Need a pick-me-up? Chances are, October has you feeling more sluggish than sprightly. Summer is long forgotten, and all those late nights and early classes are starting to take their toll. So you hit the snooze button for the third (or fourth, or fifth) time, throw on your jacket, and drag your weary feet to class, where you collapse into a deep slumber on your textbook.

No, wait ... that's not right. So what keeps you going? Ah, that's right: coffee. Java, joe, sweet nectar — call it what you want.

The fact of the matter is, as Canadians we're all pretty used to waiting in the seemingly endless queue to buy our morning stimulant. And it's no surprise, because caffeine, in the form of a delicious hot liquid, is nothing short of a miracle beverage.

The availability of coffee has done nothing but grow over the past decades. Tim Horton's coffee has become an icon for Canadians, expanding now on an international basis. Starbucks, Second Cup and even McDonald's are now all huge success stories for their brews. In fact, it's almost impossible to find an eating establishment that doesn't have coffee on the menu. Second only to water, coffee is the world's most consumed beverage. But surely something this tasty and popular must secretly be killing us?

In this case, the answer is surprisingly uplifting. Aside from the occasional over-caffeinated twitch, coffee offers nothing but healthy benefits. With just two calories per eight-ounce cup (not including cream and sugar) and no fat, coffee is a pretty guilt-free way to boost your mind and body.

As long as you're not overdoing it (drinking too many cups daily may increase blood pressure in those at risk), you're actually doing yourself a huge favour by drinking the flavourful fuel. Over the past century, coffee has been shown to reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, colon cancer, liver cancer, gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver and Parkinson's disease. The amount of coffee that subjects must drink varies with each study, but the predominant theme is that the more regular the coffee drinker, the lower the risk of developing the ailments. Aside from these amazing results, it's common knowledge that coffee can be used to cure fatigue, headaches, and it can even boost athletic performance.

So what is it that makes coffee so healthy? As it turns out, coffee beans are packed full of diseasefighting antioxidants. Trigonelline, which gives coffee its pungent aroma, may also help reduce dental cavities due to its antibacterial properties. Caffeine, the most famous of coffee's components, also offers health benefits, from helping to fend off Parkinson's disease to keeping you awake enough to pull that all-night study session.

Of course, it should be noted that caffeine is a drug, and it is no substitute for getting proper rest and eating a healthy diet. That being said, when consumed in appropriate doses, your morning java is, as ever, a little cup of heaven.

Drink up!