Over the last 25 years there has been a lot of debate into the health benefits that are thought to be caused by drinking coffee. If you listen to the news then you'll notice that one day they tell us it's healthy, and the next it's bad for you. Over 400 million cups of coffee are drunk each and everyday in the world. However for a long time there have been warnings about the risks. However recent research puts an end to that once and for all (hopefully!)

Caffeine is contained in coffee, this is what was thought to be bad. It is a mild stimulant and so can raise blood pressure levels, increase the heart rate and occasionally cause irregular heart beats. However recent research has suggested that these effects should not be long lasting.

There is a lot of new information on the benefits to draining coffee, in fact there are probably more expected benefits than the risks.

There is quite a lot of scientific evidence that drinking coffee daily reduces the chances of someone contracting colon cancer. However this is only beneficial if you consume at least 4 cups a day, it can be argued that if you drink this much it's probably not worth it.

There are other health benefits that are worthwhile drinking coffee for though!

Coffee contains what is known as antioxidants, these are also present in wine. Antioxidants help to protect us against certain cancers and heart disease by ridding our bodies of oxygen radicals from our blood which normally destroy cells. Some scientists have said that there are more antioxidants in coffee than in the same amount of cranberries, apples or tomatoes. However that doesn't mean you should stop eating fruit and just . Fruit and Veg also provide other important things.

Coffee makes you much more alert, this has been known for quite a long time. Chinese scientists have realized that drinking coffee can actually reduce the effects caused by Parkinson's Disease.

American and Scandinavian scientific studies suggest that by drinking coffee can reduce the chance of developing type-2 diabetes in later life. Scandinavians consume the most coffee in the world (per capita) so it's great news for them!

It is also thought that drinking coffee can also reduce the risks of a patient developing gallstones or kidney stones. It also promotes other benefits for the digestive system. Caffeine can also improve digestion by stimulating the production of stomach acid.

Caffeine is also thought to be beneficial for people suffering from asthma. If it is drunk in moderation then it should reduce any constriction of the airways caused by such conditions. Coffee also contains theophylline which is a known bronchodilator which helps asthma sufferers.

These benefits are not without their risks, lets take a look at a few now.

Human sperm does swim faster in solutions containing coffee. However scientific studies have linked infertility with excessive coffee drinking.

Drinking excessive amounts of coffee can also cause high levels of homocysteine which is thought to cause heart disease. Coffee also creates more LDL cholesterol which you will no doubt know as "bad" cholesterol.

Women that drink coffee seem to lose more calcium which results in a loss of bone density. If you drink 4 cups of more every day then you have double the chances of suffering from incontinence.