Everyone is down at their local coffee house getting a cup of their favorite beverage. It has long been suspected that there may be some health risks associated with the regular consumption of coffee, but increasingly, it seems that any risks may be far outweighed by the beneficial effects.
Historical research holds that coffee increases your risk of everything from heart disease to cancer.
Recent scientific research indicates that the health benefits of coffee may outweigh its risks, when it is taken in moderation. The primary reason for this change in thinking is that many coffee drinkers in the older studies also smoked cigarettes, making it difficult to separate the health effects of these two substances.
While coffee contains a number of different substances, including antioxidants and psychoactive chemicals, caffeine is by far the best known chemical compound in coffee and is the one which is responsible for the best known effects of coffee, both positive and negative. For instance, some people are especially sensitive to caffeine and may experience irritability, anxiety and have trouble sleeping after drinking more than four cups of the beverage daily. From what is currently known, it is recommended to drink coffee black and in quantities not exceeding three cups daily.
Coffee increases your alertness, which can be beneficial for certain tasks. A scientific study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that caffeine improves the ability of students to detect grammatical errors in written text, especially errors in verb tense and subject verb agreement. The same study did not show an improvement in the students' ability to detect misspelled words.
Caffeine has also been linked to a lower risk of depression. A Harvard University study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine found that drinking 2 - 3 cups of coffee daily decreased the incidence of depression in women by 15%, with participants drinking 4 or more cups daily having a 20% lower risk. The results of this study indicate the beneficial effects of caffeine over the release of mood-affecting neurotransmitters.
A study published in The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that mice who were given an amount of coffee equivalent to 4 - 5 cups in humans had elevated levels of the hormone Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor, which is believed to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Coffee may also reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men. A study at the Harvard School of Public Health studied men who drink at least six cups of coffee per day. This study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and found that the risk of these men developing the most dangerous type of prostate cancer decreased by 60 percent. It also found that this amount of coffee reduced the risk of all forms of prostate cancer in the test subjects by 20 percent.
Caffeine may also reduce the risk of basal cell carcinoma, which is the most common form of cancer. This finding was recently presented to the American Association for Cancer research. A study at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School also showed that women consuming at least three cups of coffee per day experienced a 20 percent reduction in the risk of skin cancer. The men in this study experienced a 9 percent reduction.
Historical research holds that coffee increases your risk of everything from heart disease to cancer.
Recent scientific research indicates that the health benefits of coffee may outweigh its risks, when it is taken in moderation. The primary reason for this change in thinking is that many coffee drinkers in the older studies also smoked cigarettes, making it difficult to separate the health effects of these two substances.
While coffee contains a number of different substances, including antioxidants and psychoactive chemicals, caffeine is by far the best known chemical compound in coffee and is the one which is responsible for the best known effects of coffee, both positive and negative. For instance, some people are especially sensitive to caffeine and may experience irritability, anxiety and have trouble sleeping after drinking more than four cups of the beverage daily. From what is currently known, it is recommended to drink coffee black and in quantities not exceeding three cups daily.
Coffee increases your alertness, which can be beneficial for certain tasks. A scientific study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that caffeine improves the ability of students to detect grammatical errors in written text, especially errors in verb tense and subject verb agreement. The same study did not show an improvement in the students' ability to detect misspelled words.
Caffeine has also been linked to a lower risk of depression. A Harvard University study published in The Archives of Internal Medicine found that drinking 2 - 3 cups of coffee daily decreased the incidence of depression in women by 15%, with participants drinking 4 or more cups daily having a 20% lower risk. The results of this study indicate the beneficial effects of caffeine over the release of mood-affecting neurotransmitters.
A study published in The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that mice who were given an amount of coffee equivalent to 4 - 5 cups in humans had elevated levels of the hormone Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor, which is believed to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Coffee may also reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men. A study at the Harvard School of Public Health studied men who drink at least six cups of coffee per day. This study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and found that the risk of these men developing the most dangerous type of prostate cancer decreased by 60 percent. It also found that this amount of coffee reduced the risk of all forms of prostate cancer in the test subjects by 20 percent.
Caffeine may also reduce the risk of basal cell carcinoma, which is the most common form of cancer. This finding was recently presented to the American Association for Cancer research. A study at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School also showed that women consuming at least three cups of coffee per day experienced a 20 percent reduction in the risk of skin cancer. The men in this study experienced a 9 percent reduction.
About the Author:
Thank you to My Cap (www.my-cap.com) for providing ideas on coffee and k-cup products. I write about home improvement products and other ways to make your home better and more livable. I am not associated with My Cap and they did not review this document.
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