This Common Beverage Now Has Even More Health Benefits – Drink 3

Most people, not all, but most people do drink at least one cup of coffee every day.  I am one of those people, but only one.  I'm not one of those people who drink several cups of coffee every day.  I wonder how they actually sleep at night.  All of that caffeine would keep me up.  But moving on...

COFFEE LINKED TO HEALTH BENEFITS IN A TEST STUDY

There have been several mentions of benefits from drinking coffee.  It can aid in weight loss, but only the black coffee, not the fluffy coffee.  There are also studies that show that coffee consumption can help aid in lowering the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, stroke, premature death and something more.

Apparently drinking 2-3 cups of coffee per day can help in lowering the risk of dementia.  Caffeinated tea also seems to have this benefit.  (published in JAMA and led by investigators from Mass General Brigham, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard — analyzed 131,821 participants from the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study)

FEEL MORE ENCOURAGED WITH THE STUDY COMES FROM A REPUTABLE SOURCE

Since the study came from Harvard, somehow I feel like it has more staying power than if it came from somewhere else.  But that's me.  There is also something else to keep in mind, more research has to be done.

While our results are encouraging, it’s important to remember that the effect size is small and there are lots of important ways to protect cognitive function as we age. Our study suggests that caffeinated coffee or tea consumption can be one piece of that puzzle.

NOT ALL COFFEE HAS THE SAME BENEFIT, EITHER

It seems that people who only drink decaf did not experience the benefit.  It has to be caffeinated.

 Both male and female participants with the highest intake of caffeinated coffee had an 18 percent lower risk of dementia compared with those who reported little or no caffeinated coffee consumption. Caffeinated coffee drinkers also had lower prevalence of subjective cognitive decline (7.8 percent versus 9.5 percent). By some measurements, those who drank caffeinated coffee also showed better performance on objective tests of overall cognitive function.

So, if you drink coffee... keep going.  It only takes 2-3 cups per day according to the study.  It doesn't state for sure, but it seems that it doesn't matter if it's just black coffee or if it has some creamer additions.  The caffeine is the common denominator.  Also keep in mind that too much sugar can have the opposite affect.  So, sugary drinks with caffeine didn't have the same benefits.

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