Good news for coffee lovers! According to a study published in advance online on April 24 in Circulation, heavy, long-term coffee drinking does not raise the risk of coronary heart disease in most people. (But before you get too excited, see our earlier news item from March 11, 2006.)

And speaking of coffee – an article in the April 18 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine says that, in a study of Japanese adults, "consumption of green tea, coffee, and total caffeine was associated with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes."

Have type 2 diabetes? Want to help keep your blood sugar under control? Look after your gums! According to an article in the current issue (2006, Vol. 77, No. 4) of Journal of Periodontology, patients who underwent traditional periodontal care (root scaling and planing), not only showed significant improvement in their teeth and gums (e.g., amount of plaque on teeth, less gum bleeding), but better blood sugar control.

Suffer from dust allergies (like me)? Good news may be on the horizon! An April 25 press release from Swiss pharmaceutical company Cytos Biotechnology reports that follow-up results of its vaccine for allergic conditions shows significant long-term efficacy in people who are allergic to dust mites.

A study published in the April 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine has found that calcium supplements (in the study, 1200 mg/day) reduce older women's risk of fractures – though the researchers added the obvious caveat "in those who are compliant."

According to a report released this week by The Commonwealth Fund, 41% of working-age Americans with annual incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 were uninsured for at least part of the past year, and adults with incomes under $20,000 were the most likely to be uninsured, with 53% having spent time uninsured in the past year. The report states that most people uninsured were from working families and that 21% of working-age adults, whether insured or not, currently have medical debt that they are paying off, with 44% of these individuals carrying $2,000 or more in debt.

A study published in the April 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine which looked at 432 African Americans and 522 whites, found that African Americans were more likely than whites to have low trust in health care providers. But whether the person was African American or white, one common factor in those who reported low levels of trust was a lack of insurance (see item above).