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.
Caffeine is the best known psychoactive substance in coffee and caffeine is responsible for many of the effects of coffee, for both good and ill. Individuals who consume four or more cups of coffee daily may experience side effects including anxiety, irritability and difficulty sleeping, although these effects are largely limited to people who are sensitive to caffeine. The results of the studies performed thus far seem to indicate that in order to derive the maximum benefits from coffee, consumption should be limited to two or three cups daily and that the beverage should be taken without milk or sugar.
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.
A Harvard University study also found a correlation between coffee consumption and a lower risk of depression in women. The study, published in The Archives of Internal Medicine, found that women who drank two to three cups of coffee per day had a 15% lower risk of developing depression, while those who drank four or more cups per day experienced a 20% lower risk of depression. The lower risk of depression in women who drink coffee regularly is thought to be due to caffeine's effects on regulating the release of neurotransmitters which affect mood.
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.
Caffeine is the best known psychoactive substance in coffee and caffeine is responsible for many of the effects of coffee, for both good and ill. Individuals who consume four or more cups of coffee daily may experience side effects including anxiety, irritability and difficulty sleeping, although these effects are largely limited to people who are sensitive to caffeine. The results of the studies performed thus far seem to indicate that in order to derive the maximum benefits from coffee, consumption should be limited to two or three cups daily and that the beverage should be taken without milk or sugar.
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.
A Harvard University study also found a correlation between coffee consumption and a lower risk of depression in women. The study, published in The Archives of Internal Medicine, found that women who drank two to three cups of coffee per day had a 15% lower risk of developing depression, while those who drank four or more cups per day experienced a 20% lower risk of depression. The lower risk of depression in women who drink coffee regularly is thought to be due to caffeine's effects on regulating the release of neurotransmitters which affect mood.
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 My Cap-supplier of Keurig k cup caps (my-cap.com) for the ideas on coffee and k-cup products. I'm not associated with My Cap and they did not review this document.
