Food Research: Ancestral diets determine vulnerability to type 2 diabetes ♦ Consumers should seek a variety of fiber ♦ Nutrition researchers develop healthy beverage index

Consumers should seek a variety of fiber sources to get the maximum health benefits

Consumers who get fiber from many sources -- both naturally occurring and added in manufacturing -- may benefit more than people who limit their intake to a single type.

Coffee not associated with lifestyle diseases Danish researchers are the first in the world to have used our genes to investigate the impact of coffee on the body. The new study shows that coffee neither increases nor decreases the risk of lifestyle diseases.

Ancestral diets determine vulnerability to type 2 diabetes The middle classes from developing countries are more susceptible than western Caucasians to obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in today's changing environment. New research reveals this may be a result of the nutrition endured by their ancestors.

Nutrition researchers develop healthy beverage index Researchers have developed a new scoring method for assessing beverage intake, the Healthy Beverage Index (HBI). In a report, they describe how this tool can be used to more accurately evaluate dietary consumption of all types of fluids. They found that higher HBI scores were associated with more favorable lipid profiles, decreased risk of hypertension; and, among men, better C-reactive protein levels.

Algae, quinoa, legumes top list of alternative protein choices Algae is evolving as the next new alternative protein source consumers are anxious to bite into as an ingredient in crackers, snack bars, cereals and breads.