Another Cup? The Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee

Waiting in line for that double expresso for the third time in one day can get you thinking. Can all this coffee really be healthy? Well, Harvard researchers have your back: according to various studies, the answer seems to be yes.

One study, done by researchers at the School of Public Health, shows that coffee may decrease your risk of endometrial cancer, while another suggests that drinking coffee may reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer. Additionally, a study published in the Harvard Women's Health Watch found that regular coffee drinking lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes, discourages the development of colon cancer, reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease, and may reduce the risk of developing gallstones.

However, the research doesn't stop there, as Harvard findings are also debunking old coffee-related myths. One study published in the Harvard Health Letter suggests that coffee may not actually cause increased blood pressure as once thought. The notion that drinking coffee is often followed by a "coffee crash," which makes drinkers sleepy and ill-tempered, is refuted by another Harvard study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine that found that coffee cuts the risk of depression in women.

Despite these seemingly glowing results, the studies should be taken with a grain of salt: while most of them emphasize the benefits of drinking coffee, they also list a series of side effects. These include everything from insomnia (surprised?) to anxiety and irritability.

Next time you dish out four bucks for a cup of the finest brew Cambridge has to offer, think of it, if you like, as an investment for your health.