Coffee Is Now Safe

The medical and health communities LOVE to talk about things that can potentially cause cancer. Well, coffee is no longer a part of that list (after it had been for 25 years)!

What a relief, because over 50% of the adult population in the US drinks coffee every day. Moderate coffee consumption is actually associated with quite a few benefits! Disclaimer: "moderate" is considered three to five eight ounce cups per day

• Contrary to the belief that coffee could cause bladder cancer, it looks like it protects against liver and colorectal cancers! This may be due to coffee's hepato(liver)protective effects. 
• Feeling a little constipated? Coffee ramps up the emptying of your bowels.
• Coffee boosts energy with 108 mg of caffeine per cup and increased break down of body fat for fuel.
• Want to remember more, be more upbeat, and and have better reaction times? Coffee can help with that. 
• We love antioxidants, and coffee is how most people get them! (Shame on you, non-vegetable-eaters)
• It even increases cognitive function, protecting from Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and dementia. 
• Ramp up your metabolism, especially fat burning. 
• Coffee is one of the highest sources of magnesium and B12 people get in a day, but be careful! You may not be absorbing these nutrients well.
• No one knows why, but coffee drinkers seem to have lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 

Interestingly, while coffee itself has been proclaimed noncarcinogenic, "very hot beverages" are still "probably carcinogenic". Be sure to cool your coffee to around a balmy 140 degrees Fahrenheit (normal coffee temperature) to avoid esophageal cancer.