Multis Don't Prevent Disease in Women: Study

(NEWSER) - Researchers have discovered every health nut's dream in the North Aegean Sea: an island with the highest percentage of nonagenarians on the planet, NPR reports. On the Greek isle of Icaria, nearly one in three make it to age 90, and residents have far lower rates of cancer, heart disease, and dementia. Their secret should come as no surprise: healthy, active lifestyles. More»

While caffeine has some risks, cups of joe pack a jolt of benefits

(NEWSER) - Coffee’s health risks and benefits have been widely debated, often with contradictory “facts” emerging simultaneously—but can they all be right? Yes, Jane Brody writes in the New York Times. For instance, below 550 milligrams of caffeine, beverages are not diuretic (though they are beyond that); and while caffeine causes blood pressure to spike temporarily, long-term hypertension among coffee-drinkers is no more likely. More»

Infections, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's less likely to kill overweight people

(NEWSER) - Overweight people are much less likely to die of a plethora of diseases, federal researchers announced today, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, infections, and lung disease. This gives them a lower mortality rate than people of normal weight, despite higher risk of heart disease and diabetes. “If we use the criteria of mortality, then the term ‘overweight’ is a misnomer,” one professor said. More»

Go for decaf: other chemicals in coffee give health a jolt

(NEWSER) - Scientists have long championed coffee's health benefits, but a series of recent studies is waking them up to the fact that caffeine has nothing to do with it. Regular consumption of coffee or tea can provide protection against cancer, diabetes and heart disease, but researchers say other chemicals are responsible. More»

Oxford study shows slightly elevated danger

(NEWSER) - Taller women face a higher risk of ovarian cancer, although the difference is small, according to a new study out of Oxford University. "If we compare a woman who is 5 feet tall with a woman who is 5 feet, 6 inches tall, there is a relative difference in ovarian cancer risk of 23%," the lead researchers tells the BBC . "But the absolute risk difference is small. The shorter woman will have a lifetime risk of about 16-in-a-1,000, which increases to 20-in-a-1,000 for the taller woman." More»