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Did you know that coffee can actually do a lot more than simply give you a boost in the morning? There are actually a number of health benefits to drinking coffee regularly. So, before you make the switch to herbal tea, read on to learn more about what coffee can do for you and your body. Reduced Gall Stones The Harvard School of Public Health recently published a study indicating that drinking caffeinated coffee on a regular basis can dramatically decrease the incidence of gall bladder disease and gall stones in both women and men. Reduced Risk for Alzheimer's Disease Two studies, one published in the European Journal of Neurology, have shown that individuals who drank about 2 cups of caffeinated coffee per day were less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than individuals who drank no coffee or a small to moderate amount. Reduced Risk for Parkinson's Disease Studies have shown that the amount of coffee and caffeine consumed could be inversely related to an individual's likelihood of contracting Parkinson's disease. This means the more coffee you drink, the lower your chances are for developing the disease. Antioxidants and Cancer-Fighting Properties Coffee is a powerful source of antioxidants - agents that combat cancer-causing free radicals. Coffee is chock full of the compound methylpyridinium, which can't be found in many other food items and not at the level available in coffee. You can get antioxidants from both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee as long as the beans are sufficiently roasted. Increased Cognitive Ability Studies have shown that regular coffee drinkers frequently score significantly higher on cognitive ability tests, spatial awareness exams, IQ tests, and short term memory studies. The effects of coffee on an individual's cognitive ability appeared to be more pronounced in elderly study participants and women. Bowel Stimulation Coffee is a stimulant and also a laxative. Some alternative practitioners even prescribe coffee enemas to stimulate the lower colon. However, because coffee is also a diuretic, it can cause constipation in some individuals. Reduced Risk for Gout A large study of over 45,000 men that was conducted over a 12-year period showed the amount of coffee consumed was inversely related to their risk or likelihood of developing gout. Remember, everything should be practiced in moderation, and health concerns should always be discussed with a medical professional. So, while a moderate amount of coffee has its benefit, an excessive amount can also cause problems. Heavy coffee drinking can lead to irritability, anxiety, sleep deprivation, cardiovascular problems and higher cholesterol levels. In Other Studies: Two new studies in the February 16 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute examine the effects of coffee consumption on the incidence of liver and colorectal cancers. One study found that drinking coffee daily is associated with a decreased risk of liver cancer, while the other found no association between drinking coffee or tea and the risk of colorectal cancer. Coffee consumption is common throughout the world, but the benefits or risks of the drink are not completely known. Evidence suggests that coffee consumption may be associated with a decreased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a type of liver cancer. The evidence for any association with colorectal cancer is less clear. In the first study, Manami Inoue, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Cancer Center in Tokyo, and colleagues conducted a population-based cohort study of middle-aged and elderly Japanese subjects from the Japan Public Health Center-Based Prospective Study. People who drank coffee on a daily or almost daily basis had about half the risk of HCC compared with those who never drank coffee. In the population studied, the rate of liver cancer among those who never drank coffee was 547.2 cases per 100,000 people over 10 years, but among daily coffee drinkers the rate was 214.6 cases per 100,000 people. In addition, the risk of HCC decreased with an increase in the amount of coffee consumed each day. However, the authors caution that because decaffeinated coffee is rarely consumed in Japan, and therefore no distinction was made between caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, it cannot be determined if caffeine is responsible for the decreased risk of HCC. In addition, the results need to be confirmed among people who are infected with hepatitis, the authors say. "The present cohort analysis confirmed a statistically significant inverse association between habitual coffee drinking and HCC," Inoue and colleagues write. "Further studies are warranted to assess whether the present results can be generalizable or are representative of other populations." In the second study, Karin B. Michels, Sc.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues used data from two large prospective studies, the Nurses' Health Study (women) and the Health Professionals' Follow-up Study (men), to explore the association between coffee, tea, and caffeine consumption and the incidence of colorectal cancer during almost 2 million person-years of follow-up. They found no association between consumption of caffeinated coffee or tea and the incidence of colon or rectal cancer in either group. Participants who regularly drank two or more cups per day of decaffeinated coffee, however, had about half the incidence of rectal cancer compared with those who never drank decaffeinated coffee. In the population studied, the rate of rectal cancer was 12 cases per 100,000 person-years of follow-up among those who consumed two or more cups of decaffeinated coffee per day. Among those who never drank decaffeinated coffee, the rate was 19 cases of rectal cancer per 100,000 person-years of follow-up. The authors caution that this observed association may be due to differences in lifestyle because drinkers of decaffeinated coffee might be more health conscious in their behaviors than those who consume caffeinated coffee.