In recognition of National Coffee Day I thought it only appropriate to invite you to have a coffee with me, if only in the virtual sense :-).
A few moments ago I read most people should be drinking between 3 and 5 cups of coffee a day to get its full benefits. I did a little happy dance and jumped up to get another steaming cup. You see, usually I only drink maximum 2 cups because I thought drinking more was harmful, but as it turns out, that’s not the case. The study says most Americans drink an average of only about 1.7 cups of coffee each day. Even the Dutch–who drink more coffee on average than anyone else in the world–drink an average of only 2.5 cups of coffee a day.
According to the committee, drinking 3 to 5 cups of coffee a day:
1. Does not have long-term health risks.
In fact, those who say that coffee has long-term health risks are wrong.
2. Reduces the risk of heart disease.
Coffee has been found by researchers to lower heart and stroke risk factors such as heart rhythm disturbances and arrhythmia.
3. Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Coffee is a diabetes fighter, but lay off the added sugar.
4. May protect against Parkinson’s disease.
According to one study, people who drank two or more cups of coffee a day had a 40 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson’s. Several other studies support coffee’s Parkinson’s-fighting abilities.
5. Can be incorporated into a healthy dietary pattern.
According to Tom Brenna, a member of the committee and a nutritionist at Cornell University, “Coffee’s good stuff. I don’t want to get into implying coffee cures cancer–nobody thinks that. But there is no evidence for increased risk, if anything, the other way around.”
I’d love the opportunity to have a coffee with you, give me a call, I’m interested to see where your favorite coffee shop is.
