The 9 a.m. Habit That Protects Your Brain

If your day doesn't start until you've brewed a fresh pot of coffee or tea, then your brain is one lucky mass of gray matter.

A recent study revealed that folks who drink at least half a cup or more of either beverage each day may be far less likely to develop a glioma -- an aggressive, hard-to-treat, and dangerous type of brain tumor. So put the pot on!

Brain-Protective Brews
In fact, regularly drinking either brew could cut the risk of a glioma by up to 34 percent. Researchers suspect that antioxidant compounds in the two drinks probably get the credit for the benefit. These compounds stimulate activity of a protein that can repair cancer-causing damage to brain-cell DNA. Pretty powerful stuff! (Is your brain shrinking? Here's the vitamin you need to stop it.)

Caffeine Counts
But there may be more at work. Researchers also think that the caffeine in coffee and tea might have something to do with the brews' power to deflect cancer. In fact, petri dish research has shown that caffeine delays the growth of glioma tumor cells. But it's no reason to start mainlining java if it's not your thing. And more research is needed to confirm all of the recent findings anyway. But for java or tea lovers, it is good to know that you can probably add another checkmark to the "pros" column. (Did you know? Drinking green tea might lead to a flatter belly.)

Do you wish you had steadier blood sugar? Find out how coffee might help people dodge diabetes.

RealAge Benefit

Enjoying coffee if you like it -- and it likes you -- can make your RealAge 0.3 years younger. Take the RealAge Test!

References

Actively patrolling your health can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger. Take the RealAge Test  Copyright 2010 RealAge