Health briefs: Dessert dieting

Starting your morning with a high-protein food and a "dessert" -- such as a doughnut or cake -- may help you lose weight, a study suggests. However, nutritionists said they weren't ready to embrace the conclusions. When researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel compared diet regimens -- one featuring a low-carbohydrate breakfast, the other a high-protein, high-carb meal -- the sweets-with-breakfast group lost more weight after eight months. Diet-related weight loss often triggers hunger and cravings while decreasing suppression of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger, researchers said. This may encourage weight gain. But a high-protein and carbohydrate breakfast may overcome these changes.

A protective perk

Seems like you don't need an excuse to pour yourself that second cup of coffee. Moderate, daily coffee drinking may be good for your heart -- to a point, a new study suggests. "We found that moderate consumption may, in fact, be protective," said Elizabeth Mostofsky, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "There are many factors that can contribute to a person's risk of heart failure, but moderate coffee consumption probably isn't one of them."