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Cholesterol drugs may be prescribed for profit

TRENTON, N.J. — Most of the heart disease experts who urged more people to take cholesterol-lowering drugs have made money from the companies selling those medicines.

Drug makers earned $26 billion worldwide on cholesterol-lowering medicines, the top-selling class of drugs.

New guidelines issued by the American Heart Association and the federal government were aimed at preventing heart attacks. They were written by nine of the country’s top cholesterol experts. All but one have received consulting or speaking fees, research money or other support from makers of the most widely used anticholesterol drugs.

The new guidelines would add about 7 million more Americans to the 36 million already encouraged to take the pills to lower their cholesterol.

Professor rides bike to a healthier self

CARBONDALE, Ill. — A creative writing professor at Southern Illinois University, though he is no Lance Armstrong, accomplished his own long-shot atop his bike.

He morphed from a 255-pound, beer-guzzling chain smoker two years ago into a smoke-free teetotaler who cuts a sleek figure in skintight Italian racing suits.

He rides up to 70 miles a day and competes with an amateur racing team.

Mike Magnuson, now 41 and 80 pounds lighter, wrote a book about his ride to health, though he does not recommend his approach to others.

‘‘It was stupid, stupid, stupid,’’ Magnuson said, ‘‘I could have dropped dead,’’ he said.

Reports from Bruin wire services.