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Buckwheat is rich in chiro-inositol, which plays a role in the breakdown of sugar. Scientists have shown the chemical to be responsible for buckwheat's ability to cut levels of blood glucose.

Researchers at the University of Manitoba said their findings suggest buckwheat could help control type 1 diabetes, a disorder in which the pancreas stops producing insulin. It also may be helpful with the more common type 2 diabetes. The report appears in the Dec. 3 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Water workouts, long recommended for arthritis sufferers to help maintain flexibility and reduce pain and stiffness, allow those with severe disease to engage in much more intense aerobic workouts, the kind that provide cardiovascular benefits, Austrailian researchers say.

The Flinders University study also suggests that arthritis patients would benefit from more intense exercise — in or out of water — than currently recommended.

Researchers divided men and women 50 and older with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee into three groups. One did 30-minute water workouts three times a week, another did 30-minute gym workouts three times a week, and a third group did no exercise. After six weeks, the exercisers had improved walking speed and distance compared with the nonexercisers. The findings appeared in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Stomach stapling puts the severely obese at high risk for complications because their weight makes them poor surgical candidates, a doctor warns.

"This operation should not be considered a cosmetic procedure," said Elmar Merkle, a radiologist at Duke University. "People need to be aware of the potential complications."

Merkle studied 335 people who underwent the surgery. There were 57 complications, some multiple problems in the same patient. Within 30 days of surgery, 17 patients were readmitted for more treatment. Two died. Merkle said the surgery should be the last option after less invasive interventions like diet and exercise. According to the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, the number of such surgeries is rising.

— Times news services

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