There's new research suggesting that coffee can add years to your life, and it is news celebrated by those who love their cup of Joe in the morning.
''I'm drinking an extra cup today. I read it's good for your health, not bad'', said Paul Cioe, sipping his coffee at CoolBeanz in Rock Island Thursday. ''I don't know if it's true, but I choose to believe it, so salute!''
The new study tracked 400,000 adults between the ages of 50 and 71 over a nearly 14-year period. It found those who drank three or more cups of coffee a day had about a ten percent lower risk of death than non-coffee drinkers. It also showed coffee fans are less likely to die from diabetes, heart disease and strokes.
The research refutes coffee's bad rap as a liquid ''vice'', offering health benefits, not liabilities.
''Maybe it has. I just had my 86th birthday'', said Mary Jane Christian, a longtime two to three cup a day coffee drinker.
CoolBeanz owner Annette Zapolis says she's long been a believer because of the antioxidants in coffee.
''That's why I drink red wine and eat dark chocolate, too.''
Read more about the study at this link: http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/pressreleases/2012/CoffeeProtectiveDCEG
Read the New England Journal of Medicine analysis of the study at this link: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1112010?query=featured_home