Coffee May Cut Heart Attacks

Japanese study finds benefits of 3 cups a day apply only to women

(NEWSER) - Drinking three or more cups of coffee a day can cut the risk of colon cancer in half—but the benefit manifests itself only in women. What's more, Reuters reports, the research was conducted in Japan, where men drink and smoke so much that scientists had trouble controlling for those factors. More»

Go for decaf: other chemicals in coffee give health a jolt

(NEWSER) - Scientists have long championed coffee's health benefits, but a series of recent studies is waking them up to the fact that caffeine has nothing to do with it. Regular consumption of coffee or tea can provide protection against cancer, diabetes and heart disease, but researchers say other chemicals are responsible. More»

Just drink 4 cups a day; decaf works, too

(NEWSER) - Consuming four cups a day of coffee, tea, or even decaf dramatically lowers the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, researchers say. In 18 studies that covered a whopping half-million people, coffee drinkers lowered their risk of diabetes by 7% per cup, Bloomberg reports. More research is needed, but the finding could eventually lead to doctors instructing patients to "increase their consumption of tea and coffee in addition to increasing their levels of physical activity," the scientists write. More»

(NEWSER) - Heart attack survivors who eat chocolate after recovering are much less likely to suffer a recurrence than people who abstain, AFP reports. People who eat at least two servings a week are three times less likely to die from heart disease than those who don’t consume chocolate. And the more chocolate, the greater the benefit. “It seems that antioxidants in cocoa are a likely candidate,” the co-author of a recent study says. More»

Coffee, caffeine may have health benefits

(NEWSER) - Get this: Coffee's not bad for you, and it could have health benefits. New studies do a better job of separating the effects of coffee from those of its formerly frequent partner, cigarettes, the Los Angeles Times reports. And when you look beyond caffeine, "coffee is a complex beverage with hundreds, if not thousands, of bioactive ingredients," a Canadian researcher notes. Among the health benefits:

• Diabetes: Studies suggest the chlorogenic acid in coffee cuts the risk for Type 2 diabetes.