No Harm Coffee

This is good news for people who might be taking a crucial exam or preparing for an important interview. In addition, research shows that caffeine may fight depression and even improve physical performance in athletes, specifically those tackling endurance sports such as long-distance cycling or running.

But here's a word to the wise: The tolerance to coffee or its optimal use may depend on the individual. Two cups of coffee may be what it takes to help one individual better concentrate on new information and remember facts more easily. But for a person who is not used to it, an abrupt intake of the same amount of coffee may make you edgy.

Some exciting work is showing how coffee may help reduce the risk of a number of diseases and ailments, including Type II diabetes, Parkinson's, colon cancer, cirrhosis, gall stones, depression and more. Major medical centers and universities are contributing to our knowledge about what components in coffee help in the disease-fighting process.

Some coffee in the morning will help you to kick yourself and start your day. A number of studies have demonstrated the potential benefit of coffee to enhance physical performance. The research shows coffee may be especially useful for athletes who are engaged in endurance sports like running or cycling. It may increase stamina, reduce fatigue and even reduce muscle pain. For many, a cup or two of coffee a half-hour to an hour before a workout, may do the trick. You also may be surprised to learn that coffee is just as hydrating for the body as water.

Caffeine appears to act differently from amphetamines, cocaine, morphine or nicotine, Nehlig said. Even at low doses, these drugs trigger functional activity in the shell of the nucleus accumbens, the part of the brain responsible for addiction, she says.

It would take the equivalent of about seven or more cups of caffeinated coffee consumed in rapid succession to begin to activate this portion of the brain. Even then, activation of the circuitry of addiction and reward occurs only at high doses of caffeine, which probably induces already adverse effects. These effects can include anxiety, nervousness and depression.

Acknowledging that there is a "big debate" among researchers about whether caffeine is addictive and as one epidemiological study reported dependence over a wide dose range - from as little as one or two cups per day to as much as 25 cups.