Coffee ~ Friend Or Foe?

Coffee is the beverage we love to love . . . despite its occasional bad press.

Pour me a cup of Joe
Java juice to jump-start my day
Fragrant beans to fill my cup
Earthy elixir to light my way

So . . . is coffee our friend our foe?

Well, it depends on who you ask and when you ask them.

But, lately, more and more evidence suggests that downing a few cups of coffee each morning is a great way to start the day!

According to the Harvard Health Letter (Harvard Medical School), coffee,  chocolate, and alcohol have been cleared of much negative press and are now garnering recognition for health benefits when used “in moderation.”

Here’s some of the mostly good news about coffee:

Blood pressure. Results from long-term studies are showing that coffee may not increase the risk for high blood pressure over time, as previously thought.  Study findings for other cardiovascular effects are a mixed bag.

Cancer. Coffee might have anti-cancer properties.  Last year, researchers found that coffee drinkers were 50% less likely to get liver cancer than nondrinkers. A few studies have found ties to lower rates of colon, breast, and rectal cancers.

Cholesterol. Two substances in coffee — kahweol and cafestol — raise cholesterol levels. Paper filters capture these substances, but that doesn’t help the many people who now drink non-filtered coffee drinks, such as lattes. Researchers have also found a link between cholesterol increases and decaffeinated coffee, possibly because of the type of bean used to make certain decaffeinated coffees.

Diabetes. Heavy coffee drinkers may be half as likely to get diabetes as light drinkers or nondrinkers. Coffee may contain chemicals that lower blood sugar. A coffee habit may also increase your resting metabolism rate, which could help keep diabetes at bay.

Parkinson’s disease. Coffee seems to protect men, but not women, against Parkinson’s disease. One possible explanation for the sex difference may be that estrogen and caffeine need the same enzymes to be metabolized, and estrogen captures those enzymes.

A related article, Coffee: The New Health Food?, from WebMD states:

Want a drug that could lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and colon cancer? That could lift your mood and treat headaches? That could lower your risk of cavities?

If it sounds too good to be true, think again.

Coffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better.

“Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful,” says Tomas DePaulis, PhD, research scientist at Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Coffee Studies, which conducts its own medical research and tracks coffee studies from around the world. “For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good.”

But, wait, there’s more!

Coffee even offsets some of the damage caused by other vices, some research indicates. “People who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don’t,” says DePaulis.

Awesome!  A vice that’s nice . . . and negates other vices!

Bottoms up, fill your cup ~ dive into your day
Harvard says that coffee is more than okay
Wake up, world, and savor that café au lait
Our friendly morning beverage is here to stay

Related post:  One Mind, One Muse