Two servings of brown rice per week may lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 17%.

Rice is the world's largest staple food. A majority is consumed as white rice, with the bran and germ portion removed in milling.

Scientists studied 200,000 men and women to observe the connection between rice consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes. After adjusting for age and lifestyle factors, people who ate five or more servings of white rice per week had 17% higher risk of diabetes. Eating two or more servings of brown rice per week resulted in a decrease of 17%, compared to those who ate less than one serving per month.

PositiveTip: Not ready for all brown rice? Substituting one-third with brown, can still significantly lower your risk of type 2 diabetes!

Quitting cigarettes associated with short-term increase in diabetes risk.

Can doing something very good for your health raise the risk of another problem? A 9 year study showed that those who quit smoking had significantly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes during the first 3 years of cessation. Smokers who don't quit also face an increased risk of this disease, but the adjusted risk was higher in the short-term for those who quit. Perhaps weight and systemic inflammation contribute to this increased risk. In light of these findings should smoker's quit? Absolutely! The authors write, "Of course, smoking cessation has many beneficial health effects that outweigh this short-term risk." There are no excuses here!