Now this is Interesting

5 health reasons to not quit coffee

By Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.
Associate Nutrition Editor at EatingWell Magazine

I really like coffee. The morning ritual of brewing a cup, the smell that perks me up before I take a sip and, of course, the flavor all make it my favorite beverage aside from water (water’s delicious!). As a registered dietitian and a nutrition editor for EatingWell Magazine, I know that coffee is fine in moderation. It has lots of antioxidants and is low in calories if you don’t load it up with cream and sugar. Nonetheless, I always feel slightly guilty about drinking it—you know, in a “it’s so good, it must be bad” kind of way. (more…)

(Remember, moderation in all things)

from Time Magazine Online

By JOHN CLOUD

One of the most contentious issues in the vast literature about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don’t drink actually tend to die sooner than those who do. The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is that many of those who show up as abstainers in such research are actually former hard-core drunks who had already incurred health problems associated with drinking.

But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that – for reasons that aren’t entirely clear – abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one’s risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers’ mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers. (See pictures of booze under a microscope.) (more…)

Safeguard Your Memory with This Snack

Fend off a future with Alzheimer’s by having a handful of these for your afternoon snack: sunflower seeds.

They’re too tasty to be relegated to bird food. And too nutritious! Among other goodies, these little seeds are loaded with vitamin E, a nutrient that may help protect against memory-stealing Alzheimer’s disease.  READ MORE

Alcohol Consumption Lowers Risk of Developing Several Arthritic Conditions, Study Finds

(This should probably be under the heading Good News…)