Once suspected in a variety of diseases, coffee now has an impressive résumé: Mounting evidence suggests that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, gallstones, Parkinson's disease, cirrhosis, and certain types of liver, breast, and colon cancers.

Better than fruit juice?
Hundreds of compounds, including antioxidants, seem to be responsible for coffee's many protective benefits. In a recent Harvard University study, coffee drinkers had a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular causes than nondrinkers. Black coffee is probably even better for you than high-calorie beverages. A Norwegian study found that a typical serving of brewed coffee is richer in antioxidants than a serving of blueberries, raspberries, pineapples, or many fruit juices.

Brain bonus
Coffee might help your mind as much as your body. One study found that sleep-deprived rats were much calmer after simply inhaling roasted coffee beans.

Sipping tips
Many dietitians believe moderation is still best and recommend drinking only one or two cups of coffee a day-without whole milk, whipped cream, and sugar (which jolt only your waistline). Drink much more than that and the caffeine can dehydrate you or raise your blood pressure. Pregnant women will want to limit their intake, too, as coffee can boost the risk of miscarriage.

If you're worried about cholesterol, stick to paper-filtered and instant coffees. Unfiltered coffees, which are typically made with a French press, contain more of a cholesterol-raising substance called cafestol.

咖啡曾经被疑为各种疾病的始作俑者，现在饮用咖啡却有了全新理念：大量研究表明喝咖啡的人不易得2型糖尿病、胆结石、帕金森氏症、硬化症及某种类型的肝癌、乳腺癌和结肠癌。

较果汁孰优孰劣？

咖啡的保健功能源自其丰富的复合成分，包括抗氧化剂。哈佛大学近期研究表明，常喝咖啡的人因心血管疾病死亡的机率较不喝咖啡的人要小，黑咖啡甚至比高热量的饮料要好得多。挪威一项研究发现，一份煮制的咖啡比越橘汁、树莓汁、菠萝汁或其他果汁含有更加丰富的抗氧化剂成分。

补脑
咖啡益脑，一项研究发现，睡眠不足的老鼠在吞咽了烤咖啡豆后情绪变得较为稳定。

饮用贴士

适度饮用，营养学家建议，每天饮用一到两杯咖啡，不要加入那些只会使你的腰围变粗的全脂奶、生奶油和糖。如果饮用过量，咖啡因会使你脱水并使你血压升高。孕妇也需减少咖啡摄入量，因为咖啡会增大流产的机率。

如果你担心胆固醇含量，坚持饮用过滤咖啡或速溶咖啡。未经过滤的咖啡，尤其是法式压制咖啡，因其提升了咖啡醇，因此胆固醇含量偏高。