5 Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee

Did you know:

BENEFIT #1: Coffee drinkers, compared to nondrinkers, are less likely to have type 2 diabetes. Data from 15 published studies links coffee consumption with decreased likelihood of diabetes. In one study of more than 193,000 people, those who said they drank more than 6 or 7 cups daily were 35% less likely to have type 2 diabetes than people who drank fewer than two cups daily. There was a smaller perk -- a 28% lower risk -- for people who drank 4-6 cups a day. The findings held regardless of sex, weight, or geographic location (U.S. or Europe). Drinking coffee reduces the risk of prostate cancer.

BENEFIT #2: Coffee-drinking is linked to reducing the risk of prostate cancer in men who drank more than 6 cups of coffee a day. According to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, those who drank the most coffee had a 20% lower risk of developing prostate cancer. Coffee protected even more against the most lethal form of prostate cancer. Among those drinking one to three cups a day, the risk of lethal prostate cancer declined 29%, compared to that of non-coffee drinkers. Among those drinking six or more cups daily, the risk for deadly prostate cancer was reduced 60% compared to that of non-coffee drinkers.

BENEFIT #3: Coffee consumption is linked to a decreased chance of developing breast cancer. A recent study suggests drinking 5 cups of coffee a day reduces the likelihood of developing breast cancer in women over the age of 50 years. Researchers found that people who drink coffee are often able to reduce the possibility of malignant tumors by 20%.

BENEFIT #4: Drinking coffee decreases the chance of developing Parkinson's disease. An analysis of 30 years of dietary records of more than 8,000 Japanese-American men with an average age of 53 revealed those who did not drink coffee were three times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease. Those men who drank 28 ounces, three to four cups or more, however, were one-fifth less likely to develop the disease. Similarly, a study at the Harvard School of Public Health involving approximately 135,000 people of mixed demographics demonstrated that men who drank four to five cups of coffee daily cut their risk of developing Parkinson's almost in half.

BENEFIT #5: Coffee consumption can reduce your chance of developing dementia. A study tracking over 1 thousand adults for 21 years found that those who consumed between three and five cups of coffee each day were 65% less likely to develop dementia than other participants to drank less than two cups each day.

Antioxidants seem to be the key element to improving health: they help the body fight infections and illnesses by combating free radicals found in the body. Our cells need oxygen to function normally, and as our bodies use this oxygen, oxidation takes place. The result are free radicals which are harmful to the body and need to be eradicated.

This is where antioxidants enter the process.

Antioxidants, very effective in eliminating free radicals from the body, are nutrients that help prevent tissue damage caused by molecules called oxygen-free radicals. Consuming foods rich in antioxidants every day, and supplementing our diets with antioxidants can eliminate the damage caused by free radicals along with keeping infections and illnesses away. Free radicals have been linked to tumors and cancer cells in the human body.

As to coffee, the most recent research suggests the darker the roast the better, and fresh roasted is best. Avoid the milk, though, as coffee with no milk is a much better source of antioxidants than coffee with milk.

Think I'll go brew a cup. . . . .

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