I primarily drink two beverages: water and coffee. I like coffee. If I go too long without having any the level of caffeine in my system drops too low and I get a headache. Consequently, if I sleep too long, I awake with a headache. These headaches are most easily remedied with a combination of a pain killer and one or two large mugs of coffee.Despite mixed reports, recent studies have shown that coffee, taken in the correct quantity, can have various health benefits. Specifically, it lowers the risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, cavities, and colon cancer, among others. According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, drinking six or more cups a day (about 1.5L) lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 54% in men and 29% in women*.
Some of the recent studies have shown an 80% drop in the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease in people who drink coffee regularly. Still others have shown a 25% drop in the risk of colon cancer, and an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk.
Perhaps most impressive is the assertion by Tomas DePaulis, PhD, that regular consumption of large amounts of coffee can offset the damage caused by smoking and heavy drinking. He also says that the coffee bean has one of the highest levels of antioxidants of all berries (because coffee beans are berries, and now I can no longer claim to not like berries).
Now, I should point out somewhere here that these data don’t apply to coffee based beverages, like lattes, and the benefits are likely significantly decreased if you drink your coffee any way other than black.
So, there are two possible conclusions that I can derive from this: either coffee is actually very healthy, or I’ve found only the positive data to justify my rampant coffee addiction. At any rate, here are some links in case you want to verify my facts on your own.
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