Is coffee bad for you?
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Coffee – highly researched for health effects
A common question that worried consumers ask is “Is coffee bad for you?” To answer this, let’s rely on scientific research. Across the world, billions of cups of coffee are consumed around the world each year.
Coffee contains caffeine, and as such the scientific fraternity have been interested to see the effects on health. Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise you to know that from a research stand point, few other food & drinks have been reviewed and studied as much as coffee has been.
Incorrect old research created myths and misconceptions
So where did the question “Is coffee bad for you?” gather momentum? The reason for the belief that coffee is bad for you comes from myths and misconceptions which include the belief that coffee stunts your growth, coffee causes heart disease, coffee causes cancer.
Some of these myths have their origins in old scientific research which investigated health patterns of coffee drinkers. However, what was missed was the other factors that these coffee drinkers typified.
For instance, decades ago, coffee drinkers also did fit into the profile of being sedentary, heavy smokers who were generally in poor health. These other factors were more the cause for the health problems than coffee per se. In fact, none of the issues that were stated can be attributed to the effect of coffee.
How you metabolise coffee is important
For a percentage of the population, excessive coffee could create a health risk. If you have a mutation of the gene that’s involved in caffeine metabolism, it is possible that more than two cups a day could increase your risk of a non-fatal heart attack. So how quickly you can metabolise coffee is important in figuring out whether you have a health risk.
Coffee could lead to health benefits
But other than this one health risk, modern research has turned the misconceptions about coffee being bad for you on its head. What latest studies have shown is that coffee in limited amounts could be good for you, with specific improvements to mortality risks, risks of certain types of cancer, cognitive function and so on.
The thing to keep in mind is that when you consume coffee, if you take it with milk and sugar, you are probably adding several hundred additional calories a day. Then the health risk created is because of these additional calories rather than coffee itself.
What’s the take away then?
Coffee consumed in moderation – one to two cups a day does not appear to cause health-related risks.
Therefore, the answer is no, coffee is not bad for you. But this is subject to scientific research not making any startling new discovery which might cause a rethink in the future.