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Taking
stock of coffee's benefits, drawbacks
July 15, 04
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
It’s
90 degrees outside, but I still gotta have a hot cup of joe
the moment I wake up each morning.
I love coffee – the aroma, the flavor, and the lift
it gives me. Still, from time to time, I review the latest
evidence – pro and con – so that I can take remedial
action, if necessary.
Fortunately, it hasn’t been.
To date, research links between coffee and adverse health
effects have been weak. Some recent studies have even suggested
benefits. Here’s where things stand:
In defense of coffee:
* It gives a lift. Caffeine is a stimulant. You can use caffeinated
coffee strategically when you need to be mentally alert –
before a test or a long car drive. Caffeine can also boost
athletic performance.
* It has antioxidant nutrients. Coffee contains polyphenols,
substances that may reduce the risk of cancer and coronary
artery disease.
* It can relieve a headache. A cup of coffee can be as effective
as an aspirin in relieving headache pain.
* It may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes. Researchers
at the Harvard School of Public Health found a link between
regular coffee consumption and significantly reduced risk
for type 2 diabetes for 125,000 participants in the Nurses
Health Study. It’s unclear why coffee was associated
with this benefit, and more research is needed.
* It may reduce the risk of Parkinson’s Disease. In
findings from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study at
Harvard, moderate caffeinated coffee consumption significantly
reduced the risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease as
compared to little or no daily caffeine consumption. Once
again, however, it’s too soon to make recommendations
based on either of these studies.
And there is certainly a downside to coffee consumption. The
cons:
* Drinking caffeinated beverages can interfere with getting
a good night’s sleep.
* Withdrawl symptoms. When habitual coffee drinkers go without,
they can develop mild to severe headaches, sleepiness, irritability
and nausea.
* Rapid heart beat. The caffeine can cause rapid or irregular
heartbeats.
* Drinking coffee increases the need to urinate. (It can also
have a laxative effect, which may be a pro or a con).
* It can accentuate anxiety. Too much caffeine can give you
the jitters.
The relationships of caffeine and cardiovascular disease,
fibrocystic breast disease, birth defects and reproductive
function have been studied extensively, but moderate intakes
of coffee or caffeine do not appear to have harmful effects.
Other ideas about coffee that have not panned out:
* It won’t negate the effects of alcohol. Don’t
count on black coffee to sober up a drunk.
* It won’t dehydrate you. Yes, coffee is a diuretic.
But the amount of water in a cup of coffee more than compensates
for water lost.
* It won’t leach out all of your calcium. Just a little,
and not enough to worry about if your coffee consumption is
moderate. For those who put milk in their coffee, the amount
of calcium in the milk offsets any calcium loss due to the
effects of caffeine.
Which brings me to a few final words:
* Moderate means two to three 8-ounce cups per day, or up
to about 250 milligrams of caffeine. Caffeine content varies
by type of coffee bean, strength, length of time brewed, and
other factors.
* If you use a whitener, use skim or _ percent milk or soymilk
instead of whole milk, cream, or nondairy creamers made with
hydrogenated oils. Hold sugar to a minimum.
* If you are pregnant, suffer from chronic anxiety, or have
gastrointestinal problems such as gastritis or an ulcer, follow
your health care provider’s advice about caffeine use.
For now, my cup of joe is safe. But if it gets any hotter
outside, I’ll switch to iced.
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