For those of you who have lived the dietary gospel -- no meats and fatty foods and eating lots of greens and cooked vegetables -- guess what! It appears you've reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to study findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

The study examined of 36,787 adults who provided dietary information over 4-years. At the beginning of the trial no adults had type 2 diabetes, but at the commencement of the study 365 new cases of type 2 diabetes were diagnosed. The researchers defined 4 eating patterns: a Mediterranean diet, a salad and vegetable diet, a diet of mostly meats and fatty fried foods, and a diet of many different fruits.

The Mediterranean pattern was associated with country of birth but not with diabetes. There was an inverse association observed between the Salad and Vegetable pattern and diabetes. The Meat pattern was positively associated with diabetes. No association was observed between the Fruit pattern and diabetes risk. The results of this study show a positive outcome for people who favor a diet high in salad and cooked vegetables. Those who eat a diet comprised mostly of meat and fried foods might find it helpful to avoid the onset of type 2 diabetes if they switched to foods with a lower fat saturation and more fiber assimilation.

Caffeine intake makes insulin more resistant to changes in blood sugar levels, Canadian researchers report.

The researchers evaluated sugar metabolism in 23 men before and after a three-month exercise program. Before and during the exercise program, the men were given caffeine or a placebo. The subjects included 8 sedentary lean men, 7 obese men with type 2 diabetes, and 8 obese men without diabetes. Before the exercise program, caffeine reduced insulin sensitivity by 33% in the lean and obese men and 37% in the obese men with diabetes compared to placebo. After the exercise program, insulin sensitivity fell 23% after caffeine intake in the lean men, 26% in the obese men, and 36% in the obese diabetic men. Comparison of the two study phases showed that exercise did not improve insulin resistance related to caffeine intake. It seems that caffeine weakens or offsets any of the beneficial effects of exercise or weight loss on insulin resistance. While the clinical implications remain unclear, the findings are a "red flag" for doctors and are particularly important for obese patients and those with diabetes.

Don't go throwing-away your Starbucks gift card - although the effects of caffeine on insulin were duly noted, the fact remains that coffee may cut the risk of diabetes. Although the findings seem to contradict recent reports that coffee intake may cut the risk of diabetes, coffee contains several other substances that may affect sugar metabolism, such as antioxidants, potassium and magnesium. Caffeine without all of the other substances that are found in coffee produces a different result. Like peanut butter and chocolate - peanut butter by itself is a high-fat protein. When you combine it with chocolate you have a melodic mix disdainfully referred to as candy but happily celebrated in the form of a REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups. It's all in the delivery, folks.

You know how Dunkin' Donuts says America runs on Dunkin? As if you needed justification for your caffeine fix -- here's another one: researchers found that middle-aged adults who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who rarely had a cup.

The researchers based their findings on data from 12,204 middle-aged U.S. adults who were followed from 1987 to 1999 -- all of who were free of diabetes at the outset. Participants completed detailed questionnaires on their diets, including how often they drank coffee. They also reported on their exercise levels, smoking habits, alcohol intake and other lifestyle factors. Even with these other factors considered, coffee drinkers showed a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Those who downed four or more cups a day were about one-third less likely to report a diabetes diagnosis over the study period.

The reason is not fully clear, but one possibility is that certain coffee components -- such as magnesium or chlorogenic acid -- improve the body's regulation of blood sugar. Some research also suggests that caffeinated coffee spurs a prolonged spike in metabolism that may help control body weight. The findings of this study are not a green light to start an intravenous line of java. Although the findings show a positive effect on reducing risk of developing type 2 diabetes, excessive caffeine consumption is related to other risks like elevated blood pressure. All things considered, I think type 2 diabetes might be a trigger for high blood pressure just the same. So if you had to choose: tons of coffee, elevated blood pressure with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes or no coffee, stable blood pressure and increased likelihood of type 2 diabetes-what would you prefer? I'll take mine light and sweet, please.