Past Features

A Few Cups A Day May Keep the Doctor Away

Almost daily we are warned about the dangers of consuming too much cholesterol, trans fat, sugar, and even white bread. So it’s refreshing to find out that our morning coffee may actually be good for us.

So, when did coffee join the ranks of a health beverage? Well, in the 10th century, Arabs consumed coffee for both religious and medicinal purposes. Coffee arrived in the U.S. in 1607 with Captain John Smith and the Virginia colonists. Today, it is the second most traded product in the world, after petroleum. Dunkin’ Donuts alone sells nearly 1 billion cups a year.

For most of us when we think coffee we think of its energizing properties. Coffee —or more specifically the caffeine it contains—can increase alertness and boost performance in high-intensity, short-duration activities, like sprinting.

But whether it is decaf or regular, daily coffee consumption seems to also have positive effects on our health. Research has shown that men who drink 4 to 5 cups a day cut their risk for Parkinson’s disease almost in half. In a number of studies, men and women who regularly drank coffee have a significantly decreased risk for type 2 diabetes. Women who drank at least 2 cups of decaffeinated coffee a day had over a 50% lower incidence of rectal cancer. Japanese researchers found that those who drank coffee daily had half the incidence of liver cancer of those who never or almost never drank it. And all of these conclusions were drawn from studies with large numbers of subjects, making the findings far more reliable.

When it comes to heart disease, things get a little more complicated. Some studies show coffee raises blood pressure initially, but after time the effect goes away. A major study showed that women who drank 1 to 3 cups a day reduced their risk of heart disease by 24%. But as the quantity of coffee went up, the benefit decreased. Some researchers think coffee’s high antioxidant content—4 times that in green tea and more than that of red wine—helps to reduce inflammation, which may the reason for heart disease reduction.

Still, there are things to watch out for with coffee. There is no question that it can worsen anxiety and cause heartburn. For those with either, limiting intake is wise. A switch to decaf can lessen anxiety, but both decaf and caffeinated coffee exacerbate gastric reflux (burping and heartburn). Pregnant women have long been cautioned to go easy on coffee; heavy consumption has been linked to lower birth weight and miscarriage. A small cup or two a day is fine, but more is not wise. Coffee has also been implicated in raising cholesterol levels. This seems to occur when the coffee is made boiled and unfiltered or by the French press method. Filtered drip coffee, the brew of choice in America, does not raise cholesterol.
As most of us know, drinking caffeinated coffee regularly is mildly addictive. And, stopping caffeine intake abruptly can cause headaches and other annoying symptoms. But, the caffeine habit is very easy to break; symptoms can be eliminated by reducing consumption gradually.

The upshot? If you are a coffee drinker, there is no need to stop. If you are not, increasing coffee consumption to avoid disease may work, but you’d probably get more health benefits from eating a few more fruits and vegetables each day. And everyone’s intake should be moderate. When the researchers talk about 3 to 5 cups a day, they are referring to eight-ounce cups, not 20-ounce mocha grandees with added syrup and whipped cream. One ounce of coffee with cream and sugar equals 10 calories. Go easy—coffee calories can add up.

© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc., June 2007

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