Coffee.org:: Health Benefits of Coffee
Alzheimer's Disease
Various studies have shown that coffee drinkers at midlife had a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease later in life compared with those drinking little to no coffee, with lowest risk being found in people who drank 3 - 5 cups of coffee per day.
Asthma
In Scotland, caffeine has been used to treat asthma since at least 1860. In a study of 72,000 Italian Coffee drinkers, the risk of asthma fell by 28% when three or more cups of coffee were consumed every day. A second study on 20,000 Americans found that risk of asthma fell significantly by 30% and risk of wheeze fell by 13% when regular coffee drinkers were compared with non-coffee drinkers.
Cancer
Scientists in a prospective investigation found that men who drank the most coffee had a 60 percent lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer than men who drank none. Researchers from Lund University and Malmo University in Sweden have found that, depending on which variant of a certain gene a woman has, a coffee consumption rate of at least 2-3 cups per day can either reduce the total risk or delay the onset of breast cancer.
Parkinson's disease
Hawaiian study conducted over a 30 year period and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that of 8,000 Japanese/American men, those who drank 3-4 cups of coffee per day were 5 times less likely to develop Parkinson's disease. A large study consisting of 29,000 Finnish subjects found a reduced risk of Parkinson's disease among habitual coffee drinkers.
Along with these amazing findings, coffee has also been shown to help treat headaches, lower risk of diabetes and gallstone disease, and even significantly lower one's risk for developing heart disease. While the medical community isn't exactly sure how coffee promotes so many health benefits, they do know that coffee is rich in antioxidants and that the caffeine works to promote healthy blood flow by preventing the constriction of blood vessels. Of course, moderation is key, so don't overdo it! Be sure to spread out your coffee throughout the day so that you don't run the risk of increasing your blood pressure or getting the jitters. You can also broaden your horizons by trying decaf coffee or black tea (which is also rich in antioxidants).
