Good buzz

Natural Health, June, 2004

Coffee's rich aroma and intense flavor deliver a uniquely reliable pleasure, offering you both comfort and whole-body stimulation in one little cup. Now there's a new reason to love your morning brew: In a 12-year study of 14,629 adults reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, women who drank three to four cups of coffee daily had a 29 percent reduced risk for type 2 diabetes. The researchers don't know how coffee protects against the disease, but lead author Jaakko Tuomilehto, M.D., says that the antioxidant chlorogenic acid may indirectly help to regulate blood glucose in non-diabetic people.

On the other side of the mug, the American Heart Association recommends restricting coffee to two cups per day. Can exceeding that limit damage your heart? "Our research in the same study population revealed no risk of coronary heart disease with any level of coffee drinking," says Tuomilehto. "Responses like nausea, gastric irritation and insomnia may be related to high coffee intake in some people. But in principle [the amounts of coffee drunk in the study] are not toxic to the body."

the faces and flavors of coffee

* Now through July 11, New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibits the magnificent porcelain and silver pots that served 17th-century Europeans their newly discovered favorite beverage. For information on Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, call 212-535-7710 or visit metmuseum.org.

* Spice up your summer grilling with a low-calorie, high-flavor alternative to barbecue sauce. Made from dark-roasted coffee beans, cocoa and chili powder, Jeremiah's Pick Chocatal Barbecue Rub draws out the smoky flavor of grilled fish and chicken ($4.50; 877-537-3642 or jeremiahspick.com).

* Wake up your skin with a coffee-scrub treatment at Grand Wailea Resort in Maui, Hawaii. A blend of freshly ground Kona coffee, Maui raw turbinado sugar and orange honey cream works to energize and cleanse ($112; 800-772-1933 or grandwailea.com).