More Health Benefits of Black Gold

Coffee brims with health benefits, researchers say
The Palm Beach Post, Fla.

11-02-09

Oct. 31--Drink up, coffee lovers. Not only is coffee aromatic and delicious, it's good for you.

Who says? None other than Harvard Medical School.

Once considered questionable for your health, it turns out that the beloved beverage is actually healthful in moderation. That means a few cups a day.

At about 20 cents per 6-ounce cup, coffee is a good deal if you brew it yourself.

Harvard researchers say drinking coffee may help prevent diseases such as:

Cancer: Some studies have found coffee drinkers have lower rates of colon and rectal cancers and are 50 percent less likely to get liver cancer than coffee abstainers.

Type 2 diabetes: Coffee is thought to contain chemicals that lower blood sugar because heavy coffee drinkers may be half as likely to get diabetes as those who drink little or no coffee. Coffee also may increase your resting metabolism rate, which could help prevent diabetes.

Parkinson's disease: Coffee seems to help protect men from Parkinson's disease, but not women. The difference might be due to estrogen, researchers say.

Heart disease: Coffee is not linked to the development of heart disease. In the past few years, Harvard scientists say, coffee has been shown to be safe even for heart attack survivors. Scientists think antioxidants in coffee may reduce inflammation and protect blood vessel walls.

Life span: Recent studies suggest that drinking coffee decreases the risk of premature death, especially in women. Women who drank at least five to seven cups a week had a death rate 26 percent lower than non-consumers, a large investigation by researchers in Spain and at Harvard Medical School found.

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