Saturday, October 2, 2010

Morning Coffee, Morning Pleasure

I love my morning coffee! BUT... when I go grocery shopping, I look at my pocketbook and wonder if coffee is a Luxury or a Necessity.

Looks like Necessity wins out: A wealth of research suggests that it doesn't just pick me up -- it fights heart disease and some cancers, and it may even help me work at physical tasks.

Drinking coffee has been associated with lower risks for dementia and Alzheimer's. A recent review of more than four decades of research found that for every additional cup of coffee you drink each day -- either high-octane or decaf -- your risk of developing type 2 diabetes shrinks by 7%, possibly because chemicals in the beverage improve your body's insulin sensitivity and increase metabolism. (I assume that's not highly sweetened coffee; my sister adds 3 heaping teaspoons of sugar per cup and I call it coffee syrup.)

The recommendation is to enjoy 1 to 2 cups a day; more than that may leave you jittery (or rob you of that precious number-one pleasure -- sleep).

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