Admit it. Without your morning coffee, you’d probably feel less energetic and sometimes appear downright bleary-eyed when you arrive at the office.

And like millions of other Americans, the odds are you often use coffee to rev yourself up throughout the work day. In fact, according to research by the National Coffee Association, about 56% of people in the U.S. drink coffee regularly, and most drink at least three to four cups a day.

But are we putting our health at risk by consuming so much of a good thing?

The answer is sure to please java lovers: research so far has shown coffee is not harmful to the vast majority of folks. What’s more, a growing number of studies indicate taking a coffee break could do more than perk you up -- it could help protect your health.

Coffee’s benefits

Over the past couple of decades, around 19,000 studies have investigated coffee's impact on the body. The results have shown coffee has far more important benefits than just getting you going in the morning.

For example, Harvard researchers analyzed data on 126,000 people who were followed for up to 18 years and found that those who drank one to three cups of caffeinated coffee every day had a modestly lowered risk of type 2 diabetes when compared to those who abstained from coffee. But for those drinking a lot of coffee (six or more cups daily) the risk of type 2 diabetes plummeted dramatically -- dropping by 54% for men and 30% for women.

In the past, some researchers have expressed concern coffee drinking might spur the growth of certain cancers. However, in 2007, a panel of 21 World Cancer Rearch Fund researchers evaluated data from over 7,000 studies, looking at a wide range of food and drinks to see if they could spot a link to human malignancies. The verdict? Coffee did not appear to up the risk of cancer and it might even offer some protection from liver, pancreatic and ovarian cancer. Other researchers found that, compared to not drinking coffee, having at least two cups of java daily may reduce the risk of colon cancer by a whopping 25%.

More good news for coffee drinkers:

• Many studies have concluded that folks who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's disease.
• Two cups of coffee a day appear to reduce the risk of cirrhosis of the liver by 80%.
• Two cups of daily java cut the risk of having gallstones by almost half.
• Coffee has also been shown to offer headache relief, help people with asthma breathe easier and can lighten up a depressed mood.
• Coffee may even help prevent cavities.
• While no one is suggesting it’s ok to have bad habits, there is evidence that consuming java offers some protection against liver damage and heart disease in people who smoke and drink large amounts of alcohol.

Caffeine and beyond

Caffeine, one of the fastest acting drugs on the planet, is absorbed into the body within a few minutes after you drink a cup of coffee. You get a pepped up, more clear-headed feeling because caffeine blocks the chemical adenosine that is released by the body and translated by the brain as "I’m getting tired."

It turns out caffeine’s impact on the brain could be especially useful as we grow older. University of Arizona researchers have found a cup o’ Joe improves memory in seniors and UCLA scientists came to the conclusion caffeine may boost memory in elderly women.

The caffeine in coffee has also been shown to enhance athletic performance and endurance. Research suggests that in addition to fighting fatigue, it may have a direct effect on muscles, causing more powerful contractions.

But there’s far more than caffeine in coffee. Scientists have discovered that it’s loaded with antioxidants. These compounds neutralize molecules dubbed "free radicals" that have been implicated in cataracts, premature aging, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other health woes. So even if you stick to the decaf variety, coffee may have health benefits.

For example, coffee contains a group of compounds called quinines that appear to improve the body's response to insulin. It also is a source of tocopherols (vitamin E) and minerals such as magnesium. Italian scientists think a coffee component called trigonelline, which has antibacterial properties, could explain why coffee drinking appears to be good for dental health, too.

Coffee and common sense

Of course, all this good news about coffee doesn’t mean you should throw common sense out the window and drink coffee all day long. Pregnant women and heart patients in particular may be advised to limit or avoid coffee altogether.

"The main reasons for not drinking coffee would be based on the advice of a physician who knows your medical history," says registered dietician Julie Schwartz, director of Nutrition Services at the Emory Bariatric Center in Atlanta. "You may need to avoid coffee if you have an irregular or fast heart rate, high blood pressure, bladder and/or prostate issues, or are at risk for osteoporosis (in excess coffee can interfere with calcium absorption). There are also individuals who are very sensitive to caffeine, and it keeps them up at night."

Caffeine has also been known to produce a jittery feeling of anxiety. It can even trigger full-blown panic attacks in some people. What’s more, two substances known as kahweol and cafestol found in unfiltered coffee can raise cholesterol levels.

Another pitfall of coffee drinking to consider: beware the stuff you may be putting into your java. Adding sugar, cream, and specialty flavorings can add hundreds of calories and artery-clogging saturated fat -- and that can make a cup of coffee anything but healthy.

Sherry Baker is a writer from Atlanta, Georgia. She last wrote the The M-Factor in Your Office for Synergy. Sherry can be reached at featuredstories@adamcorp.com