Health Benefits from Coffee

With so many things in our lives that seem to be bad for us, here’s a bit of information we came across this week that is very positive.  Like wine, chocolate and popcorn, coffee has joined the ranks of unlikely foods with health benefits!  Of course, with every endorsement there are caveats, and as with most foods, it’s moderation.  Excessive consumption can increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and foster a dependence on caffeine.  However, if  you limit the cream and sugar, here are 5 benefits:
1. Memory Improvement.  Coffee can help with both long- and short-term memory. In a 2005 study presented at the Radiological Society of North America, researchers found that consuming two cups of caffeinated coffee improved short-term memory and reaction times.
2. Diabetes.  Studies suggest that coffee drinkers are less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.  It’s attributed to compounds in coffee that block hIAPP, a polypeptide that can result in abnormal protein fibers, which are found in people with Type 2.
3. Decreases Cancer Risk.  Coffee consumption has been associated with decreased risk of breast, endometrial, prostate and liver cancers, and those linked with obesity, estrogen and insulin.
4. Antioxidant Properties.  Harvard researcher Edward Giovannucci, in research published in “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention,” noted that coffee has more antioxidants than most vegetables and fruits. In fact, a 2005 study found that coffee is the No. 1 source for antioxidants in the American diet.
5. Performance.  Coffee, and the caffeine in it, has been shown in multiple studies to increase both endurance and short-term performance.
So there you have it, 5 reasons to enjoy a good cup of coffee!

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