Coffee & Health

It is a well known fact that coffee contains several compounds which to cause some chemical reactions inside the human body. Depending on type and quantity of coffee consumed, those chemical activities are able to give both benefits and risks to the human body. Here is the list of some benefits and risks caused by consuming coffee.

Benefits

If coffee was properly consumed, it will have many positive effects on the human body. In recent decades, more than 19,000 studies have been conducted examining coffee’s impact on human health. Interestingly, most part of those researches indicates that coffee has more beneficial effects than unwholesome impacts. The benefits of consuming coffee are listed as follows.

Reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

• In recent years, several studies about benefits and risks of regular consumption of coffee reveal similar findings that those who drink more coffee are significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease later in life. Drinking about 2 cups a day is recommended.

Reduced risk of gallstone disease

• Some researchers claim that drinking coffee every day in a proper quantity might help prevent the risk of gallstones in both men and women. According to two studies performed by the Harvard School of Public Health, it was revealed that a lessened risk was not seen in those who drank decaffeinated coffee and that drinking coffee regularly is able to reduce nearly 50% the risk of gallstones.

Reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease

• At least six studies comparing heavy coffee drinkers who consume 3.5 cups a day with non-drinkers found that the coffee drinkers were significantly less likely to contract Parkinson’s disease later in life. From their research, Harvard researchers claim that after analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18 years, people who drink one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by only single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men’s risk by 54% and women’s by 30%.

Reduced risk of cancer

• There are many studies which explain that drinking coffee regularly may help to reduce the risk of cancer in both men and women. A recent research shows that between regular coffee drinkers and non-drinkers, people who drink at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer.

Increase cognitive performance

• Coffee can also help to increase cognitive performance. A study which was conducted to evaluate the level of cognitive performance in humans revealed that participants who regularly drank coffee were found to perform better on all tests. Other studies found that elderly women who are over 80 years of age have a higher tendency to perform better in cognitive tests if in their lifetime they drank coffee regularly.

Risks

Although there are many findings which indicate that coffee provides many useful and beneficial effects to human body, some theories argue that too much consumption of coffee can have negative effects on human health. These are examples of risks which are caused by excessive coffee drinking.

• Anxiety and sleep changes

If one has had too much caffeine inside their body, it is a well-known fact that “coffee jitters,” a nervous condition, will inevitably occur. Additionally, an excessive amount of caffeine can also cause insomnia for some people.

• Effects on pregnancy

A pregnant woman is strongly discouraged from consuming caffeine during pregnancy. A study of 18,478 women found that pregnant women who drank eight or more cups a day were at a 220% increased risk compared with non-drinkers.

• Blood pressure

Risk of high blood pressure which is caused by excessive coffee consumption has been confirmed by a recent study of Harvard Med, which revealed that coffee is the main cause of blood pressure in both men and women, especially in the elderly.