Ever have one of those mornings where you wake up, jump in the shower, turn on the radio and hear the best news you've gotten in ages?
No, not world peace, but close.
Apparently, coffee is now good for you. It holds a host of physical -- not to mention psychological -- benefits which scientists are only now beginning to appreciate.
In a household where our espresso machine holds a hallowed place, this is definitely grounds for rejoicing. I haven't been this excited since I learned that sugar made a comeback.
So hear ye, hear ye: Five reasons to drink (more!) coffee:
1. It reduces depression in women. This just in. A new study out of Harvard University shows that women who regularly drink coffee -- the fully caffeinated kind -- have a 20 percent lower risk of depression than nondrinkers. This comes on the heels of previous research showing that the risk of suicide decreases with increased coffee consumption.
2. It lowers the risk of lethal prostate cancer in men. But it's not just the ladies who will benefit from more java. In another study out of Harvard (what are they drinking there? ahem!), men who drank six or more cups per day had a 60 percent lower risk of developing the most lethal type of prostate cancer, and a 20 percent lower risk of forming any type of prostate cancer compared to men who did not drink coffee. Given that prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, that's nothing to sneeze at.
3. It may protect against head and neck cancers. A study from the University of Utah showed that people who drank more than four cups of coffee a day had a 39 percent decreased risk of cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx combined, compared with those who didn't drink coffee. Regular consumption of coffee has also been linked to a lower risk for brain tumors, reduced rates of colorectal and endometrial cancer, as well as liver cancer and cirrhosis.
4. It may ward off Alzheimer's disease. Several studies looking at how caffeine affects brain development in mice have confirmed that caffeine significantly decreases abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer's disease. When aged mice bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer's disease were given caffeine -- the equivalent of five cups of coffee a day -- their memory impairment was reversed, according to a report issued by the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Centre. Should these results be replicated on humans, it might suggest coffee as an effective treatment for this disease, rather than just a protective strategy.
5. It appears to stave off diabetes. Numerous studies have shown that coffee may be protective against Type 2 Diabetes, although the precise mechanism is not well understood. An analysis in the Archives of Internal Medicine, for example, found that people who drink three to four cups of coffee a day are 25 percent less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than those who drink fewer than two cups. In the U.S. alone, nearly 24 million children and adults -- nearly 8 percent of the population -- have diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease and accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of these cases.
Whether these studies will prove robust in coming years -- or be cancelled out by some of caffeine's adverse effects on things like sleep and high blood pressure -- remains to be seen.
But I'm going to blithely hedge my bets and carry on enjoying my cuppa (or two).
Latte or Cappucino?
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Still feel kinda bad, its just one miniature addiction for another.
Cacao also helps balance out coffee's effect on your blood pressure. Coffee can raise it, and cacao lowers it. I can feel the difference both ways. So that's another pleasant effect to add to the pleasure of the cacao flavor.
Simple, tasty, cheap, easy to store, doesn't go bad easily, and good for you. Give it a try. You won't find that combination all that often.
Just kidding of course.. :) I'm sure many, many people in Colombia are not machine-gunned by drug lords.
I'm not Mormon but the observant ones look better, healthier than the average.
Why? They operate on their own steam without coffee, caffeine and alcohol.
BTW, one leads to the other. One lifts you up and the other relaxes you.
Yes, who could possibly be against a little relaxation in a glass of wine etc.
(Everything in moderation...)
One feeds off the other and the coffee industry targets women specifically.
Pretty soon the merry-go-round leads to WEIGHT GAIN and then we go from there.
If you have trouble losing weight don't feel bad, the diet industry is rigged
with you in mind. Start by getting off the caffeine and the alcohol.
How can a stimulant not also stimulate appetite?
Coffee and alcohol both have a drying effect which means over a period
of weeks and years you have plenty of liquid RETAINED but you feel
THIRSTY anyway and over that time you will feel excessive hunger.
Does exercise take care of that? Yes and no.
Coffee is retained and yet it leaves you FEELING dehydrated just like alcohol.
Nice trick. You are not actually dehydrated but your body feels thirsty in
addition to wanting another buzz. Can't go wrong if you're a seller of either.