To say I rejoice in my first cup of coffee is no exaggeration. Within 20 minutes I go from bleary, grumpy, teary and tired to bright, energized and ready to meet the day. I suppose the sun rising before me is an important part of the formula of good cheer. But without the coffee, I’m not sure I could make it.

And now this morning I learn of the latest study to sing the praises of the positive health effects of this wonderful drug. Compared with abstainers, nonsmokers who drank three to five cups a day had a 15 percent reduced risk of death from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, neurological diseases and suicide, although not from cancer. New York Times.

Surprisingly, there was little difference whether they drank caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee. The association persisted after controlling for age, alcohol consumption, B.M.I. and other health and diet factors. The association was not apparent in smokers, probably because death from smoking-related causes overwhelms the positive effect of coffee drinking.

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