Nature's healing touch

I only write because in the space of a few days there were articles regarding health and three natural substances (though processed into products): dark chocolate, honey and coffee.

The Reuters piece on dark chocoloate was more about the boom in sales but mentioned the antioxidant flavonols found in cocoa and their cardioprotective effect (here is a recent study supporting the claim).

The AFP piece on honey's ability to kill bacteria and thus prevent, in this case, the amputation of an ulcerated foot belonging to a diabetic person. A physician using so-called honey therapy has launched a study to gather more support for the claim. (This study concludes that honey inhibited growth of several bacteria species.)

(Aside: Unfortunately honey bees have been dying off rather mysteriously.)

The Reuters piece on coffee's health benefits touts its ability to ward off type 2 diabetes (according to this 2002 Lancet article) and perhaps some cancers, according to a panel including a public health professor at Harvard. This was tempered by evidence that coffee can increase incidence of leukemia and stomach cancer. So, like most things in life, moderation is key.