Coffee

Well, the old bugaboo about coffee drinking is back. Sigh... As if we didn't already know, somewhere in the backs of our minds (like behind that inkling about dark chocolate) that paradise couldn't really be had on earth...

It seems that the National Health Association , citing a study in Finland, links Coffee consumption to hypertension. I'm sure that's a finding I've heard before, but wouldn't you think that all the good stuff that the press (who must have an agreement, I think, with Starbucks) have been pouring into the news about our beloved java ought to counteract the bad stuff? I mean, look at all that coffee is good for: diabetes, Parkinson's disease, gallstones, cancer, liver disease... It's more than just a little significant that Coffee drinking may slow cognitive decline in women. This fact alone could ensure the continued smooth running of the free world, or at least many little corners of it! But, that's not all it's good for. Coffee keeps commuters from falling asleep and driving off bridges, it fuels all-night college study sessions in finals week, it prevents Mommies of colicky babies from falling asleep in their Rice Krispies, it helps nuns stay awake enough to teach school after early morning prayers...

Well. Enough said. The list is endless.

To be fair, though, I'm sure there is probably some merit to the scientists' findings in Finland. Of course it was probably a lab full of herbal tea drinkers, but we'll try to give them the benefit of the doubt that their motives are truly for the public good, anyway. It is true that, regardless of our fondest coffee-glutton wishes, the old "all things in moderation" rule still applies. It does make sense that too much caffeine stimulus is not a good thing. Too much of the sugar and cream most of us take with our caffeine is not a good thing, either. They sure contribute to me blowing my diet just about every day.

But, gosh, looking at all we know about the benefits of coffee drinking, it seems like the risk of hypertension and obesity is worth it... Those cups of "joe" just might save me from cancer, for Heaven's sake! Maybe even dementia! And, honestly, take away my coffee in the morning, and my blood pressure is going to go up anyway.

Besides, I only have two cups a day. Surely that's moderation.