Strong and Black AND Good For You?

As a lot of you may already know... I have always been very PRO-Coffee.  I enjoy a few cups in the morning to wake up and I tend to sip a cup of it all morning and will sometimes enjoy a French Press in the afternoon for a little pick me up.  Now, finally the scientific community has decided to back me up and prove that I'm right!  In a recent article in the L.A. Times... here's what they had to say.

"The heavenly brew, once deemed harmful to health, is turning out to be, if not quite a health food, at least a low-risk drink, and in many ways a beneficial one. It could protect against diabetes, liver cancer, cirrhosis and Parkinson's disease."

Before we get started let me just mention that the article does say that pregnant women and people with hard-to-control hypertension may want to stick to decaf, or at least limit their consumption of caffeine.  Here is a summary of how scientists believe coffee can be good for you...

"Diabetes: Twenty studies worldwide show that coffee, both regular and decaf, lowers the risk for Type 2 diabetes, in some studies by as much as 50%... 

Heart disease and stroke: Recent studies suggest that frequent coffee consumption does not increase the risk of either condition. In fact, coffee might -- repeat, might -- slightly reduce the risk of stroke...

Cancer: Coffee research has come up empty here -- with one big exception: liver cancer. Research consistently shows a drop in liver cancer risk with coffee consumption, and there is some, albeit weaker, evidence that it may lower colon cancer risk as well.

Cirrhosis: Coffee seems to protect the liver against cirrhosis, especially that caused by alcoholism. It's not clear, either for cancer or cirrhosis, whether it's coffee or caffeine that may be protective.

Parkinson's disease: With this progressive, neurological illness, it's the caffeine, not coffee, that carries the benefit. No one knows for sure why caffeine protects. Several studies show that coffee drinkers, men especially, appear to have half the risk of Parkinson's compared with nondrinkers....

Athletic performance: It's clear that caffeine, not coffee per se, delivers the big boost here, said Graham, the researcher from Ontario. In fact, caffeine was once deemed a controlled substance by the International Olympic Committee..."

To get a little more in-depth, go check out the article in the L.A. Times.  But before you go to your favorite coffee shop to grab a cup and read the article...  remember that we are talking about COFFEE here.  Coffee is NOT a venti-sugar-mocha-choco-cinna-dolce-frappe-covered in whip cream and powdered sugar-MESS.  It is a cup of coffee, ideally without sugar or cream....or, unfortunately, Baileys or Kahlua.