Coffee: Should you drink it or not?

Let’s see, since June last year this blog has summarized 8 reports on the effects of coffee and caffeine and health.

What should we make of all this?

Fiber

• Coffee is a source of soluble dietary fiber.

Pain

• About 2 cups of coffee cut post-workout muscle pain by up to 48%.

Alzheimer’s disease

• Caffeine might protect against developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Alcoholic cirrhosis

• An ingredient in coffee protects against cirrhosis.

Diabetes

• Drinking more leads to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
• When compared with women who did not drink coffee, those who consumed 6 or more cups per day had a 22% lower risk of diabetes.

Psoriasis

• Coffee is traditionally blamed as contributing to psoriasis.
• But this study concluded, “Patients with psoriasis who drink coffee frequently respond better to treatment with methotrexate and sulfasalazine.”

Overall, it’s been a pretty good year for coffee.

For balance, Harvard Health Publications says, “Caffeine, coffee’s main ingredient is a mild addictive stimulant. And coffee does have modest cardiovascular effects such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and occasional irregular heartbeat that should be considered. Studies have been largely inconclusive regarding coffee and its effect on women’s health issues such as breast health, cancer, and osteoporosis. But, the negative effects of coffee tend to emerge in excessive drinking so it is best to avoid heavy consumption.”

In fact, most recently, coffee abstinence was associated with a lower hypertension risk than low coffee consumption.

3/7/07 19:09 JR