BOSTON -- Could taking Tylenol in small doses damage your kidneys? The FDA has approved a new treatment for high cholesterol, and there may be a connection between caffeine and problems for diabetics -- NewsCenter 5's medical reporter Heather Unruh has Monday's HealthBeat.

Diabetics struggling to maintain glucose levels should consider cutting out caffeine, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center. A study of Type-2 diabetics found those who consume caffeine have a harder time regulating their insulin and glucose levels after meals than those who don't take caffeine. After meals, caffeine drinkers in the study saw a 21 percent jump in glucose levels and a 48 percent jump in insulin. The authors said that avoiding coffee and soda may be yet another way to better manage the disease.

New Drug

You now have another choice in a cache of cholesterol-lowering drugs. The FDA has approved a new drug called Vytorin. Vytorin combines two other cholesterol medications -- Zocor and Zetia. The news comes on the heels of new guidelines released this month, calling for high risk heart patients to lower so-called bad cholesterol, or LDL, to 70, instead of 100 as previously recommended.

Tylenol Study

Taking Tylenol could damage your kidneys, according to a new study. An 11-year study of 1,700 women found taking more than 1,500 Tylenol tablets in your lifetime, significantly increases your risk of kidney dysfunction. That's the equivalent of one pill a week for 25 years, or half a pill a week for 50 years. The study found women who took between 1,500 and 9,000 pills in their lifetime experienced a 64 percent greater chance of kidney problems.

The researchers at Brigham and Women's hospital said that their findings should not make you stop using Tylenol, but they would like to see the medical community consider alternative pain therapies.