Fifty-four percent of adults in the U.S. drink at least one cup of coffee a day. While scientists don't have all the answers yet about whether coffee is good or bad for health, there does seem to be evidence for both the risks and benefits of drinking coffee on a regular basis.
History
Coffee has been blamed for many health problems in the past, ranging from cancer to heart disease to increased anxiety. But in recent years the research has not borne out many of these claims, according to Donald Hensrud, M.D., a Mayo Clinic preventive medicine specialist. Instead, the historical connection between coffee and ill health may be due to other high-risk behaviors, such as smoking, that many coffee drinkers in previous studies also had.
Benefits
Some of the benefits that coffee has been associated with include lowering the risk of Parkinson's disease and some types of cancer. According to the December 2009 Wall Street Journal article, coffee helps prevent type 2 diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease. Six cups a day seems to cut prostate cancer risk, while three daily cups reduces the incidence of gallstones. Two cups of daily coffee may even keep people from committing suicide, lowering the risk by 60 percent.
Risks
Some of the health risks that have been enumerated regarding coffee may be related to the way that the body metabolizes the drink. People with a specific set of genes, for example, may be more likely to have heart disease if they frequently drink coffee, while those without that gene set see no increased risk, according to Dr. Hensrud. Frequent consumption of high levels of caffeine has also been linked to irritability, headaches and anxiety. The caffeine found in coffee also has been shown to raise blood pressure, increase the risk of miscarriage in pregnant women and raise blood sugar levels in people who are already diabetic.
Ingredients
Caffeine is the main ingredient that has been studied regarding the health effects of coffee, since it is a primary component of the drink. Some other components suggested as things that might confer protective effects include potassium, chlorogenic acid, vitamin E and magnesium.
Moderation
Moderation seems to be key to getting all of the health benefits of coffee without incurring the risks. Many of the studies on coffee have looked at people who drank one to six cups a day. Eight cups of coffee a day is probably too much. But it's important to remember that the effects of coffee may be highly individualistic, with one person's optimal dose being too much for another.
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