Cocoa, Coffee and Caffeine: How Helpful (or Harmful) is a Cup of
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Americans gulp nearly 400 million cups of coffee every day, so
it’s time to understand what all of that java is doing to our
brains and bodies.  For many, coffee is a morning eye-opener,
thanks to the stimulating effects of caffeine, but other
compounds native to the coffee bean include antioxidants that
have been linked to a lower risk of skin cancerAlzheimer’sheart
disease and diabetes. Just a few weeks ago, a Harvard School of
Public Health study found that java may even prevent suicide;
individuals who drank two to four cups of coffee every day were
less likely to commit suicide than those who didn’t drink it.
(MORE: How Coffee Could Save Your Life)  But unfortunately,
studies touting the benefits of coffee are often followed by
others that highlight its adverse effects on health. The latest,
published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, studied health
records of 45,000 people w