During these cold, winter days, many of us are likely reaching for a hot beverage. And if you’re like most of the world (upwards of 80% of adults worldwide), your beverage of choice includes a caffeinated drink, likely either coffee or tea. And while we’ve espoused the benefits to be gained from drinking tea or coffee, we’ve also warned of the impact that too much caffeine can have on your nerves and your sleep quality. New research from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (who knew there was such a place?) advises that those who experience sensitivity to caffeine should decrease or eliminate their consumption of coffee 6 hours prior to bedtime, in order to lessen the impact on the quality of your sleep. So put down your mug and read more here.

The news about the benefits of tea and coffee, however, continues to mount. Regarding coffee, new meta-research published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure examined the results of 3 previous heart studies and dietary factors connected to developing heart failure. The study reports that ingesting caffeinated black coffee (no sugar, no cream), with one or more cups/day, in fact, appears to reduce your risk of heart failure. For each cup of black coffee you drink, researchers suggest you lessen your risk of heart failure by 5-8%. No benefit was reported with decaf coffee. To find out more, grind some beans and click here.

Regarding tea, (especially green tea) studies about its health benefits continue to surface. For a general overview of the important role green tea can play in healthy aging, put the pot on the stove and click here. More specifically, new research out of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute reports that the antioxidant EGCG, commonly found in green tea, seems to increase the levels of a natural anti-cancer protein (called p53) in the body. This protein is considered a “guardian of the genome” with properties that repair DNA damage and destroy cancer cells. So as another weapon in your fight against cancer, you may want to consider upping your green tea intake. You can read more about this new research here. And if you’re looking for new and interesting ways to up your tea intake, consider a “tea subscription box” by clicking here.