Dear Health-Conscious Friend,

I was never a big coffee drinker. But lately, with all the madness of the holidays behind me and getting back into the swing of things here at the office, I've found myself grabbing a hot cup pretty regularly. This had me feeling a bit guilty. But recently a headline popped up that made me change my mind...

Christine O'Brien reveals the research that caught my eye...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S. Most of us women spend hours on our hair. Higlighting, tinting, brushing, buying expensive shampoos and treatments. But what to do when your hair lacks the lustre you want? Dr Wright tells us how to fix this problem and the possible causes...

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That cup of joe could beat back diabetes
Christine O'Brien
Editor, House Calls
 
Researchers in Australia have found that drinking coffee could lower your risk of type II diabetes. The more you drink, the lower your risk.

The results of the study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that every cup of coffee per day was associated with a 7% reduction in diabetes risk. Good news if you're one of those people who can't get by on just one!

The good news doesn't stop there - at the beginning of December, researchers at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting reported that drinking coffee could mean a lower risk of dying from prostate cancer.

Other studies have shown it could help stave off Alzheimer's and stroke too.

Oh, and if you're a tea drinker, there's good news. The research showed that people who drink tea see the same diabetes-preventing benefit shown in the Australian study. Four cups of tea per day resulted in a 1/5 lower chance of developing diabetes.

Of course, it can't all be good. There is one tidbit from this study that left me shaking my head. The lead researcher said that it's too early to start recommending people up their daily cups of coffee of tea to prevent diabetes.

She wants more clinical trials and is hopeful that the "identification of the protective components in these beverages would open up new therapeutic pathways" for preventing diabetes.

Protective components, huh? Therapeutic pathways? Call me crazy, but that sounds more like, "Hey, this is good news, but it's not GREAT news until we can figure out how to make a drug out of it!"

In the meantime, I'm going to keep having that daily cup of coffee. Or maybe two. Of course, I'll be taking it black. Adding sugar would just negate the benefits of this delicious natural disease fighter.

Supplement your way to shiny hair

Q: It seems like the older I get, the duller and more lifeless my hair has become and I'd like to find a way to reverse it. Are there any natural shampoos or conditioners that can help?

Dr. Wright: While dull, lifeless hair itself may not be a serious threat to your health, the condition that it is often a symptom of, can be. And, let me assure you, that condition isn't a deficiency of a high-priced, brand name shampoo - or even a less-expensive, all-natural one. Instead, it's most likely a deficiency in essential fatty acids, with perhaps a smaller need for B-complex vitamins, especially vitamin B6.

I typically recommend trying 1 to 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil daily for several weeks. (Always remember to take vitamin E as mixed tocopherols when you take essential fatty acid supplements.) Taking 2 to 3 tablespoons of freshly ground flaxseed daily would be even better, though not quite as convenient. And be sure to include a B-complex supplement that contains at least 50mgs of B6 into your daily regimen.

When your hair regains its luster, you'll probably be able to cut back on your supplementation and still maintain the sheen you want.