I know this post is somewhat self-serving We’re opening a coffeehouse on Capitol Hill so I have a coffee bias.

I just read an interesting story in U.S. News & World Report. It cited recent studies that have found that “a cup of joe may chase away the blues; turn you into a better athlete; and protect against diabetes.” Coffee reduces the risk of certain cancers; reduces muscle fatigue; boosts endurance; and reduces the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers at the National Institute of Diabetes found that a two-cup-a-day habit dramatically lowers the risk of chronic liver disease. A spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association said, “If its benefits continue to mount, coffee may come to be viewed as a health food.”

So maybe we aren’t opening a coffeehouse. Maybe we’re opening a “health food store” on Capitol Hill

Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health is a leading coffee investigator. He says, “If you’re already drinking five or six cups a day, I’d be hard pressed to come up with a reason you should cut back.”

Here’s the bottom line: coffee is rich in antioxidants–the substances in fruits and vegetables that deactivate disease-causing byproducts of the body’s metabolism. According to Joe Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton in Pennsyvania, “Coffee is by far the largest source of antioxidants in our diet.”

Don’t drop your health club membership But keep drinking coffee. Especially when Ebenezers opens