According to The National Coffee Association, more than half of Americans drink coffee on a daily basis, and another 25% drink it occasionally. Well listen up coffee drinkers: increasing amounts of research suggest that coffee may just be a miracle drug!
“It’s amazing,” says liver specialist Sanjiv Chopra, MD, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Coffee is truly a lifesaving miracle drug.” This cancer-prevention specialist is clearly a big supporter of the cup of joe, though he admits it’s still a “scientific mystery” how a simple cup of coffee works its wonders in the body. Regardless, large epidemiological studies just keep giving us more reasons to drink up!
So pour yourself a cup of coffee and let’s toast to the many benefits in your cup! Recent research has found:
– More than three cups a day lowers women’s risk of developing skin cancer by 20 percent.
– Just one cup of coffee a day lowers women’s risk of stroke by up to 25 percent.
– More than six cups a day cuts men’s risk of dying from prostate cancer by 60 percent (but don’t drink that much!).
– Drinking two cups a day reduces women’s chances of developing depression by 20 percent.
Coffee has also been found to reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Type 2 diabetes. Limit your consumption of those crazy coffee concoctions, which can really pack on the pounds if you drink them daily. Chopra recommends drinking coffee black or with a little skim milk to minimize calories.
But remember, it’s best to consume coffee in moderating, sticking to 2 or 3 cups a day. Excessive coffee consumption is associated with cardiovascular problems, including an increased heart rate or blood pressure and irregular heartbeats, Harvard Health Publications reports.
