It's Monday morning as I type this, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't already had three cups of coffee. I used to think that much coffee so early in the morning was probably bad for me...that was until I stumbled upon a nice little nugget of news today.
A new study found that it takes about FIVE cups of coffee a day before it's bad for our hearts. By my count, five cups is a lot. So most of us are probably below that threshold most days. I mean, I know there's days when we need about ten cups to get through the day, but let's just go with the average day for a moment shall we? Because not only did this study show that four cups a day is probably ok, it also showed that it could actually be GOOD for us.
So let me spread the good news then. Here are four potential benefits of caffeine
- In moderation it may actually be GOOD for your heart. Studies now show us that three to four cups of coffee a day can lower your risk of stroke
- It helps with pain. We probably knew this one, There's caffeine in a lot of different headache medicine after all. But research shows taking ibuprofen with a cup of coffee works better than ibuprofen alone.
- It can improve your memory. A study in 2015 found that drinking coffee every day can give you a memory boost. Studies with mice show it could even help you avoid Alzheimer's.
- It may even lower your risk of certain cancers. A 26 year study by the American Cancer Society found it could cut your oral cancer risk in half. In fact, four or five cups a day has been shown to help people with colon and colorectal cancer.