Coffee-drinking associated with a reduced risk of death in women
Posted on 18 June 2008
Generally, people tend to have quite firmly established ideas about weather a food is healthy or not. And they may even have some idea about which conditions a food is supposed to protect against or promote. So, for instance, when asked to comment on red meat, most people will express the view that this food is inherently unhealthy, and will often qualify this by mentioning its supposed link with heart disease and colon cancer. And when many people think of sugary soft drinks, their mind will tend to go rapidly to problems such as tooth decay and weight gain.
Another foodstuff that tends to labour under an unhealthy image is coffee. Yet, when I ask individuals what it is about this drink that is so unhealthy I find the answers can be very vague indeed. Some may mention caffeine but be unable to say what the problem might be here. Mostly, though, individuals are unable to say what it is about coffee that makes it a supposedly undesirable beverage.
One reason for this is that there isn’t actually much evidence that coffee is unhealthy. In fact, there is a fair body of evidence suggesting quite the reverse. Not so long ago one of my blog posts looked at some of the evidence linking coffee consumption with a reduced risk of certain conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular disease (such as heart attacks and stroke).
Some have suggested that the apparent health-giving properties of coffee may come, at least in part, from the
Published June 18, 2008 . Filed under: Healthy Eating, Specific conditions, Women's Health
John Briffa says,
June 18, 2008 @ 1:41 pm
“One reason for this is that there is actually much evidence that coffee is unhealthy”
Should that read “isn’t” or have I read it wrong?
June 18, 2008 @ 5:10 pm
Did the study look at how the coffee was prepared? Was it instant or freshly brewed. Caffeinated or decaffeinated? Was milk included…seems there are a lot more questions than answers!
June 19, 2008 @ 9:15 am
Jonathan
Thanks for that – corrected now.
June 19, 2008 @ 11:08 am
One of the “unhealthy” elements of coffee is supposed (I don’t have proof) to be its effect on people who are prone to anxiety. Caffeine is allegedly able to induce panic attacks in sufficient quantity.
Six cups of coffee a day sounds like a lot if we’re talking full strength “real” coffee. I’d be climbing the walls on more than 3-4.
June 19, 2008 @ 11:18 am
Did the study account for other confounding factors such as socio-economic background, lifestyle etc?
June 19, 2008 @ 7:20 pm
Caffeine can also spike insulin in some people.
I never seemed to have problems with caffeine myself though it may hit me now if I suddenly drank lots as I have been drinking decaff ever since I fell pregnant 4 years ago. Which reminds me I do recall a negative study regarding caffeine consumption during pregnancy but I don’t recall the details.
Anyhow, regarding the comment on anxiety levels my partner has this problem. He used to drink lots of caffeine years ago and was always moody and anxious, then during a health kick dropped caffeine entirely and became much more pleasant, neither of us picked up on it. Then eventually caffeine had come back into his diet again but no where near the amounts that he used to drink and I was given my first coffee machine for Xmas. Anyway so off I went and made us a nice espresso and he went off the rails, I remember later we were in a shop being served and he practically bit my head off the lady was in shock, it was so unlike him. Thats when it dawned on us that he had a problem with caffeine.
Ever since, time and time again when he lets caffeine slip back into his diet he gets really moody and anxious without fail.
June 20, 2008 @ 3:02 am
It would be helpful to have some other perspective on coffee, for example, re caffeine, and the reputation this has for leaching calcium from the bones. Older people are presumably statistically more in danger from heart attacks, but they are also more at risk of osteoporosis than younger people.
June 20, 2008 @ 8:38 am
Sherrie’s comments show that coffee doesn’t suit everyone.
And if it doesn’t, don’t use it.
But it’s nice to know that for some of us the coffee might actually be doing us good!
June 20, 2008 @ 9:57 am
Coffee drinking is associated with insulin resistance according to this:
http://www.uoguelph.ca/research/news/articles/2004/October/caffeine.shtml
June 20, 2008 @ 1:18 pm
Isnt coffee supposed to be avoided by people with borderline or high blood pressure?
June 20, 2008 @ 7:08 pm
Some other possible benefits of coffee:
Caffeine’s bronchodilator effect of opening the air-ways can be beneficial to people suffering from acute bronchial asthma. Caffeine acts as an analgesic (pain killer) and, when combined with ibuprofen, can bring faster and longer lasting relief from tension headaches. It is often prescribed for migraine headaches. Drinking two cups of coffee before breakfast has helped individuals suffering from dizziness and other effects caused by abnormally low blood pressure.
http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/2142/Caffeine-HEALTH-EFFECTS.html
Coffee
June 22, 2008 @ 2:13 am