Eating more blueberries, apples and pears may be linked to lower risk of diabetes, according to a new U.S. study. These fruits are loaded with flavonoids, a natural compound present in certain fruits, vegetables and grains, which some research has tentatively tied to heath benefits such as a lower risk of heart disease or cancer. "People who ate a higher amount of blueberries or apples, they tended to have a low risk of type 2 diabetes," … full story

Coffee drinkers have no more risk of getting illnesses such as heart disease or cancer, and are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, according to a German study involving more than 40,000 people over nearly a decade. The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, came in the wake of many previous studies that produced conflicting results, with some tying coffee drinking to an increase in heart disease, cancer, stroke and … full story

People who suffer from psoriasis may want to pay extra attention to heart risks, since they may be at a greater risk for blocked arteries than those who don't have the skin disease -- although the risk increase is not that high, according to a U.S. study. And the longer patients have psoriasis, the higher their risks are, said researchers, whose findings were published in the American Journal of Cardiology. "One of the things that we've come to … full story

A large new European study finds that simply eating a lot of fruits and vegetables may not be enough to stave off the weight gain that often comes with age -- except for people who recently quit smoking. Researchers found that of nearly 374,000 adults in 10 European countries, who were followed for five years, those who ate the most fruits and vegetables were no less likely to gain weight once other factors -- like calorie intake and exercise habits … full story

Women who drank anywhere from a few alcoholic drinks a month to more than three a week in the year leading up to a heart attack ended up living longer than women who never drank alcohol, according to a US study. The findings, which focused on more than 1,000 women and were published in the American Journal of Cardiology, add to mounting evidence that alcohol, regardless of the type of drink, can be good for the heart. "One thing that was interesting … full story

Watermelon, apart from being rich in nutrients, has been found to lower pre-hypertension, a precursor to cardio diseases. Assistant professor Arturo Figueroa and Professor Bahram H. Arjmandi of the Florida State University conducted the study on the health benefits of watermelon. They found that extracts of watermelon, given daily for six weeks, lowered blood pressure in a group of pre-hypertensive men and women aged between 51 and 57 years, reports … full story

Drinking milk regularly could help you shed weight, finds a recent study. In a two-year weight loss study, milk drinkers had an advantage over those who skipped the milk, reports the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers led by Danit Shahar from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, found that adults who drank nearly two glasses of milk daily, which provided the highest Vitamin D levels at six months, lost more weight … full story

Recently, I have been following a continuing debate in the medical community about diet, and the amount of fat you should have in your diet. If you're a little bit like me, you wish that there was a magic pill that could take care of this, but nobody has that formula at present, and maybe we never will. But some studies have shown a remarkable relationship between fish oil and weight loss, and it doesn't matter which healthy diet you are following. … full story