My Coffee Addiction

Okay I'll admit it. I use coffee as a crutch. When I'm exhausted and don't think I can type another letter, when I'm on a deadline, and I need my wits about me, or when I just want some desktop comfort, coffee is always there for me. I love it. Hazelnut. French Roast. Blue Mountain. Mmmm.

So with all the articles about the dangers of caffeine floating around the Internet, I was pleased to find that coffee is getting some good press also. It seems that a cup o' joe may fight depression, protect against Parkinson's disease, gallstones, cancer and diabetes. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases found in a 2005 study that coffee dramatically lowered the chance of getting chronic liver disease for those people most at risk for the disease.

Nutritionists say that coffee is the largest source of antioxidants in the American diet. And antioxidants fight cancer by shutting down disease-causing byproducts of our metabolism. Coffee, in fact, has more antioxidants than blueberries or broccoli.

According to the U.S. News and World Report article Enjoy!, those who drank more than two or three cups a day on a regular basis "cut their risk of suicide over 10 years by one third." Coffee also appeared to inhibit the destructive effects of Parkinson's disease in animal experiments.

The article also noted that caffeine helps with exercise-induced fatigue and boosts athletic performance. Best of all, coffee stimulates the brain, helping you to think more clearly and make more effective decisions. And who doesn't need a little brain stimulation every now and then? Pass the joe!