Coffee: For most, it's safe
Coffee has been blamed for everything from moral turpitude to cancer. But none of the bad raps have stuck. Coffee may even be good for you.
Despite 20 years of reassuring research, many people still avoid coffee* because they worry about its health effects. Their concerns are understandable. Older studies had linked coffee to a range of health problems, including pancreatic cancer and heart disease. But this early research didn’t take into account the real culprit: cigarette smoking, which was once a common habit of many coffee drinkers. We now know that in moderation — that is, a few cups per day — coffee is a safe beverage. New research suggests it even offers some health benefits.
Coffee isn’t totally innocuous. Its main active ingredient, caffeine, is a mildly addictive stimulant. Getting too much may give you the jitters, keep you awake, and make you irritable. If you’re a regular coffee drinker and miss your morning dose, you may get a splitting headache. Some people develop indigestion, stomach problems, or other intestinal distress when they drink coffee. And inconclusive research suggests that high doses of coffee can contribute to bone loss. But for most people, coffee in moderation is harmless.
If you don’t enjoy coffee or it bothers you, don’t drink it. But if you consider it one of life’s pleasures, a rundown of some of the latest findings on coffee’s health effects may assuage your concerns.
Despite 20 years of reassuring research, many people still avoid coffee* because they worry about its health effects. Their concerns are understandable. Older studies had linked coffee to a range of health problems, including pancreatic cancer and heart disease. But this early research didn’t take into account the real culprit: cigarette smoking, which was once a common habit of many coffee drinkers. We now know that in moderation — that is, a few cups per day — coffee is a safe beverage. New research suggests it even offers some health benefits.
Coffee isn’t totally innocuous. Its main active ingredient, caffeine, is a mildly addictive stimulant. Getting too much may give you the jitters, keep you awake, and make you irritable. If you’re a regular coffee drinker and miss your morning dose, you may get a splitting headache. Some people develop indigestion, stomach problems, or other intestinal distress when they drink coffee. And inconclusive research suggests that high doses of coffee can contribute to bone loss. But for most people, coffee in moderation is harmless.
If you don’t enjoy coffee or it bothers you, don’t drink it. But if you consider it one of life’s pleasures, a rundown of some of the latest findings on coffee’s health effects may assuage your concerns.
posted by Patsy at 5:41 AM
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