Coffee often gets a bad press and is normally excluded from healthy diets due to its high caffeine content. Back when I was studying for my Diploma in Nutrition and Diet we were taught that coffee was a major source of toxins and you’d be a fool to drink it.

Coffee is Good For You

However, new research has found that coffee can be good for you and there is little reason not to drink it in moderation.  Often it’s the things we add to our coffee which are more harmful and add on the calories, like sugar, syrups and full-fat milk.

Here are 5 good reasons why you should reach for a steaming cup of Java right now.

1.  Coffee can lower your risk of dying from certain Diseases

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in May 2012 found that regular coffee drinkers were at lower risk of dying from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections compared to those who drank no or little coffee.

2. Coffee is a good source of Antioxidants

In 2005 a team of research scientists discovered that coffee is a rich source of antioxidants. The research revealed that Americans, who do not eat enough fruit and vegetables, get most of their antioxidants from drinking coffee, both decaffeinated and caffeinated.

3. Lowered risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease

Drinking two to three cups of coffee a day was found to lower the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by as much as 25%. Researchers from the University of Porto in Portugal in 2010 concluded that there was a direct link between the amount of coffee drunk and the extent of the protective effect presented.

4. Less chance of developing Gout if you’re a Woman

Long-term coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of incident gout in women. These were the results of a 26-year study published in the August 2010 issue of the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition”. Researchers found that women who drank the most coffee daily, about four 8-oz. cups, had the lowest risk of gout.

5. Lower risk of developing Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Coffee drinkers at midlife have a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease later in life compared with those drinking no or only little coffee. Researchers from Finland, who published their findings in the January 2009 issue of the “Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease”, found that the lowest risk was found in people who drank 3-5 cups of coffee per day.

If you’re still not convinced, an article from the Mayo Clinic about the latest research on coffee and health says that for most people the health benefits of drinking coffee far outweigh the risks.

So, go on and enjoy that cup of coffee knowing it’s doing you some good.