Healthy Brew

Caffeine aside, coffee offers a few compelling health benefits for your body and mind that give java junkies reason to perk up. Coffee appears to lower the risk for heart disease and for dying from heart disease by up to 24%. The brew also helps lower the risk for certain cancers, such as colon, rectal and liver cancers. Something in coffee, other than caffeine, also lowers the risk for gout and diabetes and might protect against Parkinson’s disease. Coffee also might keep you mentally sharp into your senior years and extend your life.

Coffee a health drink? Coffee is an extract, and like other extracts, including wine, cocoa and tea, it is packed with antioxidants that protect cells’ genetic code for DNA from damage and promote cell survival. Coffee also might reduce inflammation associated with blood vessel damage. Of course, other studies have found that coffee might increase risks for pancreatic cancer and even might increase heart disease risk, so it is premature to recommend guzzling cup after cup every day. Also, how the coffee is made appears important to health, with filter drip being healthier than pressed coffee.