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Drinking Coffee: More Good Than Harm?
There was a time when the only news about coffee and health was how it was bad for the heart, likely to give us ulcers and aggravate our nerves, but now it seems this popular beverage is receiving a more favorable kind of press.
However, the researchers uncovering the good news are all saying the same thing: while there appear to be some health perks from drinking coffee, there are also a few cautions, and the evidence is not solid enough to actively encourage people to go out and drink coffee.
Another reason to reserve some caution, is that although the evidence is shifting toward a more favorable view of coffee's effect on health, it is not based on cause and effect but on links for which there could be other explanations: it could be that regular coffee drinkers have something else in common, that studies have yet to discover, to account for the effect on health.
In this article we look at the shift in the research view on coffee consumption, touching on some of the key studies, and finish off with some facts and figures about coffee and caffeine.
The results showed regularly consuming up to 6 cups of coffee per day (containing around 100 mg caffeine per 8 oz cup) was not linked with increased deaths in either men or women, from any cause, or death from cancer, or from cardiovascular disease.
This finding confirms the research picture that has been emerging in the last few years, says Rob van Dam, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, one of the study researchers.
Coffee ingestion is, on average, about one third of that of tap water in North America and Europe. (International Journal of Cancer)
"For the general population, the evidence suggests that coffee drinking doesn't have any serious detrimental health effects," he adds.
Mayo Clinic preventive medicine specialist Donald Hensrud suggests one explanation for the apparent reversal in thinking about coffee, is that:
"Earlier studies didn't always take into account that known high-risk behaviors, such as smoking and physical inactivity, tended to be more common among heavy coffee drinkers at that time."
But perhaps what these more recent findings suggest, says van Dam, is that outside of certain groups, like pregnant women and those who have trouble controlling blood pressure, people should continue to enjoy their coffee in moderation and focus instead on other lifestyle factors, such as stopping smoking, getting more exercise, and eating more whole grains, as ways to reduce risk of poor health.
A Kaiser Permanente study presented at an American Heart Association conference in March 2010, found coffee drinkers were less likely to be hospitalized for heart rhythm disturbances. The researchers examined data on of 130,000 health plan members and found people who reported drinking between one and three cups of coffee a day had a lower risk than non-drinkers, regardless of other risk factors.
Reported more recently, in 2012, a US study found that drinking coffee in moderation, may also protect slightly against heart failure.
For women, coffee drinking may mean a lower risk of stroke.
In March 2011, research led by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, that followed over 30,000 women for 10 years, found those who drank more than one cup of coffee per day appeared to have a 22 to 25% lower risk of stroke, compared to non-drinkers. The researchers also found that "low or no coffee consumption was associated with an increased risk of stroke in women".
The findings were the same, regardless of other factors such as smoking, alcohol, body mass index, history of diabetes, and high blood pressure.
An earlier US study, published in 2009, involving 80,000 women from the Nurses' Health Study, had also found a 20% lower risk of stroke among coffee drinkers. None of the women had a history of stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes, or cancer at the start of the study, and the researchers found the relative risk of stroke went down as coffee consumption went up.
However, a recent Harvard Health newsletter warns that while moderate coffee consumption (3 - 4 cups a day) may be linked to a lower risk for stroke, among infrequent coffee consumers the risk of a stroke just after drinking coffee could be higher.
One reason coffee consumption may lower longer term risk for heart disease and stroke, is because it appears to reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, which is itself a risk factor for these diseases. Please More about this topic Click here For Health Blog
However, the researchers uncovering the good news are all saying the same thing: while there appear to be some health perks from drinking coffee, there are also a few cautions, and the evidence is not solid enough to actively encourage people to go out and drink coffee.
Another reason to reserve some caution, is that although the evidence is shifting toward a more favorable view of coffee's effect on health, it is not based on cause and effect but on links for which there could be other explanations: it could be that regular coffee drinkers have something else in common, that studies have yet to discover, to account for the effect on health.
In this article we look at the shift in the research view on coffee consumption, touching on some of the key studies, and finish off with some facts and figures about coffee and caffeine.
Turning Point: Harvard Study 2008
One of the turning points in media reporting on coffee and health came with the publication in 2008 of a Harvard-led study, that examined data on over 130,000 participants from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow Up Study who were followed for about 20 years.The results showed regularly consuming up to 6 cups of coffee per day (containing around 100 mg caffeine per 8 oz cup) was not linked with increased deaths in either men or women, from any cause, or death from cancer, or from cardiovascular disease.
This finding confirms the research picture that has been emerging in the last few years, says Rob van Dam, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, one of the study researchers.
Coffee ingestion is, on average, about one third of that of tap water in North America and Europe. (International Journal of Cancer)
Mayo Clinic preventive medicine specialist Donald Hensrud suggests one explanation for the apparent reversal in thinking about coffee, is that:
"Earlier studies didn't always take into account that known high-risk behaviors, such as smoking and physical inactivity, tended to be more common among heavy coffee drinkers at that time."
But perhaps what these more recent findings suggest, says van Dam, is that outside of certain groups, like pregnant women and those who have trouble controlling blood pressure, people should continue to enjoy their coffee in moderation and focus instead on other lifestyle factors, such as stopping smoking, getting more exercise, and eating more whole grains, as ways to reduce risk of poor health.
Heart Disease and Stroke
Some of the evidence that has emerged in recent years suggests coffee consumption may lower the risk of heart disease and stroke.A Kaiser Permanente study presented at an American Heart Association conference in March 2010, found coffee drinkers were less likely to be hospitalized for heart rhythm disturbances. The researchers examined data on of 130,000 health plan members and found people who reported drinking between one and three cups of coffee a day had a lower risk than non-drinkers, regardless of other risk factors.
Reported more recently, in 2012, a US study found that drinking coffee in moderation, may also protect slightly against heart failure.
For women, coffee drinking may mean a lower risk of stroke.
In March 2011, research led by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, that followed over 30,000 women for 10 years, found those who drank more than one cup of coffee per day appeared to have a 22 to 25% lower risk of stroke, compared to non-drinkers. The researchers also found that "low or no coffee consumption was associated with an increased risk of stroke in women".
The findings were the same, regardless of other factors such as smoking, alcohol, body mass index, history of diabetes, and high blood pressure.
An earlier US study, published in 2009, involving 80,000 women from the Nurses' Health Study, had also found a 20% lower risk of stroke among coffee drinkers. None of the women had a history of stroke, coronary heart disease, diabetes, or cancer at the start of the study, and the researchers found the relative risk of stroke went down as coffee consumption went up.
However, a recent Harvard Health newsletter warns that while moderate coffee consumption (3 - 4 cups a day) may be linked to a lower risk for stroke, among infrequent coffee consumers the risk of a stroke just after drinking coffee could be higher.
One reason coffee consumption may lower longer term risk for heart disease and stroke, is because it appears to reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, which is itself a risk factor for these diseases. Please More about this topic Click here For Health Blog
