Did you know there are 6 different ways to enjoy Diet Coke with added nutritional benefits? Diet Coke is building up its brand to include essential vitamins and minerals for the health-conscious Diet Coke lovers. Allow me to introduce you to Diet Coke Plus!

Diet Coke Plus offers automatic health benefits with the great taste Diet Coke drinkers have come to expect. Each serving provides 15% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of niacin, and vitamins B6 and B12 and 10% of the RDI for zinc and magnesium. After a little investigating - the vitamins and minerals in Diet Coke Plus might truly payoff. Low magnesium is tied to increased diabetes risk and zinc plays a key role in glucose metabolism. Vitamins B6 and B12 assist in protecting the body from nerve damage from diabetes. In fact, vitamins B6 and B12 showed a positive influence on vibration perception and nerve conduction speed (NCV) in people with diabetic neuropathy.

Coca Cola realized that Diet Coke drinkers are increasingly looking for more beverage options. Coke decided to remove the guilt from the pleasure. With benefits including: increased glucose metabolism, reduction of diabetes risk, and enhanced nerve perception -- move over Verizon. Diet Coke Plus is asking - can you feel me now??

Nutraceutical refers to foods claimed to have a medicinal effect on human health. The American Diabetes Association says individuals at risk of developing diabetes can make changes in their diet and increse their level of physical activity to reduce their risk. The following mentions a few foods and supplements that are your friends in the fight against diabetes.

You've probably heard a million times the benefit of soluble fiber. It lends a big helping hand by slowing carbohydrate absorption. Easy sources of soluble fiber include: oat bran, nuts, barley, flax seed, fruits like oranges and apples, and vegetables like carrots. Another nutritional gem is coffee! Well, more specifically chlorogenic acid, the antioxidant found in coffee. It slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream after a meal. Caffeine counteracts this effect, so diabetics are better off drinking decaf. Barley malt has similar blood glucose lowering effects as metformin, without the side effects. Some say barley malt is to beer as grapes are to wine. Barley malt extract (available in powder and liquid forms) is also used medicinally as a bulking agent to promote bowel regularity.

Other honorable mentions include: magnesium, chromium piccolinate, conjugated linoleic acid, bitter melon and our beloved cinnamon. Nutraceuticals would likely have substantial diabetes-preventive efficacy, and presumably could be marketed legally as aids to good glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity.

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.

The medical world lost an extraordinary person Saturday. Dr. Helen Martin, a pioneering specialist in diabetes care and a former professor at the University of Southern California (pictured), died on Saturday. Martin was one hundred years old.

Not only did Martin succeed at medical school at a time when few women attended such institutions (she graduated from USC in 1934), she did so despite being afflicted with polio. In fact, Martin has said that spending so much time in hospitals while growing up with polio was what inspired her to learn about medicine.

Among other things, Martin was known for her expertise in the area of diabetes care. She studied the influence of electrolytes on the body during diabetic coma, as well as the importance of insulin, and the role of magnesium in diabetes. She was also known for her dedication to her patients. A former colleague once remarked of Martin: "She knew every diabetic--she knew them all. I can remember some of the cases specifically that were problems, patients who kept coming in out of control--wouldn't take their insulin, their veins gone. You'd call Helen, and you'd get help, believe me."

You can read more about the accomplishments of Helen Martin in the Los Angles Times' obituary.