Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Over 500 billion cups are consumed annually. Coffee is currently grown in over fifty countries and is second only to petroleum in global trade activity and value.
Coffee is not usually thought of as health food, but a number of recent studies suggest that it can be a highly beneficial drink.
Researchers have found strong evidence that coffee reduces the risk of several serious ailments, including diabetes, coronary heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver.
It also reducing the risk of several cancers, rheumatoid arthritis and possibly Alzheimer’s disease.
Habitual coffee consumption appears to be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Coffee contains antioxidants that help control the cell damage that can contribute to the development of the disease.
Larger quantities of coffee seem to be especially helpful in diabetes prevention. Researchers found that people who drank four to six cups of coffee a day had a 28 percent reduced risk compared with people who drank two or fewer. Those who drank more than six had a 35 percent risk reduction.
There was study in Amsterdam that components in coffee seem to help the body metabolize sugar, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes, which affects 130 million people worldwide.
Some studies show that cardiovascular risk also decreases with coffee consumption. Using data on more than 27,000 women ages 55 to 69 in the Iowa Women’s Health Study who were followed for 15 years, Norwegian researchers found that women who drank one to three cups a day reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 percent compared with those drinking no coffee at all.
The antioxidants found in coffee have been found to inhibit inflammation and thereby reduce risk of cardiovascular and other inflammatory disease in post menopausal women.
The most protective effect was found at a dose of 1 to 3 cup of coffee per day.
In males, consumption of 8 or more cups of coffee a day reduce d the risk of cerebral infraction (stoke) when compared to non coffee drinkers.
In another analysis, published in July in the same journal, researchers found that a typical serving of coffee contains more antioxidants than typical servings of grape juice, blueberries, raspberries and oranges.
Researches caution that coffee is not for everyone and that people with hypertension, children, elders and pregnant women are most susceptible to adverse affects.
Beneficial Drinks of Coffee
