Diabetes

Cinnamon has long done double duty in cooking and as a folk remedy for various ailments. Today, scientists are studying cinnamon to see if it improves blood sugar, particularly in type 2 diabetes.

Some people view coffee as a guilty pleasure. But, research suggests drinking coffee may actually have some health benefits. That evidence includes two new, large observational studies of diverse populations published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Both found drinking coffee was associated with a modestly (less than 20%) reduced risk of dying from various conditions, compared to not drinking coffee.

Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased diabetes risk. But, the few published small trials of vitamin D supplementation havent shown a benefit on insulin function, which is important in blood sugar control. Included in this list is a new trial in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

We're often told to eat better to ward off risk of disease and dying early. In that effort, knowing which eating habits to focus on could be helpful. Findings from a new study in JAMA show the large potential impact of 10 dietary factors on Americans' risk of dying from heart disease, stroke or type 2 diabetes. These three conditions encompass the term cardiometabolic disease.

You may find salt makes you thirsty, but over the long run excess salt could cause your body to conserve water, so you actually drink less, according to two new studies in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. The underlying processes may make you hungry and raise disease risk.

Physical activity is good for your heart, but why? A big reason may be its role in lowering inflammation.

One in three US adults has prediabetes. Delaying or preventing progression to type 2 diabetes through dietary and lifestyle changes could help keep money in your pocket (and protect your health), finds a study published in Population Health Management.

Last May, the FDA unveiled an updated Nutrition Facts label, which is required on packaged foods by July 2018 (small companies get an extra year). A big change to the label is listing the amount of "Added Sugars." Those are sugars added by manufacturers. Although you should consider several aspects of a food's nutritional value, checking added sugars can inform choices when comparing products within categories.

Controlling type 2 diabetes requires spot-checking blood sugar, including after you eat. "The highest blood sugars of the day tend to be after meals," says Richard Siegel, MD, an endocrinologist and co-director of the Diabetes and Lipid Center at Tufts Medical Center. Blood sugar spikes - temporary high readings - after meals can be hard on heart health.

Too much sitting and too little exercise may speed biological aging by as much as 8 years, suggests an American Journal of Epidemiology study. A group of 1,481 women (average age, 79) from a nationally-representative sample wore motion sensors for one week.