Health & Beauty: Coffee and Our Health?

Credit: NewWorldWineMakerBlog

Read the full article here: What is it about coffee?

I was sipping on my daily cup o' joe today when I googled coffee and this article came out.
Needless to say, with these health studies, they often present conflicting views and ideas on how coffee affects our health. Is it good for you or is it bad?

Harvard Medical School came out with this disease table that really caught my eye:

Coffee: A disease-by-disease report card
Alzheimer's disease	Human and animal studies show hints of protection. Some preliminary evidence suggests activity against beta-amyloid plaque that may have a causative role in Alzheimer's.
Cancer	Studies suggest a lower risk for some cancers (endometrial, aggressive prostate, estrogen-negative breast), but not others (esophageal). Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances could be responsible for possible anticancer activity.
Diabetes	Effects on insulin and blood sugar levels that would promote diabetes seem to be temporary. Regular use is associated with lower risk, and high intake (3–6 cups a day) seems to have a greater effect. Protection may come from increases in the hormone adiponectin and other factors that affect insulin and blood sugar levels.
Heart attack	Coffee drinking increases some factors (homocysteine) associated with higher risk. But moderate consumption (1–3 cups a day) has been linked to a small decrease in risk. The evidence for a possible protective effect is stronger for women.
Liver disease	Coffee drinking is associated with lower levels of enzymes that indicate liver damage and inflammation. Coffee may improve response to some treatments for hepatitis C. Findings suggest some protection against liver cancer. Cafestol and kahweol, substances found in unfiltered coffee, may be responsible for liver benefits.
Parkinson's disease	Studies show a moderate (25%) decrease in risk for coffee drinkers. The effect is less in women. Research has found evidence of activity in the part of the brain affected by Parkinson's.
Stroke	Moderate consumption (3–4 cups a day) is associated with lower risk. But chance of a stroke may increase immediately after intake, particularly among infrequent consumers.

Keep in mind that this article was published in January 2012 and a lot could have changed since then.

What do you think of the article?
Are you a coffee lover or do you opt to stay away from it?