Actress Sofia Vergara, who played Gloria on "Modern Family," is a serious coffee lover. "I grew up with a South American family, and if there is one thing I strictly remember learning from a young age, it is the power of coffee. I like it black. I like it strong, I don't put sugar or anything in it."

Vergara is smart in so many ways — especially when it comes to matters of the heart. Not only is it heart-friendly to avoid adding inflammatory sugar and fat-rich milk to your cuppa Joe, the caffeine in coffee is actually good for your cardiovascular system.

Research published in the journal Nature Communications shows that caffeine (as found in filtered coffee) lowers bad LDL cholesterol by blocking the effects of a specific protein (CSK9).

Left unchecked, that protein reduces the liver's ability to process excess LDL cholesterol. But without its interference, more LDL cholesterol can be quickly removed from the bloodstream via an LDL receptor that's on the surface of liver cells. The result is a heart that's less likely to suffer dysfunction.

This comes on the heels of studies that show drinking around two to three cups of coffee a day — and getting 400-600 mg of caffeine — reduces the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and drinking six cups decreases your risk of dementia and slows the rate of progression of existing dementia.

So enjoy black tea and coffee. If that's as easy for you as it is for me, that’s because you have a gene that makes bitter flavors actually pleasing.