Once thought to raise blood pressure and pose other health risks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture now states that “coffee can be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle.” Read through this article about coffee’s and your health to find out more:
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Over the last year, there has been lots of stories on coffee and its pros and cons for health. Now, the consensus is that coffee is the latest “super food.”
Worldwide, over 400 billion cups of coffee are consumed every year.
A federal advisory committee that helps write the Dietary Guidelines for Americans weighed in on coffee for the first time and concluded that drinking up to five cups a day can be part of a “healthy lifestyle.”
The group wrote that “strong and consistent evidence shows that consumption of coffee within the moderate range…is not associated with increased risk of major chronic diseases.”
A government panel now says that consuming as many as five cups of coffee daily was associated with health benefits, such as reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture now agrees that “coffee can be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle,” provided that you limit intake to 3-5 cups a day and avoid creams and sugars.
Large studies over the last few years have shown that coffee consumption is associated with lower risk for heart disease and stroke, lower risk for certain cancers, reduced rates of type 2 diabetes and more.
The USDA concluded that there is strong and consistent evidence that consumption of moderate amounts of coffee is not associated with an elevated risk for heart disease, cancer and premature death in healthy adults. In addition, there is good evidence that moderate coffee consumption is also associated with a decreased risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease in adults.
There is observational evidence that shows coffee is associated with a decreased risk for uterine and liver cancers as well.
One study even shows coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.
More significantly, a 10-year study that was published late last year showed that coffee consumption was associated with a decreased risk for death.
In the 10-year U.S. study, people who drank coffee regularly were less likely to die of many causes, including heart disease and diabetes, than those who didn’t drink coffee at all.
The more coffee study participants consumed, the lower their risk of dying, and decaf drinkers showed a similar pattern.
The mechanism by which coffee provides health benefits is not completely understood. Coffee contains numerous biologically active compounds, including phenolic acids, potassium, and caffeine. Many of these are antioxidants—chemicals which protect our body’s cells from injury and illness.
For the most part the CDC recommends no more than 3-5 cups a day (around 400mg of caffeine for adults, only around 200mgs for pregnant women and only 40-80mg for children, if any). To put that in perspective, a soda has 40mg of caffeine.
We are starting to learn that our genetics actually may determine how quickly our bodies metabolize and eliminate caffeine so a particular amount of coffee may affect different people in different ways. Side effects of too much coffee may include insomnia, rapid heart rate anxiety and may exacerbate other conditions. One day we will be able to perform genetic testing to determine your optimal caffeine dose.
This is not a free pass, however—coffee should be consumed in moderation and is healthy if you do not add unneeded (and hidden) calories from cream and sugar—this makes coffee truly unhealthy due to risk for weight gain and obesity.
If you do not already drink coffee there is little reason to start drinking it for health benefits alone. If you are seeking to improve your health status you should also be exhibiting other healthy behaviors such as eliminating smoking, regular exercise and a balanced diet.
SRC: See the full article here: wncn.com/2016/01/11/dr-campbell-is-coffee-the-best-health-food-of-2016/