Posted on 08/15/2006 8:48:19 AM PDT by aculeus
Coffee is not usually thought of as health food, but a number of recent studies suggest that it can be a highly beneficial drink. Researchers have found strong evidence that coffee reduces the risk of several serious ailments, including diabetes, heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver.
Among them is a systematic review of studies published last year in The Journal of the American Medical Association, which concluded that habitual coffee consumption was consistently associated with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Exactly why is not known, but the authors offered several explanations.
Coffee contains antioxidants that help control the cell damage that can contribute to the development of the disease. It is also a source of chlorogenic acid, which has been shown in animal experiments to reduce glucose concentrations.
Caffeine, perhaps coffees most famous component, seems to have little to do with it; studies that looked at decaffeinated coffee alone found the same degree of risk reduction.
Larger quantities of coffee seem to be especially helpful in diabetes prevention. In a report that combined statistical data from many studies, researchers found that people who drank four to six cups of coffee a day had a 28 percent reduced risk compared with people who drank two or fewer. Those who drank more than six had a 35 percent risk reduction.
Some studies show that cardiovascular risk also decreases with coffee consumption. Using data on more than 27,000 women ages 55 to 69 in the Iowa Womens Health Study who were followed for 15 years, Norwegian researchers found that women who drank one to three cups a day reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 percent compared with those drinking no coffee at all.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
OK, if that is the case, why isn't Java Man still around, eh?
I always knew there was a good reason to bounce off the walls.
Of course.
Surely not.
As I pour my 3rd cup, I salute you & proclaim "to my health".
Next year, of course, they'll release a report saying coffee will kill you.
As my mom always said...just do all things in moderation and you're usually just fine!
...and stop calling me Shirley...
Yesssssssssssssssss,now if we can get beer on the list it will be perfect !!!
I remember when Clinton first took office. One of the very first things I remember him saying he wanted to do was to regulate caffeine as a drug. I knew at that moment he was going to be a worthless President.
Nice tagline.
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