(CNN) — Myth or Reality? Is drinking coffee good for you?
If you go by the facts, you’re right. This week’s new studies join dozens more reporting coffee’s health benefits, including protection once morest type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, liver disease, prostate cancer, Alzheimer’s, back by computer and more.
But if you choose to believe the myth, you would also be right. There are times when coffee is bad for you and it depends on your genetics, your age, and even how you prepare it.
good to the last drop
Coffee lovers, rejoice! There are more studies than ever encouraging you to sip for good health.
a great studio of more than 25,000 coffee drinkers in South Korea shows that moderate daily consumption, that is, three to five cups a day, is associated with a lower risk of calcium in the coronary arteries. That factor is a great predictor of future heart disease and hasn’t been studied much in the past.
Four cups of coffee a day were also recently found to moderately reduce the risk of melanoma, a very dangerous skin cancer. However, in the study, decaf coffee did not provide any protection. The study supports a previous finding of a link between coffee and a reduced risk of basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer.
Another recent study looked at coffee consumption and multiple sclerosis. It found that high coffee intake, that is, four to six cups a day, reduced the risk of MS. He also did drink a lot of coffee for five to ten years. The researchers now want to study the impact of coffee on relapse and long-term disability in MS.
Add to that existing research on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and researchers now believe that coffee might be neuroprotective, meaning it’s possible the beverage is suppressing the production of inflammatory markers in the brain. And it may be that more than caffeine is responsible. Researchers are beginning to look for other compounds in coffee that may also help.
May reduce women’s risk of cancer
Before you rush off to your favorite cafe for a double mocha latte, keep one thing in mind regarding these studies.
Most research defines a “cup” of coffee as 5 to 8 ounces, around 100 mg of caffeine, and black or maybe with a little cream or sugar. It’s not one of those 24-ounce monsters topped with caramel and whipped cream.
Many studies have analyzed
Coffee has been studied a lot, and not just recently.
The Harvard Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which began in 1986, and the Nurses’ Health Study, which began in 1976, have been tracking the coffee drinking habits of healthy men and women for decades.
“We found no relationship between coffee consumption and an increased risk of death from any cause, death from cancer, or death from cardiovascular disease. Even people who drank up to six cups of coffee a day had no increased risk of death,” writes Dr. Rob van Dam of the Harvard School of Health.
Drinking coffee has been linked to a longer life
So why was coffee given a bad rap for so long?
Previous studies didn’t always take into account the serious health behaviors that often accompanied coffee, such as smoking and lack of physical activity. Today’s coffee drinker doesn’t necessarily fit that mold, and researchers are more likely to examine those behaviors in their results.
tea for me please
While the health benefits of coffee continue to emerge, the full story is not so rosy. In some studies, very high consumption (six or more cups a day) reduced the benefits.
Some populations may find coffee consumption potentially harmful. People with sleep problems or uncontrolled diabetes may need to check with their doctors before adding caffeine to their diets. There is also a concern regarding caffeine use among young people.
And there’s a genetic mutation that many of us have that can affect how quickly our bodies metabolize caffeine. The gene is called CYP1A2 – if you have the slow version, that would explain why you have so much blazing energy following just a cup or two or why it might contribute to your high blood pressure.
Women should pay special attention. Coffee can increase menopausal hot flashes. And pregnant women might be more likely to miscarry (this is still being looked at), but caffeine does reach the fetus and might restrict growth. Doctors recommend just one cup a day during pregnancy.
And interestingly, the way you prepare your coffee might also make a difference to your health: There’s a compound called cafestol in the oily part of coffee that can increase your LDL or bad cholesterol. It’s trapped in the paper filters, so as long as you use them to make your morning coffee, you’ll be fine. But if you’re a lover of French press, Turkish coffee, or the boiled coffee popular in Scandinavian countries, you might be putting your health at risk.
For many of us, coffee is a blessing. And as long as you avoid its problems, current science seems to be saying that you can continue to enjoy it, guilt-free.
Coffee is good for you, but it’s okay to drink it in the right measure.
