Scripps Howard News Service, May 30, 2007 WASHINGTON D.C. -- People joke about their coffee tasting like battery acid. But some newly published research suggests drinking coffee can help reduce unhealthy levels of uric acid in the bloodstream. High uric acid levels can contribute to a variety of health problems, from the arthritic disease gout to increased insulin resistance and risk of dementia and heart disease. The researchers also point out several mechanisms by which coffee helps to decrease insulin levels and improve insulin sensitivity. But scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston have an even more direct approach in mind for fighting diabetes. They report in the June issue of the journal Cell Proliferation that they'd been able to engineer adult stem cells derived from human umbilical cord blood to produce insulin. "This discovery tells us that we have the potential to produce insulin from adult stem cells to help people with diabetes,'' said Dr. Randall Urban, senior author and a professor of internal medicine. However, he stressed that this is still just basic research: "It doesn't' prove that we're going to be able to do this in people. It's just the first step up the rung of the ladder."