4 Cups a Day: 4 Surprising Health Benefits of Drinking That Much Coffee

"4 Cups a Day: 4 Surprising Health Benefits of Drinking That Much Coffee

Altschmied and Haendeler, both University of Dusseldorf biologists, say that four cups a day can actually help heart cells function more efficiently, as that amount of caffeine will 'push' a protein called p27 into the mitochondria of heart cells.

"It's not the only health benefit. 'It's known that four cups or more of coffee lowers the risk for heart attack, stroke, and diabetes,' says Altschmied....

"According to a study at the University of Southern California, coffee can reduce the odds of developing colorectal cancer by 26 percent. And that's just if you're the casual coffee drinker. For those who drink more than 2.5 servings of coffee a day, the risk of cancer decreases up to 50 percent. This was true even when participants drank decaf, meaning there's more goodness to coffee than just the caffeine."