Trying to watch your weight? Stay clear of the drive-thru at all costs. People who eat too much fast food gain more weight and are more likely to develop early signs of diabetes.

That's the conclusion of a study of more than 3,000 white and black American adults. Participants reported their fast-food dining habits for 15 years, starting when they were 18-30 years old. They found that those who ate fast food more than twice a week gained 10 more pounds during the study than participants who ate fast food less than once a week. They also doubled their insulin resistance, a sign of early diabetes.

So is it true that food eaten after dark is more fattening than the same food eaten in the light of day? A midnight snack won't make you fatter than a midmorning munch, monkey studies show.

Judy L. Cameron, PhD, senior scientist at the Oregon National Primate Research Center, looked at 20 female monkeys. To mimic human junk food, the researchers fed the monkeys a high-fat diet. And because some of the monkeys ate about two-thirds of their calories at night, Cameron and colleagues were able to look at the effects of nighttime meals.

People who drink lots of water tend to have healthier diets than those who favor other beverages, according to Barry Popkin, PhD, and colleagues in Obesity Research. After studying what Americans ate and drank over a three-year period they found that nearly 9 in 10 people report drinking lots of water and average water consumption is more than 6, 8-ounce glasses.

People who drank the most water consumed nearly 200 fewer daily calories, were less likely to drink soft drinks or fruit drinks, reported eating more fruits and vegetables, and were more likely to consume low-fat dairy products.

A Toronto high-school student turned activist, Aly Young, wants peanuts banned from sporting events. The 15-year-old girl went into anaphylactic shock at a Toronto Maple Leaf game on February 4th when a couple seated directly behind her had peanuts, cracked fresh from the shell, open on their laps. Trace amounts of peanut can be fatal for a growing number of people, many of them children.

This topic raises many questions. Is Ms. Young's request reasonable? Should peanuts be banned from public places? Should majority rights tumble when the stakes are so high? And where do you draw the line?

Caffeine lovers - here's some information that may help you make the healthy switch to tea and still get your daily caffeine fix.

Studies of humans and animals show that the antioxidants in black and green teas are highly beneficial to our health, says John Weisburger, PhD, senior researcher at the Institute for Cancer Prevention in Valhalla, N.Y. All teas from the camellia tea plant are rich in polyphenols, which are a type of antioxidant. These wonder nutrients scavenge for cell-damaging free radicals that can lead to blood clot formation, atherosclerosis, and cancer in the body and detoxify them. Green and black teas have 10 times the amount of antioxidants found in fruits and veggies.

Move over botox and cosmetic surgeries alike. A new study shows that the fruity aroma from grapefruit may be able to shave years off your appearance.

According to Alan B. Hirsch, neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, when in the presence of the smell of pink grapefruit, women appear to be six years younger than their real age. Hirsch says the grapefruit aroma induced a smell memory-nostalgic effect.

A true diet success story...

A prisoner in Australia managed a cunning escape last week after starving himself for weeks in order to lose over 30 pounds and squeeze through the space between the edge of his cell window and the prison bars. Robert Cole reportedly spent the last couple of months losing about twenty percent of his body weight and spending his time chipping away at the brickwork outside of his cell window. Finally he was able to squeeze through the narrow opening and walk to freedom undetected. Police are on the lookout for a very skinny man.

Whoever thought those leftover chocolates from Valentine's Day could be good for your health? According to a growing amount of research, chocolate, red wine, and love can play a role in keeping the blood flowing throughout the body.

"It seems a component in cocoa - flavonoids - can be heart healthful," says Susan Moores, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). She says flavonoids are antioxidants, known to protect against free radicals in the body. Free radicals are suspected of damaging arteries and triggering buildup of plaque (fatty substances) in the wall of blood vessels, which can lead to atherosclerosis.

We're pleased to have Chris Belanger, VP of Sales at Fusion Nutrition (makers of Purple-K, T2 and X-Drive) taking a few minutes to spend with the kind folks at AstroNutrition on their new product launch of the Insane Energy supplement - FUBAR.

AstroNutrition: Thanks for taking a time out to answer a few questions for us, Chris. First off, congratulations on your new product launch of the Insane Energy supplement - FUBAR. Out of the hundreds, if not thousands of products out there, why would I choose your product over other energy-enhancing products?

Chris: Chester, there are a lot of good products that make claims and I am not going to say that one product is better than the other but I will tell you, FUBAR will deliver that euphoric blast of energy that will take you for an awesome ride.

McDonald's has quitely announced on their corporate website that wheat and dairy ingredients are used to flavour their popular side of fries. The presence of those substances can cause allergic or medical reactions in food-senstive consumers. Until recently, McDonald's had said its french fries were free of gluten, milk or wheat allergens and was safe to eat for those with dietary issues.

Who says Valentine's Day is just about chocolates, cards and roses? Well not anymore - it's become a season of sexual self-improvement too. Don't hide the massage oil just yet! You too can achieve a better love life that will last beyond Valentine's day.

Just follow this expert advice from Michael Castleman, author of Great Sex: A Man's Guide to the Secret Principles of Total-Body Sex, and Louanne Cole Weston, PhD, a board certified sex therapist and resident expert for WebMD's "Sex Matters®" message boards.

1. Couples that have been together for a while need to plan time for sex.
2. Take regular nights away from home. Find a place that is stripped of reminders of everyday life.

Champagne, caviar, chocolate and strawberries...are there more lustful and sensuous foods out there? Sizzle it up with your Valentine with these sexy, sumptuous treats.

Artichokes - Rumour has it that a woman can acheive multiple orgasms and can help stimulate male erections.

Doughnuts - According to the Chicago Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, the scent of doughnuts, combined with black licorice significantly increases penile blood flow. It may be hard to find licorice-scented doughnuts but a couple of shots of sambuca should be easy to find.

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, but maybe you want a better love life that goes beyond Valentine's Day romance? Prize your partner's happiness and well-being above your own, a new survey suggests.

This 'altruistic' love can usually be defined as helping others without getting anything back. These feelings were at the heart of the General Social Survey conducted at the University of Chicago, which included more than 1,300 people, 60% of whom were married.

They found that married people with lots of altruistic love for their spouse had happier marriages, and married or not, altruistic love for a significant other was tied to higher levels of general happiness.

So would you take a bullet for a loved one? Rate how strongly you agree or disagree with these statements:

* I would rather suffer myself than let the one I love suffer

Are low-carb diets last year's news? High-protein may be emerging as the latest buzz in weight control. Emerging research has hinted that protein may be able to satisfy hunger better than either fats or carbohydrates.

Could a high-protein diet really help you eat fewer calories and lose weight by keeping your hand out of the cookie jar?

How many times did you hear your mother tell you to eat your fruits and vegetables as a child? I can still hear her voice ringing in my ears! The following piece of news will make you wish you heard her loud and clear.

British researchers recently found that people who reported eating more than five daily servings of fruits and vegetables had the lowest stroke risk. They were 26% less likely to have a stroke over 13 years than those who ate fruits and vegetables fewer than three times daily. They reviewed eight studies that covered stroke and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death in American adults.