixed message hasn’tstopped many restaurantsfrom offering healthier fare.After all, the governmenthas stepped up its oversight— and influence — over theindustry that it blames forAmerica’s expanding waist-line. National rules aboutputting calorie informationon menus are expected totake effect next year. AndMrs. Obama touts restau-rants and companies thatslash calories in foods.

But revamping a menucan be difficult and expen-sive, requiring months oreven years. For example, ittook Dunkin’ Donuts fouryears to figure out how tomake its doughnuts withouttrans fat — which doctorssay is one of the unhealthi-est types of fat — without

altering the taste.And efforts to curb un-

healthy eating aren’t alwaysfruitful. In 2009, a yearafter New York made chainsstart listing calories onmenus, only 15 percent ofdiners ordered lower-calo-rie foods, according to astudy in the British MedicalJournal.

As a result, many chainshave scaled back their ef-forts to roll out healthyfoods. The number ofhealth-related claims madeon menus, like reduced fator reduced carbs, fell 5 per-cent from 2008 to 2010, ac-cording to Technomic’sstudy of more than 1,200restaurant chains.

Most restaurants won’tshare specifics about howtheir salads and veggieomelets compete whenthey’re up against burgersand crepes. But the healthystuff appears to be only asmall proportion of revenueat most chains.

To Your Health A7Tuesday, October 11, 2011

BY SAM MCMANISMCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

Every red-blooded Ameri-can — and people from othercountries, too — needs to beproperly dosed with vitaminB-12, in large part to hastenred blood cell formation. Butthere’s so much more toknow about B-12. Take ourquiz to find out.

11.. WWhhiicchh ooff tthhee ffoolllloowwiinnggddooeess BB--1122 nnoott ppoossiittiivveellyy ccoonn--ttrriibbuuttee ttoo??

a) Neurological functionb) Reduced kidney CK lev-

elsc) DNA synthesis

22.. AAccccoorrddiinngg ttoo tthhee MMaayyooCClliinniicc nneewwsslleetttteerr,, aa nnoorrmmaallbbooddyy wwiillll ssttoorree hhooww mmuucchh BB--1122 iinn tthhee lliivveerr??

a) Two days’ worthb) A few weeks’ worthc) Several years’ worth

33.. WWhhiicchh sseerrvviinngg ooff tthhee ffooll--lloowwiinngg ddooeess nnoott pprroovviiddee 110000ppeerrcceenntt ooff tthhee ddaaiillyy vvaalluuee((lliisstteedd aatt 66 mmiiccrrooggrraammss)) ffoorrBB--1122??

a) 3 ounces of fried clamsb) 3-ounce top sirloin

steakc) Fortified breakfast cere-

al

44.. TThhoossee wwhhoo aarree aanneemmiicchhaavvee ddiiffffiiccuullttyy aabbssoorrbbiinngg BB--1122 ffrroomm tthhee iinntteessttiinnaall ttrraacctt..WWhhiicchh ppooppuullaattiioonn iiss nnoott aattssppeecciiaall rriisskk ffoorr bbeeiinngg BB--1122ddeeffiicciieenntt??

a) Elderlyb) Vegetariansc) Endurance athletes

55.. IInn hheeaalltthhyy ppeeooppllee,, hhoowwmmuucchh ooff aa 550000--mmiiccrrooggrraammoorraall ssuupppplleemmeenntt iiss aaccttuuaallllyyaabbssoorrbbeedd bbyy tthhee bbooddyy??

a) 6 mcgb) 10 mcgc) 50 mcg

SSoouurrcceess:: National Insti-tutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements(http://ods.od.nih.gov);Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com).

N U T R I T I O NQ U I Z : B 1 2

AANNSSWWEERRSS:: 1: b; 2: c; 3: b; 4: c; 5: b.

CLIFF OWEN | AP PHOTO

First lady Michelle Obama takes part in Walmart’s announcement in Washington, D.C., in January of a comprehensive effort to provide healthier and more affordable foodchoices to their customers.

Salads are nice,but burgers sell

RALF-FINN HESTOFT | AP PHOTO

In this file photo from March 13, 1991, McDonald’s Corp.’s then-President Ed Rensi shows off the McLean Deluxe Burger during anews conference at the company’s Oak Brook, Ill., headquarters.The lower fat hamburger made with seaweed derivative neverreally caught on with customers.

Consumers say they want healthier options, but statistics from fast food chains show

that not that many are actually buying them

DAN KREMER/KFC | AP PHOTO

KFC’s Double Down sandwich has two fried chicken filets taking theplace of bread slices. In between are two pieces of bacon, meltedslices of Monterey jack and pepper jack cheese and a zesty sauce.

Lose weight by mindingyour own ‘danger zone’