If you enjoy reading your morning paper while sipping a cup (or two) of coffee, it seems there's no reason to stop. Mounting evidence suggests that, for most people, drinking coffee does more good than harm.
It wasn't long ago when coffee was linked to heart disease, osteoporosis, infertility and pancreatic cancer. Now research suggests that if you drink enough of it, you'll lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, asthma, gallstones, Parkinson's disease, liver cancer and possibly colon cancer. And you'll feel more alert and work out harder at the gym.
That's positive news for coffee-loving Canadians who prefer the beverage over tea, milk, juice, soft drinks and beer. According to the Coffee Association of Canada, nearly two-thirds of Canadians drink an average of 2.33 cups of coffee every day.
The most promising evidence for coffee's health benefits come from studies on diabetes. In a report that combined data from nine large studies, people who drank four to six cups of coffee a day were 28 per cent less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes compared with those who drank two cups or fewer. Drinking more than six cups each day reduced the risk by 35 per cent.
Despite earlier concerns that coffee might be bad for your heart, studies haven't found a connection. In fact, one study conducted among 41,836 healthy women, aged 55 to 69, found that drinking one to six cups of coffee a day - caffeinated and decaffeinated - reduced the risk of dying from heart disease. A daily intake of four to six cups was found to be most protective.
Several studies have connected habitual coffee consumption with protection from Parkinson's disease. In two studies, Harvard researchers found that men who consumed the most caffeine reduced their risk for Parkinson's disease by 48 per cent. Among women, those who drank one to three cups of coffee a day had a 50-per-cent reduction in risk.
Coffee also seems to protect the liver from the effects of alcohol and toxins. A recent analysis of findings from nine studies on more than 240,000 people with and without a history of cirrhosis concluded that the risk of liver cancer was cut by 43 per cent for each two cups of coffee a day.
In terms of performance, studies suggest that two cups of coffee can improve endurance performance in activities such as running, cycling and cross-country skiing. Coffee also stimulates the brain and enhances mental alertness, particularly if you spread your intake out over the course of the day.
Researchers suspect that some of coffee's benefits are linked to its antioxidants, some of which become more potent during roasting. Antioxidants in coffee - both caffeinated and decaffeinated - are thought to dampen inflammation in the body and improve how it uses insulin, the hormone that lowers blood sugar. Coffee also contains magnesium, a mineral linked to blood sugar regulation.
Caffeine is also thought to play a role. The caffeine in coffee helps treat asthma symptoms, enhances physical performance and boosts mental alertness. Coffee's protective effects against gallstones and Parkinson's disease are also attributed to caffeine.
But regular coffee isn't for everyone. Studies suggest that excess caffeine can boost blood pressure and heart rate, a concern for people with high blood pressure and heart disease. In postmenopausal women who don't get enough calcium, consuming 450 milligrams of caffeine a day - about three eight-ounce cups of coffee - has been linked with having a lower bone density. (Caffeine increases the amount of calcium your kidneys excrete in the urine.) And some studies suggest that high intakes of caffeine during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage.
Caffeine is a stimulant drug that's mildly addictive. If you're a habitual coffee drinker and you miss your daily dose, you can experience indigestion, muscle soreness, headache, irritability and even slight depression.
