Love that java? Can’t break your morning date with joe? Young Dr. Mike knows how you feel. That’s why we’re excited (no, it’s not the caffeine, just the good news) to report even more data that indicates coffee could be saving your life, if you drink it right. 

By right, we mean minus a zillion calories of syrup flavorings and nondairy creamers. These last actually undo a chunk of coffee’s benefits by binding up its inflammation-fighters (called polyphenols), which keep your cells young and fierce. Add skim milk instead, because caffeine makes you excrete about as much calcium (40 mg) as you get in 2 tablespoons of skim. 

Or drink it black, like Dr. Mike does; just remember your daily calcium/magnesium/vitamin D-3 tablet. And use a paper filter when brewing; it traps a compound that increases lousy LDL cholesterol. There are other ways regular, instant and decaf, too, help you live longer and healthier. Among them: 

Coffee … 

1. Protects against heart disease. One to two cups daily makes your blood vessels limber; they’ll expand and contract better with every heartbeat. 

2. Cuts cancer risk. A daily cup of joe halves your chances of mouth and throat cancers, compared to coffee abstainers. 

3. Reduces strokes. Two to three cups a day (versus less than one a month) can cut your stroke risk by 19 percent. 

4. Zaps diabetes. Four cups daily improves insulin’s effects, reducing your diabetes risk by a third. 

5. Fends off dementia/Alzheimer’s. Three or more cups of coffee a day can cut your threat of these memory-robbers big-time — by up to 65 percent. 

Just last year, a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies looking at long-term consumption of coffee and the risk of cardiovascular disease was published. The researchers found 36 studies involving more than 1,270,000 participants. The combined data showed that those who consumed a moderate amount of coffee, about three to five cups a day, were at the lowest risk for problems. Those who consumed five or more cups a day had no higher risk than those who consumed none.

via Blogger http://bit.ly/1lig8eZ