Guilt free java

If you enjoy reading your morning paper while sipping a cup (or two) of coffee, it seems there's no reason to stop. Mounting evidence suggests that, for most people, drinking coffee does more good than harm.

It wasn't long ago when coffee was linked to heart disease, osteoporosis, infertility and pancreatic cancer. Now research suggests that if you drink enough of it, you'll lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, asthma, gallstones, Parkinson's disease, liver cancer and possibly colon cancer. And you'll feel more alert and work out harder at the gym.

That's positive news for coffee-loving Canadians who prefer the beverage over tea, milk, juice, soft drinks and beer. According to the Coffee Association of Canada, nearly two-thirds of Canadians drink an average of 2.33 cups of coffee every day.

The most promising evidence for coffee's health benefits come from studies on diabetes. In a report that combined data from nine large studies, people who drank four to six cups of coffee a day were 28 per cent less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes compared with those who drank two cups or fewer. Drinking more than six cups each day reduced the risk by 35 per cent.