Anyone who’s ever seen me walking the corridors at work, coffee mug firmly in hand, knows that I am a devotee of the coffee bean. Adam, a colleague and friend, is an equally devout worshiper of the tea leaf. Since we both spend our days inundated with food and nutrition research, our conversations often include a battle of the brews-style smack down of the latest research supporting either of our beloved beverages.

The cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor goes generic tomorrow, but you won’t save a lot of money switching to it, at least for now. And even if it could help you save money, it's important to know that Lipitor is often not the best first choice for people who need to lower their LDL (bad) cholesterol.

The Department of Justice announced a $950 million settlement with the second-largest U.S. drugmaker, Merck, Sharp & Dohme for its illegal promotion of its Vioxx painkiller in 2004. The drug, rofecoxib, was pulled from store shelves seven years ago when studies linked increased risks of heart attacks and strokes, even after patients stop taking the medicine.

New guidelines that recommend cholesterol testing for all children between the ages of 9 and 11 and again as young adults 17-21 years of age are likely to surprise most parents and stimulate vigorous debate among physicians.

Doctors who invest in expensive heart-testing equipment for their own offices are more likely to order—and bill for—unnecessary heart tests, according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The nation's number one health concern, heart disease, is largely on the decline among Americans, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Middle-aged women with restless legs syndrome are prone to high blood pressure, according to a large study this week in the journal Hypertension.

Does your doctor order an electrocardiogram as part of your regular check-up? If so, next time you might want to just say no, at least if you’re a healthy person without symptoms of heart disease. The United States Preventive Services Task Force, an independent group that develops recommendations on preventive health care, said today that there’s no evidence that routine ECG (also called EKG) screening offers any benefits, and might pose some risks.

Heart-healthy habits not only lower the risk for cardiovascular disease, they can also lower the risk of erectile dysfunction in men. It’s well known that the plaque formation that underlies coronary heart disease can also contribute to erectile dysfunction. Now, a systematic review from researchers at the Mayo Clinic, and published this week in Archives of Internal Medicine, has found convincing evidence that the same lifestyle changes that are good for the heart, can improve sexual function in men.

High cholesterol levels not only increases your risk of heart attack but also Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published this week in the journal Neurology.

Women don’t experience a sudden increased risk of death from heart disease after menopause, according to a study this week in the British Medical Journal. Instead, their risk increases steadily with age regardless of their menopausal status.

Fewer people are smoking a lot, but more are smoking a little, according to a report released today from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The percent of U.S. daily smokers who smoke nine or fewer cigarettes rose to 21.8 percent in 2010, up from 16.4 percent in 2005, while the percent who smoke 30 or more cigarettes per day fell from 12.7 percent to 8.3 percent.

In the past, while blood pressure monitors that inflate around your wrist are smaller, easier to carry and often more comfortable than most arm models, we found wrist models less accurate than those that inflate around your upper arm. No longer.

Good news for those who are overweight. If you're headed for a Labor Day picnic or barbecue this weekend, feel free to eat the spuds—as long as they're plainly microwaved purple potatoes.

Older men who regularly miss out on deep, restorative sleep have an 80 percent increased risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a study out this week in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension.