Mature Life Features

. . . is on tap for 1 p.m.

in the 2nd floor multiple-purpose room

just before Lyn switches to chair fitness at 1:30,

but get to know your foot problems

during the 10:30 a.m. Billet Health session

in the 2nd floor theater.

= = = = =

Coffee Keeps You Going

Sit down to a relaxing cup of coffee and you’ll feel better. Drink too much and you’re liable to get anxious and irritable. A regular intake of the brew can help you live a little longer while lowering your risk of stroke, diabetes and several other ailments. Overdo it and it can become addictive and wreck your digestive system. At the moment, it appears that the coffee-can-be-good-for-you school outweighs the naysayers so you can relax with a cup – decaf or regular – while reading this.

Legend has it that a goat-herder in Ethiopia discovered the benefits of the coffee when he noticed his goats’ excitable and energetic behavior after eating the beans. The earliest substantiated evidence of coffee drinking is from the early 15th century in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen. About the same time, a Venetian botanist imported some to Italy and it spread throughout Europe.

Coffee houses became popular gathering places fomenting revolutionary thoughts and movements. Police tracked down Prussians who preferred the black brew over beer. England’s rulers sought to ban coffee house because their riotous gatherings were disturbing the peace of the realm. It was introduced to the New World by the mid-17th century but it wasn’t until the British tea was dumped into Boston harbor in the revolt against King George III that the colonists switched firmly from tea to coffee.

Through all this, coffee has emerged as a disease fighter because it’s loaded with antioxidants. Drinking a couple or three cups a day has become part of most folks’ day as medical researchers report the liquid lowers the risk of chronic heart disease and age-related cognitive decline.

A cautionary note: coffee intake tends to boost blood pressure so it’s wise to space coffee consumption. At the same time, a recent medical study indicated that seniors 65 and older who drink as many as four and more servings of caffeine a day, whether in coffee or soft drinks, have less than half the risk of dying of heart disease then those who consume less than that.

The benefits of coffee reportedly are its ability to relieve pain, fight mouth cancer, battle depression, aid digestion, protect the liver, and reduce the risk of breast and prostate cancer. And meeting old friends to socialize over a cup of coffee also is good for your health.