A Healthy Cup Of Java

I love my coffee. Until recently, coffee was considered a guilty pleasure and we were advised to cut back on the amount of coffee we drank (something, by the way, I never did). Well, now experts tell us that caffeine is actually good for us!

Some time ago, I wrote in my column about the health benefits of drinking a glass of wine a few times a week. Now I find there is a great deal of research which proves coffee is also good for our health.

The University of California has done research which proves that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 60%! The researchers found this applied to people with normal levels of blood sugar as well as those who have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. The researchers studies 910 adults over an average of 8 years. How much coffee are they talking? Well, about four cups a day. OK, so I drink a little more than that each day, but at least I don’t have to feel guilty about those first four cups. Studies at the Harvard School of Public Health and in Sweden and Finland all came to same conclusion that drinking coffee can drastically reduce your risk of developing diabetes.

The National Cancer Centre in Tokyo conducted a study of 90,000 Japanese. They found that people who consumed one to four cups of coffee each day had half the liver cancer risk than those who drank no coffee.

Recent studies have resulted in other surprising findings: indulging in your daily java can actually be a healthy habit. It has been shown to enhance athletic performance, increase mental alertness and protect again diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and colon cancer.

I know it sounds too good to be true, but I’m not making this up! Scientists and researchers all over the world are changing their views on coffee. Toxicologist and food-safety expert, Dr. Eileen Madden, told a symposium on coffee and health at the New York Academy of Sciences, “Coffee consumption fits into a very healthy diet, and if anything, may have a beneficial effect” (Who knew there was even such a thing as symposium on coffee and health?).

I love it when something I like to consume is found – by scientists, no less – to be good for you (ok – in moderation, but still).

Drinking wine and coffee because it’s good for you . . . it’s a good thing!