Is that trip to the coffee shop keeping you alive?
Turns out, the steaming hot cup of coffee that kick-starts the day for so many Americans could actually be keeping you going for a lot longer than that morning staff meeting. A new study reports that regular coffee drinkers are actually at less risk of dying from heart disease.
Know what? Make mine a double!
The fact that coffee is really, really good for you is nothing new. If you’ve been with me long enough, you’re used to me regaling you with facts from the many studies that have pointed out that coffee is jammed full of antioxidants, that it slices the risk of liver cancer in half, and cuts down on the risk of type II diabetes by as much as 50 percent. All this, and it still does a tidy job of perking you up, focusing your mind, and relieving stress. That’s one busy cup of liquid, huh?
And now added to all these wonders is the news that coffee can actual keep you alive! Makes me want to head straight to Starbucks for a cup of the black stuff (nothing in mine, please – I’ll take my antioxidants without the needless 400 additional calories from sugar and flavor additives!).
The study’s fascinating results looked at the habits of more than 84,000 women and over 41,000 men who were free of cancer and heart disease, and compared their habits to their health status every two to four years. The researchers found that women were the real beneficiaries of coffee consumption.
The patients had as much as a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease compared to non-coffee drinkers, and an 18 percent lower rate of death from causes other than heart disease or cancer. Curiously, the men in the study showed no significant change in their risk factor.
And for all you true coffee drinkers out there who are wondering we’re talking about REGULAR coffee here, NOT decaffeinated. The good stuff. The hi-test. Often, studies like these bash caffeine as the one negative of the drink (they’re wrong, of course). But this study specifically pointed out that it’s good, ol’ caffeinated coffee that’s yielding these results.
I find it gratifying whenever a study helps to beat back all the negative press that coffee seems to get these days. As I’ve said over and over again, there are many benefits to this drink – too many to ignore, and certainly too many to allow it to be continually (and wrongly) bashed by misguided anti-coffee types.
How surfing can boost your brainpower
If you’re like me, it’s occurred to you that the Internet may have created a race of cyber- zombies. And like me, you’ve probably thought that important things like human interaction and the art of conversation has taken a big hit as a result.
Well, some researchers believe that this isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, for people in middle age and older, using the Internet could be the key to keeping your minds as sharp as the proverbial tack.
The UCLA study found that surfing the web actually stimulates the part of the brain that’s responsible for decision-making and complex reasoning. Which means that kicking around the ‘net for a few hours is not a mindless exercise, but is in fact a mind exercise – and it’s right up there with other brain teasers that have long been known to keep you nimble of thought, such as crossword puzzles.
These kinds of mental activities are particularly important for people later in life, as brain exercises often combat the brain changes that happen as we age. “Internet searching engages complicated brain activity, which may help exercise and improve brain function,” said one of the study’s leaders.
Hey, I know of at least ONE site on the Internet that makes you smarter (hint, hint). So I suppose it’s not too far fetched to think that there could be other ways cyberspace can benefit you.
