Coffee is enjoyed by many Americans on a daily basis. In most cases, caffeinated coffee is preferred because caffeine provides a boost of energy. Other people like their coffee without the caffeine, or decaffeinated coffee. In decaffeinated coffee, the caffeine molecule is chemically extracted from the coffee beans. If you choose to drink decaffeinated coffee regularly, be aware of how it can affect your health. Drinking decaffeinated coffee on a daily basis will likely benefit your health, according to research.
Effects on the Heart
Decaffeinated coffee can have a positive effect on your heart. From 1984 to 1986, a large-scale study involving 10,359 men and women was published in the British Medical Journal analyzing the effects of caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee and tea consumption on heart disease. Researchers found that those who drank coffee, whether caffeinated or decaffeinated, had a lower risk for developing heart disease than those who did not drink coffee. Therefore, drinking decaffeinated coffee may have a positive impact on your health.
Risk for Diabetes
Researchers have shown an interest in the relationship between coffee and the development of diabetes. Van Dam performed a large study published in the 2006 Diabetes Care involving 88,259 women. The study was designed to determine the effects of coffee on developing diabetes. Coffee consumption and the incidence of new-onset diabetes was assessed over a 10-year period. Researchers found those who drank more caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee had a lower overall risk for developing diabetes.
Effects on Cholesterol
In 2010, a CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study was designed to determine if decaffeinated coffee increased the risk of developing atherosclerosis later in life. Atherosclerosis is the development of plaque in the blood vessels secondary to high cholesterol. In the study, consumption of decaffeinated coffee was recorded in 5,115 young adults 18 to 30. After following the study participants for 20 years, the relationship between coffee drinking and the development of atherosclerosis was determined. Researchers concluded that the consumption of decaffeinated coffee did not increase the risk for developing atherosclerosis.
Risk for Colon Cancer
Few studies have analyzed the effects of decaffeinated coffee on the risk for developing colon cancer. However, a 2008 review article published in the International Journal of Cancer identified two studies that showed a decreased relative risk of developing colon cancer in those who drank decaffeinated coffee. Furthermore, the author commented that the effects may be secondary to increased intestinal activity after digesting coffee, which allows less time for fecal toxins to be exposed to the intestinal lining. Although few studies have been done to analyze this effect, decaffeinated coffee may be beneficial in reducing the risk for developing colon cancer.
References
- "British Medical Journal"; Coffee and tea consumption and the prevalence of coronary heart disease in men and women: results from the Scottish Heart Health Study; Brown et al.; June 1993
- "Diabetes Care"; Coffee, Caffeine, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes A prospective cohort study in younger and middle-aged U.S. women ; van Dam et al.; February 2006
- "International Journal of Cancer"; Coffee consumption and risk of colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies; Youjin et al.; October 2008
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