Coffee, Tea Lower Risk of Diabetes

Comedian credits 'no bread,' 'lots of cardio'

(NEWSER) - Have you seen a picture of Drew Carey lately? You might not recognize him—the once-portly comedian has dropped a striking 80 pounds from his 5-foot-10 frame and now wears size 33-34 pants. How did he do it? Most important was motivation: "It sucks being fat, you know," Bob Barker's successor as host of The Price Is Right tells People . "I was sick of being fat on the camera. I was diabetic with Type 2 diabetes. Now I'm not diabetic anymore." More»

Brown rice lowers risk of developing disease; more study needed

(NEWSER) - People who frequently eat white rice are at greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who eat less than one serving a month. But rice isn't all bad: Eating the brown variety lowers the likelihood of developing the disease, new research shows. Replacing white rice serving-for-serving with brown rice lowers diabetes risk by 16%, and substituting whole grains—unprocessed grains such as wheat, oats, and barley as well as brown rice—cuts the risk by a whopping 36%. More»

Coffee, caffeine may have health benefits

(NEWSER) - Get this: Coffee's not bad for you, and it could have health benefits. New studies do a better job of separating the effects of coffee from those of its formerly frequent partner, cigarettes, the Los Angeles Times reports. And when you look beyond caffeine, "coffee is a complex beverage with hundreds, if not thousands, of bioactive ingredients," a Canadian researcher notes. Among the health benefits:

• Diabetes: Studies suggest the chlorogenic acid in coffee cuts the risk for Type 2 diabetes.

Women who drank 3 cups daily suffered 25% fewer fatal episodes

(NEWSER) - Regular coffee drinking has been linked to a reduced risk of fatal heart attacks, according to a new study of the health effects of coffee. Women who regularly drank three cups of coffee a day had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease than women who didn't drink coffee. Some studies have found that coffee is a source of antioxidants, which may protect people from heart disease. More»

Daily caffeine helps protect the brain from damaging cholesterol

(NEWSER) - A daily fix of caffeine helps shield the brain from the damaging effects of cholesterol, which is apparently the way coffee helps reduce the risk of dementia, new research suggests. The "blood-brain barrier" protects the brain from toxins in the bloodstream, but scientists have discovered that cholesterol makes it leaky. The strength of the barrier was boosted in rabbits given the caffeine equivalent of a daily cup of joe, reports the BBC. More»