In the world of health, information is changing all the time. Scientists are constantly researching cures for diseases, conducting studies that help us better understand the human body and sifting through current health advice to see what strategies are actually going to help us live longer, healthier lives. It can be hard to keep up on it all. That’s why I’ve decided to check in on the latest in health news once a week to round up the most relevant studies that you need to know to keep yourself well. Here are three of this week’s most important stories. 1. Your caffeine habit may be more serious than you think. A study from American University in Washington, D.C., says that an addiction to caffeine can bring on withdrawal symptoms and make people unable to stop drinking it even when it can impact a preexisting health issue, such as a heart condition. The American Psychiatric Association actually recognizes this problem as “caffeine use disorder.” What compounds our own weaknesses for coffee is the fact that we never really know how much we’re getting. The study’s researchers suggest that companies should be required to label caffeine levels or even limit caffeine amounts in products such as energy drinks. Want to know more about the effects of your daily coffee?  We’ll tell you the good and bad, and how much caffeine is in each drink. 2. There might be hope for kids with peanut allergies. In a recent British study, kids with peanut allergies were exposed to small amounts of peanuts and were able to build their tolerance to the allergen, which is the most common allergen responsible for life-threatening reactions. At the end of the medically supervised experiment, most—but not all—of the kids were able to tolerate about five to 10 peanuts, though many of the kids had mild reactions along the way. Of course, parents should not experiment with their own kids’ tolerance, because of the serious risks involved, but they can find hope in this research that might lead to a better future for their kids. Learn more about dealing with life-threatening allergies. 3. When it comes to antioxidants, it’s safer to go natural. Swedish scientists have found that extra doses of antioxidants blocked cancer-fighting mechanisms in mice. In the study, mice with early-stage lung cancer who were given antioxidant injections saw much more aggressive tumour growth than those who weren’t. Though natural antioxidants from fruits and veggies have been shown to have tons of benefits, including preventing chronic diseases, there have been several studies showing problematic effects of high-dose antioxidant supplements. For example, smokers who took beta-carotene saw an increase in lung cancer. To get a healthy, risk-free dose, try boosting your intake of these five antioxidant-rich foods. (Photography: Thinkstock)