It's a wonder that our doctors are still questioning us about our caffeine intake, as if drinking coffee is a taboo.  It used to be that they all wanted us to cut back on our intake. 

But now, all the research is suggesting otherwise, now we see caffeine to be highly beneficial to many aspects of health.  From reducing the risk of cancer, fighting fat, and improving mood, to improving our cognitive abilities and memory.

Women age 65 and older who drink more than three cups of coffee -- or five to six cups of tea -- every day have less decline on memory tests than women who drink one cup or less of coffee or tea per day. The benefits seem to increase with age -- caffeine drinkers are 30-percent less likely to have memory decline at age 65 and 70-percent less likely at age 80. The results come out of a four year study at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research in Montpellier, France...

...Soda and energy drinks did not show the same results, and may in fact be linked to some of the negative effects of caffeine intake. "Caffeine is a drug. It has effects on the heart. It can cause arrhythmias -- an irregular heartbeat. It can increase hypertension, things like that," Dr. Restak said.

Try stirring a heaping teaspoon of chocolate whey protein into your (slightly cooled) coffee for a delicious mocha treat.  It's a great pick-me-up and tastes like hot cocoa, yum!