Coffee Good for You?

"Coffee is actually good for you," my brother exclaimed during his visit last weekend. "Though they used to say it was bad, they've discovered the reverse." That seemed like good news since I enjoy a morning cup of coffee and my extreme curiosity led me to look into it. For openers, coffee aids in memory for older women and that's not all. Three cups of coffee a day have potential benefits. Here's how...

Benefits Memory for Older Women

Women 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee (or the equivalent in tea) per day had less decline over time on tests of memory than women who drank one cup or less of coffee or tea per day. The results held up even after researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect memory abilities, such as age, education, disability, depression, high blood pressure, medications, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illnesses.

Coffee contains dietary fiber

Already recognized as a source of healthful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds, coffee also contains significantly higher levels of soluble dietary fiber than other commonly consumed beverages, scientists in Spain report.

"The dietary fiber content in brewed coffee is higher than in other common beverages such as wine or orange juice."

Lower Parkinson's Risk:

The average age at onset of the disease was eight years older for people who consumed coffee compared to those who never did. Among the people with Parkinson's, 83 percent were regular coffee drinkers, while 92 percent of the controls were regular coffee drinkers.

Lowers Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital has found that participants who regularly drank coffee significantly reduced the risk of onset of type 2 diabetes, compared to non-coffee drinking participants.

Coffee (both regular and decaffeinated) has lots of antioxidants like chlorogenic acid (one of the compounds responsible for the coffee flavor) and magnesium. These ingredients can actually improve sensitivity to insulin and may contribute to lowering risk of type 2 diabetes.

Reduces Risk of Liver Cancer

At least eleven studies conducted in southern Europe and Japan have examined the relationship between coffee drinking and the risk of primary liver cancer.

The results showed a 41 percent reduction of HCC hepatocellular carcinoma risk among coffee drinkers compared to those who never drank coffee.

This is only a fraction of coffee boosts to our system. A Harvard Study also mentions that coffee's used to treat apnea, migraines and even acne. Jolts of Java may reduce the number of fatal car accidents and suicides as well. What's the other side of this? To be fair, there are some...

Risks for Some Folks

Heart - Greater for People with Gene Variation

Individuals who have a genetic variation associated with slower caffeine metabolism appear to have an increased risk of non-fatal heart attack associated with higher amounts of coffee intake, according to a study in the March 8 issue of JAMA

Folks on Depression Meds

Psychologists worry that amid the flood of praise from scientific circles, coffee's dangers will be ignored. Caffeine, they note, tricks the body into that state of alert know as" fight or flight." The heart races blood pressure jumps, and--for serious mainliners of mud--hands tremble and muscles twitch. This may be a mere annoyance in emotionally healthy folks, but it can complicate treatment for psychiatric patients, notes the University of British Columbia's Arnold Kruger, Ph.D. Chronic anxiety, panic disorders, and depressions can all be exacerbated by terfere with tranquilizers like Valium.

I'll get a shot of serotonin each morning as I grab my cuppa Starbucks... not only from a boost to my metabolism and the enticing aroma, but also knowing the benefits to memory and health. For me the advantages're promising. I'm glad my brother mentioned that coffee's good for health!