Many people drink coffee in the morning to shake off fatigue. Although popularized as a morning pick-me-up, people reach for coffee to beat the midday slump, too. There is more and more scientific evidence emerging that up to 6 cups of coffee a day is not harmful, and may even be beneficial to your health.
The Study of Coffee
According to Rob van Dam, M.D., assistant professor in the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, the study of coffee is a complex issue. That's because it's not a simple beverage. Coffee contains hundreds of compounds. While the best known is caffeine, other compounds in coffee affect the body in many ways; it may be good for some health issues and bad for others.
Statistics About Coffee
"The Wall Street Journal" health columnist Melinda Beck shared statistics from a variety of research studies about coffee. One cup per day lowered the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 7 percent. If you're female and drink 2 cups a day, your risk of committing suicide drops by 60 percent. At one to 2 cups, while you could have some anxiety or stomach upset and develop withdrawal symptoms if you tried to go without coffee, the health risks seem to be limited to a few unpleasant symptoms. Drink 3 cups and drop your risk of gallstones 20 percent, but watch out if you're pregnant 3 cups doubles your risk of miscarriage. Four cups? If you're a woman, your risk of stroke is cut by 43 percent, and your risk of Type 2 diabetes decreases 25 to 35 percent. Once you increase your intake to 5 cups, you lower your risk for Alzheimer's disease by 65 percent. In a 20-year study of 50,000 men, 6 cups of coffee a day lowered the risk of advanced prostate cancer.
"A Cup" Really Means A Cup
Van Dam cautions that when research is conducted on the effects of a cup of coffee, it literally means an 8 oz. cup, and the coffee is usually unsweetened and black. That much coffee has about 100 mg of caffeine. Many popular coffeehouses offer a standard 16 oz. serving with 330 mg of caffeine. He also notes that while tea contains caffeine, it is not the same beverage as coffee --- tea contains different compounds, so the health benefits are not necessarily the same.
Considerations
While most people enjoy their coffee without worry, van Dam does not recommend that pregnant women drink more than 1 cup a day because of the possibility of miscarriage. The fetus is very sensitive to caffeine, and does not metabolize it quickly, he says. As a stimulant, coffee causes heartburn in some, anxiety and problems with sleep. If you think you might be having symptoms related to your coffee intake, be sure to discuss them with your health care professional.
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