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This week: Angiotensin discovery, antidepressant withdrawal, low-carb and low-fat diets

A widely prescribed type of drug used to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure was made possible by a discovery from almost a century ago. The substance eventually named angiotensin was first identified in the late 1930s by doctors in the United States and Argentina, who didn't immediately agree on what to name it.

Harold Smulyan, an emeritus professor of medicine in cardiology at Upstate Medical University, describes the discovery and how later research led to today’s ACE inhibitor drugs. ACE stands for angiotensin-converting enzyme.

Also on “HealthLink on Air” this week, psychiatrist Thomas Schwartz discusses antidepressant withdrawal and ways to minimize it. And, registered dietitian nutritionist Maureen Franklin compares low-fat diets to low-carb diets.

Tune in Sunday, July 21 at 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. on WRVO.

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