Are you drinking enough coffee? Get health up to speed

I am not a drinker. Honest. But now, I may start drinking ... coffee.

Scientific studies have been pouring in, one after another, some 19,000 of them over the past decades, evaluating the health effects of coffee. And, the overwhelming consensus is that coffee is beneficial for health -- specifically for people with diabetes, heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver and even Parkinson's disease.

An analysis of multiple studies found that people who drank four to six cups of coffee daily had a 28 percent lower risk of developing diabetes compared to those who drank two or fewer cups. As for the heavy drinker, six or more cups daily reduced their risk of diabetes by 35 percent.

Coffee had a similar beneficial effect on other diseases. Those who drank one to three cups of coffee daily had a cardiovascular risk reduction of 24 percent compared to noncoffee drinkers. And, coffee drinkers had an 80 percent lower risk of Parkinson's disease and liver cirrhosis, along with a 25 percent reduction in colon cancer.

You may be wondering what is in the coffee that is proving to be so good for us. Is it the caffeine or the antioxidants in the coffee beans? In fact, it is both.

Caffeine is found in medications for Parkinson's disease, asthma, pain and headaches. One cup of drip-brewed coffee has 31/2 times the caffeine as a cup of tea.

Antioxidants also provide major health benefits, so decaffeinated drinkers need not worry.

Antioxidants are chemicals that protect the cell from damage, disease and aging. We are encouraged to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily because of their antioxidant contents, but one cup of coffee has more antioxidants than a serving of grape juice, blueberries, raspberries or oranges.

Coffee does have its down side. On a rare occasion, when I sip a cup of coffee, I become a bit jittery and have to run to the restroom sooner than planned. For others, coffee causes tremulousness and increases heart rate and blood pressure.

All this recent good news about coffee is exciting for research scientists at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies. (Yes, there is such an institute, a division of the university's medical center.) They study the potential therapeutic uses of coffee.

With coffee getting such good press, maybe its time you gave it a shot.

You know you're on to a rare good thing when doctors actually encourage you to do something you enjoy!

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