Coffee is a morning necessity for many people. The much-loved drink can improve mental focus, elevate mood, and delay fatigue.
The benefits of drinking coffee go beyond its mental benefits. Research suggests that if you drink enough of it, coffee can protect your long-term health.
There is, however, a tipping point. Drinking too much coffee can cause unwanted side effects and, as some research suggests, can also increase the risk of heart disease.
Is coffee good for health?
Abundant evidence suggests that drinking three to five cups of coffee a day, and in some cases, reduces the risk of many chronic diseases. (Researchers define a cup of coffee as six or eight ounces.)
Coffee consumption, whether regular or decaffeinated, was found to still protect against type 2 diabetes. A large review of studies, published in 2017, reported that as coffee consumption increased from one to six cups per day, the risk of diabetes was reduced.
Among healthy people, coffee may also benefit heart health. Observational studies have linked coffee drinking up to three cups a day (versus none) to a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and death from cardiovascular disease.
And according to data released this year from three long-term heart studies, drinking one or more cups of coffee daily may reduce the risk of heart failure. Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle weakens and cannot pump enough blood quickly to meet the body’s needs; Risk factors include high blood pressure, heart attack, diabetes, and obesity.
Coffee consumption has also been linked to protection against gallstones, Parkinson’s disease, liver disease and certain cancers.
Heavy coffee consumption (six or more cups a day), however, has been linked to a modest increase in heart disease risk. A 2020 study also linked drinking nine or more cups of unfiltered coffee per day (e.g. Turkish or French press) to an increased risk of cardiovascular death.
What’s in the coffee?
Coffee contains a wide range of phytochemicals, some of which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Compounds in coffee called diterpenes are thought to have anti-cancer effects.
Coffee also contains magnesium, a mineral that helps the body secrete and use insulin properly.
Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, increasing alertness, and it also acts as an antioxidant. Decaffeination therefore reduces the antioxidant potential of coffee.
A byproduct of caffeine metabolism, paraxanthin, has been shown to slow the growth of scar tissue, which may help protect liver health.
Contrary to popular belief, drinking coffee does not dehydrate you. Even though caffeine is a mild diuretic (a substance that makes you urinate), the amount of water in coffee makes up for that.
The downsides of caffeine, intake guidelines
For healthy adults, Health Canada recommends no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, an amount found in about three eight-ounce cups of brewed coffee, six one-ounce shots of espresso, or 10 cups of tea. eight ounces.
Too much caffeine can cause headaches, make you irritable or anxious, interfere with sleep, upset digestion and raise blood pressure. Caffeine sensitivity varies from person to person, so some people may experience these effects with small amounts.
Women who are pregnant, nursing, or planning to become pregnant should limit their caffeine intake to 300 mg per day. Large amounts of caffeine can increase the risk of miscarriage or low birth weight.
Children, who are more at risk of experiencing side effects from caffeine, should consume no more than 45 mg (4 to 6 years), 62.5 mg (7 to 9 years) and 85 mg (10 to 12 years).
It is wise to limit caffeine if you suffer from anxiety, difficulty controlling your blood pressure, insomnia or osteoporosis and if you consume too little calcium in your diet.
If you suffer from gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD), drinking coffee – regular or decaffeinated – can trigger or worsen symptoms.
If you must change your coffee drinking habits, please reduce gradually to help prevent withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, irritability, fatigue and muscle aches.
Make it a goal to eliminate caffeine after noon; replace with sparkling water, decaffeinated coffee or herbal tea.
Aerial view of various coffee
Green or black tea contains much less caffeine than regular coffee. The same goes for cola, but I don’t recommend drinking it (or any soft drink). Artificially sweetened or sugar-sweetened soft drinks are highly processed beverages that should be limited.
If you buy your coffee, order it half regular, half decaffeinated to dilute its caffeine content. And consider ordering a size smaller.
