9 Healthy Reasons to Indulge Your Coffee Cravings

Coffee gets a bad rap, but study after study shows your java habit is actually good for you. From a lower stroke risk to fewer cavities, here are the best reasons to enjoy a cup or two.

There's no need to feel guilty about your morning cuppa joe. On the contrary: Women who drink a cup or more of coffee daily have up to a 25 percent lower stroke risk than those who sip the dark stuff less often, according to a new study reported today in the journal Stroke. Researchers followed nearly 35,000 women ages 49 to 83 for an average of 10 years and found the reduced risk held up even after accounting for such factors as BMI, high blood pressure, diabetes risk, and smoking habits — indicating that coffee's stroke-lowering ability was independent of these known heart disease risk factors.

But this study is hardly the first one touting good news for java junkies. "Coffee is incredibly rich in antioxidants, which are responsible for many of its health benefits," says Joy Bauer, RD, nutrition and health expert for Everyday Health and The Today Show. Its caffeine content may also play a protective role in some health conditions, but many of coffee's health perks hold up whether you go for decaf or regular.


Related: Heart-Healthy Diet Habits


Beyond lowering stroke risk, you may be surprised to learn that coffee can also decrease your odds of developing the following health issues:


1.Diabetes. Women who drank four cups of caffeinated coffee daily were nearly 60 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than non-drinkers, UCLA researchers found. The beverage is rich in the minerals magnesium and chromium, which may help control blood sugar levels.


2.Skin cancer. Rutgers University researchers found that when sunburnt mice drank caffeinated water and then exercised in a running wheel, their risk of developing skin cancer decreased. The caffeine-and-cardio combo caused damaged skin cells to die before they had a chance to become cancerous, explain study authors. Capping off your sweat session with a cup of coffee (iced works too) may help protect your skin from sun damage.


3.Stress. You know how the mere aroma of a rich French roast seems to wake you up on a sluggish morning? Turns out that whiff can help minimize the effects of too little sleep on your body. Researchers found that when stressed-out, sleep-deprived rats simply smelled coffee, it triggered gene activity known to protect nerve cells from stress-related damage.


4.Cavities. Although this doesn't mean you can ditch your dental floss, coffee may even help fight cavities. According to research in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, coffee's compound trigonelline (responsible for its flavor and aroma) has antibacterial properties that may keep cavity-causing germs, such as Streptococcus mutans, from invading tooth enamel.


5.Parkinson's disease. Here's some good news if Parkinson's disease runs in your family: People with a family history who drank coffee were less likely to develop the debilitating neurological disease, according to Duke University Medical Center researchers. Although scientists are still trying to understand why, evidence suggests that the caffeine in coffee (as well as caffeinated tea) may act on a gene called GRIN2A to help lower risk.


6.Breast cancer. Women who drank boiled Scandinavian coffee, which is similar to stronger French press or Turkish or Greek varieties, more than four times a day had a reduced risk of breast cancer compared to women who had it less than once a day, found a study in the journal Cancer Causes & Control. An important point: Because the coffee wasn't filtered, it contained up to 80 times as many coffee-specific fatty acids, which have been linked to slower growth of cancerous cells.


7.Heart disease. Dutch researchers found that people who drank coffee in moderation —two to four cups a day — lowered their heart disease risk by 20 percent, compared to those who had more or fewer cups. Coffee's antioxidants may have a protective effect, says Keri M. Gans, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.


8.Head and neck cancers. Although some of the data on coffee's cancer-fighting capabilities have been mixed, Italian researchers found that the caffeinated kind guards against head and neck cancers. Compared with coffee abstainers, those who drank about four or more cups daily reduced their risk of certain mouth and throat cancers by nearly 40 percent.

Related: How Your Diet Can Affect Breast Cancer

One coffee caveat: Most health experts agree it's wise to limit your intake to a few cups a day — that's a standard 8-ounce mug, not the super-sized beverages many coffee shops offer. Overdoing it can lead to interrupted sleep or even insomnia, stomachaches, a racing heart, nervousness, irritability, and nausea. Remember, we're talking coffee with a splash of milk or a packet or two of sugar — not loaded with whipped cream and sugary syrups. "Adding a lot of calories to your coffee can actually raise your risk for diseases like stroke and diabetes," says Gans.


Also, doctors recommend that pregnant women or people with certain health issues, such as high blood pressure or high blood sugar, limit their caffeine intake. Talk to your doctor if you're concerned about how much coffee is safe for you.


This article was taken from Everydayhealth.com
By Rachel Grumman Bender