Not long ago, if you had a job interview with Starbucks, the interviewer would ask whether you like coffee. Most people said yes. But the right answer was, “I love coffee!” According to a new study, coffee lovers not only have a better chance of getting hired as a barista, but they may reduce their risk of developing certain types of cancer.
Researchers at Harvard analyzed the coffee-drinking habits of 67,000 women and 50,000 men. They found that women who drank 4-6 cups of coffee per day has a 25% lower chance of developing endometrial cancer than women who drank one cup or less. And male coffee lovers (who else would drink 4-6 cups of coffee every day?) had an 18 percent lower risk of developing prostate cancer—and a 60% lower chance of developing the most aggressive form of the disease.
Coffee lovers (or perhaps we should say “addicts”) also had lower risk of colon cancer, diabetes, gallstones, liver disease, and even Parkinson’s.
So what do we have to thank for all these great benefits? Well, it’s not the caffeine. The effects were the same whether the subject were swigging regular or decaf, and tea—which can have just as much caffeine as coffee does—produced no such results.
Before you start upping your coffee intake, be sure to check with your medical provider. Excessive caffeine use has been linked with increased blood pressure and heart rate, anxiety, and sleep problems. And even if your provider says you can handle 4-6 cups of coffee, take it black. Adding cream and sugar could add enough fat and calories to offset the positive benefits.
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