In the face of so much hard-to-swallow news, I am often tempted to
say out loud, “Tell me something good.” Well, it turns out that there is good
news pouring forth from medical journals this month about the health benefits
of coffee.
Epic news from the EPIC study about the health effects of
coffee---based on data on over 42,000 German men and women. According to EPIC,
coffee does not increase the risk of chronic disease, cardiovascular disease,
or cancer. It does, however, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 23 to 30% if
you drink 4 or more cups a day.
And in a separate study from Ophthalmology Journal, also
published in April 2012, caffeine significantly improves the symptoms of dry eye disease. The results of this Tokyo-based research represent good news
for the more than 4 million Americans who suffer from this very uncomfortable,
debilitating condition---a condition that can lead to severely diminished
eyesight and even disability.
What’s the connection between caffeine and tears? Secretion.
Coffee stimulates lots of different bodily secretions, including saliva,
digestive juices---and tears. In general, coffee stimulates, turning morning
fogginess into a sense of brightness and clarity as the morning goes on---and
so one cup becomes two.
While we have known that coffee decreases the risk of diabetes for
some time now, the whole connection with tear secretion is new.
I am always surprised when I have a conversation with someone who
doubts the health-giving properties of coffee, yet doesn't question other
clearly detrimental lifestyle choices like overindulging in food or alcohol, or
not exercising.
The day is coming when drinking coffee will be a public health
initiative....Happy Spring, coffee-drinkers!
