Health Benefits of Coffee

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages today and it is surrounded by controversy about how it affects your health. Coffee lovers (or addicts) will welcome new scientific research proving that coffee in fact has many health benefits.

Coffee as a Health Food?

You most likely have heard that your daily cup of coffee will give your mood a lift and improve your athletic abilities. But did you know that it is also said to protect against Parkinson’s Disease, Diabetes, gallstones and some types of cancer?

In 2005, research was done at the National Institute of Diabetes. This study found that having two cups of coffee a day considerably lowers the risk of chronic liver disease in those that are already high risk.

"If its benefits continue to mount, coffee may come to be viewed as a health food," says Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. This is in great contrast from past opinion, when regular coffee consumption was thought to contribute to illnesses such as elevated levels of cholesterol, pancreatic cancer, fibrocystic breast and fatal heart arrhythmias. (See our article on Five Coffee Myths Busted.)

Coffee Vindicated

The big turnaround came from further testing of the initial data. When larger scale research studies were performed they contradicted the original findings. "A lot of early research was flawed," says Manfred Kroger, a retired food scientist from Pennsylvania State University who performed tracking. "Coffee lovers are more likely to do harmful things like smoke and drink alcohol in excess, so coffee was often falsely incriminated."

Coffee In Moderation

Now this doesn’t mean that you should start a pot-a-day habit because over indulgence it is never a good idea. Coffee should still be thought of as a “drug” and moderation is always recommended. There are possible side effects from the caffeine in coffee and it can cause upset stomach, aggravate heartburn, cause shakiness and interrupt healthy sleep.

What about those hard core coffee drinkers that already top out their caffeine fix? "If you're already drinking five or six cups a day, I'd be hard pressed to come up with a reason you should cut back," says Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and a leading investigator of coffee.

However, if you are adding cream, sugar and syrups then it is probably not the caffeine that may cause your health issues, it would be the calorie, fat and sugar content of the coffee drink.

Coffee Health Benefits

Nutrition experts agree that, just like tea, coffee is full of antioxidants; and as an added benefit, coffee contains fiber. "Coffee is by far the largest source of antioxidants in our diet," says Joe Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

You’re thinking it is because it is consumed more than any other beverage, but that’s not the case. In laboratory tests, coffee was at the top of the list of foods that are dense in antioxidants. What is most surprising is that coffee actually was richer in antioxidants than blueberries, broccoli, and most other produce thought to be synonymous with antioxidant powers.

Only three foods surpassed coffee, and that was chocolate, dried fruits, and dried beans. Great news for chocolate lovers!

Coffee as an Antidepressant

We are all familiar with the alertness we get from the first cup of the day but it is also suggested that caffeine may help those with mild depression. A Harvard study in America followed 80,000 women.

They found of those 80,000, those who drank more than two or three cups of coffee daily lowered their risk of suicide over a ten year period by approximately one third.

Coffee Fights Parkinson’s Disease

Another benefit of coffee consumption is in the area of Parinson’s Disease. Research is indicating that the caffeine stimulant in coffee hinders the brain-cell destruction that occurs with Parkinson's.

Another research project in Hawaii studied 8,000 Japanese-American men over a 30 year time frame. It was concluded that those that consumed coffee were approximately 48% to 84% less likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson's. Another mainland study produced similar results and contributed the lower rate to caffeine in coffee, tea, and colas.

Coffee Reduces Muscle Fatigue

In addition, the caffeine in coffee reduces muscle fatigue and is beneficial for speed and endurance. Athletes have known this and have used this knowledge as a competitive edge.

Sports physiologists are studying caffeine's ability to trigger and release adrenaline. This process strengthens muscle contractions and creates energy from fatty acids.

Coffee Reduces Gallstones

As with the known ability for caffeine to strengthen muscle contractions, this may explain the lower rate of gallstones of coffee drinkers. In the gall bladder, caffeine additionally promotes contractions; which is why research is able to explain the fact that routine drinkers have fewer gallstones.

Further Coffee Benefits

Studied Since coffee is consumed by a major part of the population, further research is being done to find benefits and safety of this beverage. Because coffee is made up of more than one substance, it is more difficult to say which of the ingredients is “the” beneficial element.

Coffee Reduces Risk of Type II Diabets

Currently American, Finnish, and Swedish studies all indicate that coffee will reduce the risk of type two Diabetes. Surprisingly, both decaffeinated and regular coffee produce the same results. There is also another interesting factor in that the more that was consumed, the more benefits were produced.

Now, I’m not recommending it but, in the study, those who drank in excess of five cups per day reduced their risk by at over 50%. The possible risk reduction may be that coffee contains Potassium, Niacin, Magnesium, Chlorogenic Ccids, and Tocopherols; and researchers believe that these nutrients may counteract type 2 diabetes.

Coffee and Cancer Research

Scientists are still performing research on coffee and finding that coffee helps with certain cancers; although they have not found the exact reasoning behind why.

Coffee and Liver Caner Study

Recently, a study in Japan was done regarding liver cancer. Japan was chosen because there is an unusually high occurrence there. The study included 90,000 males and found that those with a regular coffee habit are 50% less likely to develop liver cancer.

Coffee and Liver Disease Report

This supports a 2005 report regarding coffee and the liver that was published in the journal “Gastroenterology”. Researchers are finding that people who are overweight or those who overindulge in alcohol are about half as likely to develop cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases (which lead to liver cancer) if they drink as just two cups of coffee per day. This is compared with people who drink less than a cup per day.

Coffee Lowers Bladder Cancer Risk

In heavy smokers, higher coffee consumption has been linked to a lower occurrence of bladder cancer in heavy smokers. This could be because of the high concentrations of antioxidants contained in coffee or the caffeine content or a combination. Whatever the ingredient, coffee lowers the risk.

Coffee Reduces Risk for Gout

There is a decreased risk of gout amongst coffee drinkers as shown in a study of men over age 40 at Harvard by Walter Willett. In this study over 45,000 men were followed for a 12-year period.

The findings were that the risk for developing gout in men over the age of 40 was inversely proportional with the amount of coffee that they drank. This is good news for gout sufferers.

Coffee for Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

Several studies were performed that compared moderate coffee drinkers (3-5 cups per day) with light coffee drinkers (0-2 cups per day). The results showed that those who were moderate coffee drinkers were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease later in life than light coffee drinkers.

Further research found that moderate coffee drinkers also had reduced their risk of developing dementia in addition to Alzheimer’s.

Coffee Considerations

To drink or not to drink, that’s the question. With all the great health benefits of this wonderful beverage, what’s left to consider? As far as health is concerned you will always want to make sure that you don’t have a special condition that will put you at risk and it is always best to drink in moderation.

Coffee Addiction

With all the talk of the many health benefits, there is another consideration if you do consume coffee on a regular basis….you will get addicted. The more consumed, the stronger the addiction.

Have you ever met someone that cannot function without their first cup of coffee? Oh, and don’t even try talking to them until after that first cup. Coffee is a drug and coming off of it can feel quite uncomfortable.

Quitting can cause withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and just plain irritability.

Coffee For Me

Fortunately, there are health benefits for those that are regular coffee drinkers and stores that are open 24 hours a day to support your habit if you run out. All things considered I’ll just sip my delicious coffee beverage as I review all the health benefits in which I am partaking.