Conventional wisdom says coffee’s bad. Doctors agree. Magazines second the motion. You can hardly find a kind word about coffee.

Which is just a tad bizarre because coffee is a health drink. Since nearly 90% of the U. S. population drinks the stuff, this comes under the heading of good news.

Want proof? Okay. Let’s talk about what came out of some studies–good studies, done right.

A cup of coffee has more antioxidants than a serving of blueberries, grape juice, etc. And four times the antioxidant power of green tea. Besides smog, bad diet and the like, just living creates free radicals, the enemies within that age us and bring disease. Antioxidants ride to the rescue and destroy those bad guys. Never miss out on your share of antioxidants. Or more.

Coffee supports thyroid function. You can’t say that about very many things you eat or drink. In fact, coffee may be it.

And it does the same for progesterone, which is huge. Progesterone balances estrogen and testosterone, important in today’s world where so many things cause massive imbalances, throwing the endocrine system for a loop. Coffee alone probably can’t resolve estrogen dominance, but it helps.

Coffee lowers the risk of stroke, Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Not to mention cancer.

And it helps the heart, prevents tooth decay and protects the liver from alcohol and acetaminophen (Tylenol). In today’s world, the liver needs all the protection it can get.

Long charged with causing fibrocystic breast disease, now they’re finding coffee offers protection–and from breast cancer, too. The real cause of fibrocystic breast disease appears to be a nutritional imbalance. Chances are you’ll never hear a doctor say that.

Coffee also provides magnesium, which most of us lack. And while providing this good mineral, coffee protects us from heavy metals, such as cadmium, that cause all sorts of problems.

If you’re pregnant, coffee does great things for your baby. For one thing, it helps the baby’s endocrine system. While a few animal studies claim that coffee interferes with the baby’s growth, the studies turned out to be kinda iffy. But just in case, adding just a little sugar to your diet resolves the issue. As you drink a cup of coffee, eat a little dark chocolate–another antioxidant. This healthy living business has a lot to recommend it.

What about the claim that coffee raises your blood pressure’ Drinking coffee on an empty stomach will raise your blood pressure a little, but not as much as drinking a glass of water. As usual, it takes perspective to tell the real story.

If you worry about the jitters, add cream or whole milk. Adding milk to tea seems to deplete its benefits, but not coffee.

I could go on, but I do believe I’ve made my point: Coffee has a lot to recommend it. So how to explain the war against coffee? I mean, what do they do with the mountain of evidence contradicting their case’

Apparently they’re chanting anti-coffee slogans too loudly to hear the good news.

Ah, well. Grind some dark roast and let’s enjoy a cup together.

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