A third of malaria drugs used around the world to stem the spread of the disease are counterfeit, research reveals.

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Third of malaria drugs ‘are fake’

A study found a sharp increase in the disease’s prevalence among teens, adding to worries that diabetes may progress more rapidly in children than in adults.

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Well: Diabetes on the Rise Among Teenagers

A foundation devoted to education about and treatment of flesh-eating bacteria cites government figures estimating 500 to 1,500 cases occur in the United States each year. But media coverage of these cases is rare, so the story of a Georgia grad student fighting the disease may help raise awareness, the foundation's co-founder says.

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Flesh-eating infections: Scores per year

The New England Journal of Medicine has just released a study indicating that increased coffee consumption is linked to longer lifespans. The Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics funded the research, which tracked 400,000 healthy men and women between the ages of 50 and 71 for up to 13 years. Researchers found that people who consumed two or more cups of coffee a day are less likely to die from certain diseases than people who drink little or no coffee. But before you grab your mug and fight off the hordes stampeding to the break room, here are a few things you should consider. Q: What about coffee did the researchers find beneficial? A: Researchers didn't actually figure out what the specific benefits of coffee were – though it does contain unique compounds and antioxidants that may defend against various diseases. The big news was that coffee drinkers didn't die as early from heart or respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, injuries, accidents or infections. Once researchers adjusted for bad habits – coffee drinkers tend to smoke and drink more – they found that coffee drinkers lowered their risk of death from these factors by 10 to 16 percent. Q: If you drink six cups a day, are you getting greater health benefits than someone who drinks just two? A: Women who drank two or three cups of coffee a day were 13 percent less likely to die at any age than those who drank no coffee at all. Bump that up to four or five cups, and the percentage jumped to 16. Male coffee drinkers seemed to decrease their risk by 10 percent. The research indicates that every cup – and they studied people drinking up to six a day – upped the chances of living longer. Q: So, if I hook up an IV bag of coffee to my veins under the light of a full moon, will I cheat death and transform into a coffee vampire, impervious to death and decay? A: Yes. That is exactly what will happen. Okay, no. The study didn't definitively prove that coffee will extend longevity – just that there seemed to be a link. It was observational rather than clinical, but it definitely gives researchers reason to delve further into the causality. It's also worth noting that coffee should be filtered rather than boiled because the process strips out compounds that raise the “bad” LDL cholesterol that increases risk of heart attacks from sudden blood clots in narrowed arteries. So make sure there is at least one outlet for your coffeemaker in your crypt or coffin. Q: Are researchers indicating that this study suggest that benefits outweigh the negative effects of coffee? A: There is risk in overconsumption of anything, and the high blood pressure associated with caffeine is still a risk. Luckily for caffeine-averse immortality seekers, decaf coffee was just as effective. People also increase their dairy and sugar intake when they're drinking coffee, and that packs its own risks including obesity and stupidity. Q: Uhhh…stupidity? What the what? A: In a recent UCLA study , researches studied two groups of rats, trained on a maze twice daily for five days. Then one group consumed a fructose solution as drinking water for the next six weeks, and the other ingested the same – with the addition of omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA is crucial for essential for synaptic function, or making brain cells communicate with each other, learn and remember. After the feeding cycle, the rats that had consumed the omega-3-amped diet navigated the maze much faster than those that hadn't. The non-DHA group also developed signs of resistance to insulin, which regulates blood sugar. This may disrupt learning and cause memory loss, and the researchers believe that fructose is the culprit. A: But I'm not pouring sugar into my 57 cups of coffee per day, so I should be good on that front, right? Q: Sugar is a sneaky critter. Even if you're not chowing down on little chocolate donuts or mainlining jelly, you may be taking in more than you bargained for – especially if you eat a lot of pre-packaged food. Many low-fat and fat-free dressings, canned soups, jarred sauces, those supposedly healthy smoothies and even breads are loaded with fructose. It's up to you, the consumer, to stand in the aisle and squint at the labels. A: The omega-3 stuff sounds like a sweet deal, then. How might I ingest some? Q: : Flax seeds and oil, beans, mustard greens, wheat germ, olive and canola oils and winter squash are all smashing sources of omega-3, but the very best dish is fish. Mackerel, lake trout, herring, bluefin tuna and salmon contain the greatest amount, while haddock, red snapper, swordfish and sole are better than nothing, but don't boast much of a benefit. So consider having a butternut squash and walnut muffin with your deep, dark, sugarless cup(s) of coffee. And some garlic to ward off the vampires.

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FAQ about coffee, longevity, sugar and stupidity. And also vampires.

(Health.com) – Drinking a daily cup of coffee – or even several cups – isn't likely to harm your health, and it may even lower your risk of dying from chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests. The relationship between coffee drinking and health has been a hot topic in recent years, but research has produced mixed results. Some studies have linked coffee consumption to better health and a lower risk of premature death, while others suggest that coffee – or rather caffeine – might contribute to heart disease through negative effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart rate. The new study is by far the largest of its kind to date. As part of a joint project with the AARP, researchers from the National Institutes of Health followed more than 400,000 healthy men and women between the ages of 50 and 71 for up to 13 years, during which 13% of the participants died. Read the full story on CNN Health:  “Coffee drinking linked to longer life”

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A cup of joe a day keeps the Grim Reaper away

The same degenerative brain disease found in football players and boxers has been found in veterans exposed to roadside bombs, a finding with potentially profound implications.

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Brain Disease Is Found in Veterans Exposed to Bombs

Meds could stop disease before it starts.

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Alzheimer Drug Trial Gives Hope

A drug already approved for treatment of AIDS might one day be approved for prevention of the deadly disease in individuals at high risk.

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FDA panel recommends anti-HIV drug

Two farms have been quarantined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the agency continues to investigate last month's discovery of mad cow disease at a California dairy farm.

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2 farms quarantined in mad cow inquiry

The gluten-free-beer movement began as a trickle about five years ago, with Lakefront Brewery releasing its New Grist and Anheuser-Busch responding with Redbridge lager. Since then, it has widened into a stream, with additional breweries debuting barley-less brews safe for the wheat-intolerant and for celiac disease sufferers who can’t ingest common brewing grains without wreaking havoc on their digestive systems. Read full article > >

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What’s new in gluten-free beers: Less twang

Not only are more children developing type 2 diabetes, but the disease develops more quickly and is less responsive to treatment, a new study has found.

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Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Cases Take Toll on Children

A month after receiving a heart transplant at Inova Fairfax Hospital, a vigorous-looking former vice president Richard B. Cheney told an audience of cardiologists he felt “uniquely blessed” that his 35-year battle with heart disease had so neatly tracked the arc of medical progress. Read full article > >

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Cheney praises cardiology advances

Click to watch video The first U.S. case of mad cow disease in six years sparked fears of illness that prompted at least one major South Korean retailer to suspend the sale of American beef. However, public health officials said the risk for disease for Americans is extremely low given that the affected dairy cow in central California was not part of the human food chain and was not exposed to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) through animal feed. “It was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health,” said John Clifford, the Agriculture Department's chief veterinarian. Read the full story: “S. Korea curbs U.S. beef sales after confirmation of mad cow disease”

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‘Mad cow’ prompts South Korean retailers to stop selling American beef

The infected dairy cow in central California never posed a danger to consumers, as milk does not transmit the disease, the chief veterinarian of the Department of Agriculture said.

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Case of Mad Cow Disease Is Found in U.S.

Bowel cancer patients who take aspirin daily could cut their chance of dying from the disease by about a third, experts believe.

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Aspirin ‘can cut cancer deaths’