Research is touting the benefits of one of America's favorite habits -- drinking coffee.
In the New England Journal of Medicine, an analysis of 402,000 women and men was conducted to assess the impact of coffee drinking and mortality during the years 1995 through 2008. The study was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, not the Coffee Makers of America lobby.
Men drinking 2-3 cups daily were shown to have a 10 percent greater chance of outliving their fellows who are non-coffee drinkers. The java ladies had a 13 percent improvement in years.
Specifically, men presented with a 14 percent lower risk of death from heart disease, a 16 percent decreased risk of death by stroke, and a 25 percent decreased chance of dying from diabetes compared to those who did not consume coffee.
Women, also enjoying the same 2-3 cups per day, share similar results with a 15 percent decrease in death from heart disease, a 7 percent decrease in risk of dying from stroke, and a 23 percent reduction in the chance of dying from diabetes.
Interestingly, many can remember a time when caution was issued for coffee drinkers regarding a concern of hypertension, or increased blood pressure. Well, a Johns Hopkins study now has shown a small, but relatively insignificant, increase in blood pressure related to coffee consumption.
With the 77.4 billion cups of coffee consumed by Americans from July 2010 through June 2011, there could be more than just that morning and afternoon jolt as a benefit.
In addition to your apple a day to keep the doctor away, you'd better brew a few cups.