National Coffee Day: Health Benefits

Did you know that September 29 is National Coffee Day? If you’ve been feeling a bit guilty about your addiction to this caffeinated beverage, check out these reasons it might not be so bad!

Diabetes
Many experts believe that coffee consumption might help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. That’s partly because researchers have discovered that drinking coffee increases plasma levels of SHBG, a globulin that controls the biological activity of testosterone and estrogen, which play a role in the development of the disease. Research also has shown that individuals who increase their coffee intake by about 1.7 cups have a decreased risk for type 2 diabetes than those who do not increase consumption.

Parkinson’s Disease
American researchers believe that a higher coffee and caffeine intake is associated with a much lower incidence of Parkinson’s disease. They also believe that the caffeine in coffee may help control physical symptoms in people suffering from Parkinson’s.

Liver Cancer and Disease
Italian researchers say coffee consumption lowers the risk of liver cancer by as much as 40%. Some of their results suggest drinking three cups a day to reduce the risk by more than half. Other researchers have found routine coffee consumption to reduce the risk of PSC, a rare autoimmune disease of bile ducts in the liver. Coffee consumption can also lower the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver for alcohol drinkers by 22%.

Cardiovascular
Researchers believe that drinking 2 cups of coffee a day protects against heart failure. People who drink four cups daily, according to one study, had an 11% lower risk of heart failure than those who did not.

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