Ruminations

Go Ahead, Have Another Cup -- Not Too Hot, Though

"Coffee consumption seems generally safe within usual levels of intake, with summary estimates indicating largest risk reduction for vicarious health outcomes at three to four cups a day, and more likely to benefit health than harm."
"Even small individual health effects could be important on a population scale."
"Coffee contains a complex mixture of bioactive compounds with plausible biological mechanisms for benefiting health."
New British research, University of Southampton

"Should doctors recommend drinking coffee to prevent disease? Should people start drinking coffee for health reasons?"
The answer is, 'no'."
Dr. Eliseo Guallar, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Drinking four cups of coffee each day can be part of a healthy diet in healthy people, new research suggests.

Credit: © dubova / Fotolia

For those addicted to daily caffeine intake, this is sturdily affirmative news from the scientific community that their craving leads to existential awards. A new study published in the British Medical Journal by British researchers has concluded with the observation that consuming coffee has great benefits, that three to four cups taken on a daily basis may result in extending lives. This, following on science giving coffee clearance as a potential carcinogen only if it is habitually consumed piping hot.

Over 200 studies were consulted by the researchers who concluded that a lower risk of death and heart disease results from drinking three to four cups of coffee daily, in comparison to drinking none at all; that any amount of coffee is a positive. A lower risk of cancers such as prostate, endometrial, leukemia, non-melanoma skin cancer and liver cancer was also cited, linked with coffee consumption.

Add to that additional benefits linking coffee as a beverage of choice to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis, Type 2 diabetes, fractures, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, all diminished in incidence resulting from simply doing what comes naturally for most people; making a beeline for the coffee pot, morning, noon and night. Only pregnant women and women with a raised risk of fracture are cautioned against immoderate coffee consumption.

There are some within the medical community expressing a certain level of skepticism. In that most of the studies in the "umbrella review" undertaken by the British researchers related to observational narration, with a mere 17 involving randomized controlled trials. Cause and effect remain unproven in observational studies. Prompting Dr. Eliseo Guallar to write an editorial caution alongside the study results in the BMJ.

Who adds there is "substantial uncertainty" revolving on the risks of consuming over five cups of coffee daily, that a more "moderate" intake representing no greater than 400 mg of caffeine a day would be prudently preferable. "Even with these caveats, moderate coffee consumption seems remarkably safe", in the final analysis, agreed Dr. Guallar.

It is generally understood that caffeine has antioxidant effects, with greater intakes daily of dietary antioxidants sourced from coffee than from tea, from fruits or vegetables, according to the researchers. Surprisingly, the team discovered decaffeinated coffee to be associated with a lower risk of death from all causes, along with cardiovascular disease. The greatest risk reduction appeared at two to four cups daily. And a statistically insignificant "marginal" benefit was identified with death from cancer.