Popular drink hailed as ‘miracle’ because it may reduce risk of cancer, Parkinson’s and dementia, study finds

Some experts are highlighting the incredible health benefits of one of the world’s most popular beverages: coffee. After reviewing several peer-reviewed studies, Texas A&M University Professor Stephen Safe and his team have declared the drink a “miracle.”

The team even compared the benefits of the caffeinated drink to the new fad Mediterranean diet and the “wonder drug” aspirin. Stephen told UPI that the drink can reduce the risk of a host of diseases.

While coffee often gets a bad rap for its high caffeine content or its potentially harmful effects on a person’s dental hygiene, Stephen pointed out that the overwhelming majority of research indicates that the health benefits of coffee outweigh its adverse effects.

A 2019 study found that coffee consumption reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 22%, and a more recent 2021 study found that people who drink more than 60 cups of coffee per month reduced their risk of liver cancer by 70%, as well as their risks of colon and breast cancer by nearly 50% and their risk of thyroid cancer by nearly 30%.

While more research is needed to uncover what makes this beverage so beneficial, its incredible protective abilities have been known for decades. In fact, a 2002 study found that it reduced the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by up to 30 percent. But the full extent of its miraculous abilities has yet to be discovered. In fact, a study published last year on diets that included coffee found a reduced risk of neurological diseases like dementia.

This latest study was led by Marilyn Cornelis of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, an associate professor of preventive medicine who has been studying the health benefits of coffee and caffeine for more than two decades.

She explained that the caffeine in the drink has a neuroprotective effect and helps the brain create dopamine neurons, the same brain cells that many Parkinson’s treatments are thought to stimulate. While she agreed that more research is needed to understand why coffee is so beneficial, she said it’s likely related to the polyphenols it naturally creates, which likely have antioxidant effects.

Additionally, an analysis of 32 studies published last year debunked claims that coffee consumption is associated with heart disease, although Dr. Donald D. Hensrud of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine pointed out that excessive consumption can cause sleep disturbances, heart palpitations and worsen symptoms in older men with enlarged prostates, such as excessive urination.