Coffee: Do the risks outweight the benefits?

This is me hard at work; researching coffee!  LOL!  I've been really curious about it lately, and since I have a minute or two to do some research, I'm going to.  I found this site called http://www.sixwise.com/, which actually has a lot of interesting stuff on it.  One article I came across what this article about coffee.  It says:

"There is no consensus about whether coffee is good or bad for your health, just a lot of debate."

Well!  As if we didn't all already know that, right?  Speaking of good or bad for your health, I saw/read a news clip yesterday saying that's it's alright to drink when you're pregnant.  Pfft.  Just one of many studies!

Back onto the great coffee debate.

I have created the following chart, positive vs. negative (remember, this is for regular coffee drinkers).


Positive

• Lower risk of type 2 diabetes (54% for men and 30% for women)
• Reduced risk of gallstones (50%)
• Lower risk of colon cancer (25%)
• Improved cognitive function
• Reduced risk of liver damage in people at high risk of liver disease (80%!)
• Reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease
• Improved endurance performance in long-duration physical activities
• Lower risk of alcohol-induced pancreatitis
• Also been found to benefit asthma, headaches, and mood, and prevent cavities!

Negative

• Raises blood pressure
• Increased risk of heart attack or stroke (20-30%)
• Worsened PMS symptoms in some women
• Reduced fertility in women trying to conceive
• Insomnia, anxiety, and irritability
• Heartburn and indigestion
• Increased risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women
• Possible increase in the risk of heart disease (conflicting studies)
• Higher levels of inflammatory substances in the body

OK, it wouldn't let me post the chart.  But I put it in point form.  Looking at this, I thik the benefits FAR outweight the risks, but that's just my opinion.  There's also an interesting point in that article that says genetics could play a role! 

"A new study may be able to explain why there are so many conflicting reports when it comes to coffee.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Toronto, Harvard's School of Public Health and the University of Costa Rica (published in the Journal of the American Medical Association) found that a genetic trait that causes caffeine to linger in the body may alter coffee's effects on specific people.

Out of over 4,000 people, about half had a trait that made them "slow caffeine metabolizers." The other half was able to metabolize caffeine quickly."

Interesting, hey?