Coffee, The New Miracle Drug

Recently, a delicious brewed beverage has made headlines for its health benefits...and no, its not beer. Coffee has been long foretold to be avoided by anyone with a heart condition, or under the age of 5, or pregnant, and the list goes on. It almost seemed that you had to get a checkup before going to the coffeehouse.

However, several studies have made an argument against prior claims. In an analysis from the Archives of Internal Medicine, people who drank three to four cups of java were 25% less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes compared to those that drink fewer that two cups per day. Additionally, from the American Association for Cancer Research, men who drink six or more cups per day have their chance of developing prostate cancer cut by 60%. Other studies have linked coffee consumption to reduce the risk of getting mouth, colon, esophageal, throat, and endometrial cancers. Not only that, but say "bye bye" to cavities, gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver, and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

At the other end of the spectrum (you didn't think coffee was a cure-all, did you) reports of increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, and increased homocysteine (an amino acid in blood that is associated with stroke and heart disease) have been reported.

Also, according to a WebMD (NASDAQ: WBMD) article, Tomas DePaulis, PhD, research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies states that "no studies show that coffee in reasonable amounts is in any way harmful to children." A researcher also states that "coffee is loaded with antioxidants, including a group of compounds called quinines that when administered to lab rats, increases their insulin sensitivity." [Author's Note: Frankly, I'd like to get my quinine intake from a strong gin and tonic.]

A new Harvard study also shows that decaffeinated coffee (gasp!) reduces diabetes risk more than drinking tea alone.

>From the Wal Street Journal, a brief list of number-of-cups consumed versus benefits/tradeoffs:

1. Lowered the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 7% (according to 18 studies covering 500,000 people). Tradeoff? Withdrawal symptoms, headache, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating;
   
   
2. Lowers the risk of suicide by 60% (10-year study of 86,000 women). Can cause anxiety, jitters, and upset stomach;
   
   
3. Cut the risk of gallstones by 20% (study of 127,000 health professionals). Miscarriage risk (study of 1,000 women in San Francisco);
   
   
4. Cut the Risk of stroke by 43% (study of 83,000 nurses who have never smoked);
   
   
5. Lowers the risk of Alzheimer's by 65% (study of 1,400 middle-aged Finn's). Equivalent amount of caffeine in lab mice produced same result.
   
   
6. Lowers the risk of prostate cancer (20-year study of 50,000 men).

Companies that may benefit from this research include:

• Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX);
  
  
• Caribou Coffee (NASDAQ: CBOU);
  
  
• Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR);
  
  
• Diedrich Coffee (NASDAQ: DDRX);
  
  
• Peet's Coffee & Tea (NASDAQ: PEET)

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