Some great news for women who already love their cuppa joe – your daily caffeine boost can also slash your risk for one of the most common cancers.

A new study finds that women who drink at least two cups of caffeinated coffee per day may have a dramatically lower risk for endometrial cancer.

Researchers surveyed more than 60,000 Swedish women over 17 years and found that 1 percent of them ultimately developed endometrial cancer – which affects the cells lining the uterus.

Since this cancer tends to disproportionately affect older women, the average age of the diagnosis was 67.

But the researchers found that women who drank at least two cups of caffeinated coffee each day had a lower risk of getting that cancer – sometimes significantly so, depending on how much they drank and how much they weighed.

On average, each additional daily cup of coffee lowered the risk for this cancer by 10 percent, according to the study published in the International Journal of Cancer.

The researchers found that heavier women got the biggest benefits. Overweight women got a 12 percent reduction in risk for each additional cup of coffee, while obese women were able to slash their risk by 20 percent for each cup.

But since previous studies have found a strong link between obesity and this cancer, I don’t think it’s a good idea to remain overweight and simply drink coffee to reduce your risk.

To get the best of all worlds, lose the weight and keep sipping that joe. You’ll lower the risk for endometrial cancer, but you’ll also get so many other benefits.

Coffee alone has been linked to a decreased risk of Parkinson’s disease, colon cancer, cirrhosis of the liver and even gallstones. Caffeine has also been shown to help prevent headaches – in fact, it’s the secret ingredient in a couple of common over-the-counter headache pills.

In some people, however, caffeine can make certain headaches worse – so know your body on this one.

Losing weight will also give you a health boost far beyond a lower risk for endometrial cancer. You’ll look better, feel better, lower your risk for heart disease and have a much lower chance of joining the growing ranks of America’s diabetics.

And if that’s not good enough for you – then it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee.

Most children already have boundless energy.

But today’s kids are different from those of previous generations, for several reasons.

First, many of them have already been placed on what I call the high-carb Torture Chamber Diet, robbing them of some of that natural energy.

Secondly, many of them are already hooked on caffeine. And recent studies show us that this is one substance they shouldn’t be near at that age.

One study found that kids who have too much caffeine are staying up well into the night, when their growing bodies should be at rest.

Most kids need at least nine hours of sleep per night, but too many of them aren’t getting that. Instead, the study found that they’re sending text messages, playing video games and surfing the Internet.

The study, published in the June 2009 issue of Pediatrics, found these kids – even those who consume caffeinated beverages – are also more likely to nod off during the day.

The researchers looked at 100 children 12-18 years old, and found that a third of them dozed off in school an average of twice a day, while some conked out up to eight times a day. Half of the kids with driver’s licenses said they felt drowsy behind the wheel.

Meanwhile, another study shows what can happen to kids who get too much caffeine.

Researchers in Italy looked at the case of a 13-year-old boy who was admitted to a hospital after chewing two packs of a caffeinated gum. The total caffeine in the gum wasn’t too much by adult standards: roughly equal to three cups of coffee.

But the boy – who had no illicit drugs in his system, by the way – grew agitated and aggressive, which was not normal for him. His heartbeat and breathing rapidly increased, and his blood pressure rose.

The case study, published in the May 30 issue of The Lancet, shows what can happen when someone with no caffeine tolerance – like a child – consumes the stuff.

I’ve got nothing against a couple cups of coffee or tea for most adults.

But kids shouldn’t be near this stuff, especially since they tend to get their caffeine from sugar-laden sodas and energy drinks.

This is the beginning of a lifetime of unhealthy habits and poor sleeping patterns.

I know it’s not easy to control what your teen eats and drinks, but it’s important to know how these things might be impacting their body.

Banning soda and energy drinks might not be the most popular move in your home – but it’s the right one.

One of the most common complaints I hear from seniors at my practice concerns daytime sleepiness.

But too many of them accept it as normal. Some of my patients won’t even mention it to me unless I ask first. They’re convinced that it just comes with the territory – that as you get older, you simply get run down more easily during the day.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and a new study bears that out.

The study, published online in the May Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, tracked 11 older adults (ages 65-76) and 26 younger adults (ages 18-29). For three days, they slept a standard 8 hours per night. Then, they were kept awake for 26 hours as researchers tracked their abilities and attention spans.

They weren’t allowed any caffeine during this period – just their own natural abilities and stamina.

And wouldn’t you know it – the seniors were less impaired by the lack of sleep. They had faster reaction times, fewer performance lapses and paid better attention.

You know that old stereotype where the senior starts nodding off in the middle of doing something? Throw that one out the window. It turns out the younger adults were more likely to accidentally nod off.

What this really means is that if you’re getting a normal night’s sleep, you shouldn’t be tired during the day – whether you’re a vibrant senior or a young whippersnapper.

If you find yourself getting tired in the middle of the day, it’s time to stop accepting it as part of aging and get to the cause. In some cases, you may be suffering from a sleep disorder. For other folks, it’s a side effect of one or more prescription drugs.

But in many cases, I’ve found their fatigue problem to be a potassium deficiency.

In the June issue of Health Revelations, I’ll be taking an in-depth look at how a lack of potassium can be wearing you out – and I’ll show you how to diagnose and fix it, on your own, without pricey and dangerous prescription meds or repeated trips to a doctor’s office. Sign up to read about it today.

Then, when you return to your normal, natural wakeful state, you’ll see you can run circles around those kids half your age.

It’s no big secret – we’re fatter and more prone to illness than ever before. And if you think adults are in bad shape, take a look at our kids.

It doesn’t bode well for the future.

And the biggest problem with our kids’ diets is not necessarily what they’re eating – it’s what they’re drinking.

New research finds that replacing soda and sugary drinks with cool, refreshing water can help significantly reduce the number of calories kids consume each day.

The study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that when kids cut out the sugary drinks, they don’t replace those calories with extra food or snacks.

When you consider that sugary drinks make up 10 percent to 15 percent of a typical child’s daily caloric intake, that’s nothing to sneeze at.

In fact, the researchers found that replacing all of a child’s sugary drinks with H2O would cut about 235 calories from their diet each day.

Now, I know that raising kids ain’t exactly like raising cattle. You put out feed and water for animals, and they’ll pretty much eat and drink what you give them.

Kids have their own ideas about food, and they’re usually bad ones. I’ve had to fight those same battles with my own sons, so I know how hard it can be.

But the numbers don’t lie – give in to them now, and you can pretty much write their future health story for them, and it goes far beyond the obvious obesity problems.

Soda has been strongly linked to tooth decay, and some of its common ingredients have been tied to cell damage, liver disorders, and degenerative diseases.

These drinks have also been shown to cause lower calcium levels and higher phosphate levels in the bloodstream. As you age, that leads to bone loss and osteoporosis. For younger folks who drink a lot of soda, that could mean poor mineralization in the bones – and an increased risk of breaking those bones as a result.

And we haven’t even touched on the problems caused by drinking caffeine from an early age.

So turn your home into a soda-free zone (and that goes for diet soda, too). Just keep some water in the fridge, and you’ll always have a cool drink ready to quench any thirst.

Most importantly, talk to your kids about why you’re doing it.

Chances are, your kids won’t be impressed by your reasoning. They all think they’re pretty much invincible anyway, mine included. But think of it as a basic health issue on par with teaching them about substance abuse.

Yes, it’s that important.