WASHINGTON (AFP) - A strong cup of coffee may do more than just wake you up in the mornings. It could also help you stave off multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study.

Scientists in Oklahoma found that mice which had been immunized to develop an MS-like condition appeared to be protected from the disease by drinking the equivalent of six to eight cups of coffee a day.

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By Kathleen Doheny
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 16 (HealthDay News) - Good news for coffee lovers: Drinking up to six cups a day of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee daily won't shorten your life span, a new study shows.

In fact, coffee might even help the heart, especially for women, the researchers found.

According to one study, you can apparently stave off wrinkles by drinking cocoa. It's some of the best news I’ve heard in a long time and it comes to us straight from the Journal of Nutrition. Apparently, consuming cocoa, which contains something called flavanols, improves skin texture, mainly, its density, thickness, roughness, and scaling. According to the JON article, skin’s hydration was also improved and skin water loss is decreased.

The study shows that regular consumption of a beverage rich in flavanols can help maintain skin health by improving skin structure and function.

By Kathleen Doheny
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- Consuming large amounts of acrylamide, a chemical commonly found in French fries, cakes, snacks and even coffee, appears to raise the risk of kidney cancer, especially in smokers, Dutch researchers report.

"Ours is the first report of a positive association between dietary acrylamide intake and renal cell [kidney] cancer," said study author Janneke Hogervorst, a researcher at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

About six weeks ago, I (mostly) weaned myself off of caffeine and I can’t say that I miss it too much. I still feel like I need to have (decaf) coffee in the morning and still have (decaf) tea at night.

The benefits are that I sleep much better, wake up feeling more refreshed, am far less irritable and critical and much less forgetful. I’ll indulge in the occasional coffee at a local coffee house from time to time, but for the most part, am caffeine free.

I’ve read numerous articles and studies that caffeine is both good/ill but overall, am glad I quit.