Free Republic

SALT LAKE CITY — Maybe now, reporters, bloggers, outsiders and even many Mormons will accept that the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not forbid drinking cola. On Aug. 29, the LDS church posted a statement on its website saying that “the church does not prohibit the use of caffeine” and that the faith’s health-code reference to “hot drinks” “does not go beyond (tea and coffee).” A day later, the website wording was slightly softened, saying only that “the church revelation spelling out health practices … does not mention the use of caffeine.” The same goes for...

Four cups of coffee a day may keep certain cancers away. A new study involving a Utah researcher found caffeinated coffee may protect drinkers from cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx. Regular coffee drinkers — defined as four cups or more a day — reduce their risk of the cancers by 39 percent, according to a study published Tuesday by the American Association for Cancer Research. Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator Mia Hashibe was involved in the effort to pool results from nine studies, collected by the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium, which led to the findings. According...