Top 5 Health ­Benefits Of Coffee

Court ruling is no grounds for giving up coffees health benefits.

- Mary Anne Dunkin

Earlier this year, a Los Angeles judge ruled that coffee must carry cancer warnings in California – a ruling that nutrition experts say is misleading. The concern is about acrylamide, a chemical that is produced when naturally occurring sugars and amino acids in foods are heated – like roasted coffee beans – so it is in many foods. Although acrylamide has been shown in lab animals exposed to high dosages to cause nerve damage and cancer, it’s unlikely you could get enough from coffee to cause harm, says Sonya Angelone, a registered dietitian in San Francisco and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In fact, studies have shown the risk of certain cancers is lower among coffee drinkers, regardless of acrylamide, says Angelone. Plus, coffee has other benefits, including protection from some conditions that commonly occur with arthritis, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

THE PERKS