RICHMOND —
Coffee has been blamed for many ills such as “it will stunt your growth” to “it causes cancer.”
However, research has disproved many of these claims.
For one thing, it doesn’t stunt your growth, and for another, studies have found no association between coffee and an increased risk of cancer.
Some reports are even showing that coffee may have certain health benefits.
A study at the Harvard School of Public Health found that heavy coffee drinkers — those who had more than six cups a day — had a 29 to 54 percent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes during the 18-year study. The effect was reduced considerably if consumption dropped to 1 to 3 cups a day, and decaf coffee offered no protection at all.
Caffeine in other forms, such as soda, tea and chocolate did have some positive effect.
A 2006 study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine found that a daily cup of coffee reduced the incidence of cirrhosis of the liver by 22 percent.
Lead researcher on the study, Dr. Arthur Klatsky of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, warned that these results “should not be interpreted as giving a license to drink (alcohol) without worry, because of all the other problems connected with drinking.”
One theory offered to explain the result is that caffeine causes the release of adenosine, which helps prevent inflammation.
Other studies have shown that coffee may also protect against Parkinson’s disease.
Coffee is not without risks, however. High consumption of unfiltered coffee is linked to rises in cholesterol.
In addition, two or more cups of coffee a day increased the risk of heart disease in people with a specific and common genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body. In other words, how quickly you metabolize coffee may affect your risk.
Heavy caffeine consumption, between four and seven cups of coffee daily, typically causes anxiety, restlessness, insomnia and irritability, particularly in certain individuals who are susceptible.
Then there is the controversial issue of whether coffee intake increases risk of coronary heart disease.
Studies have shown that caffeine ingestion acutely elevates blood pressure and increases adrenaline, and produces other cardiovascular changes. Yet the adverse effects of chronic caffeine consumption on risk factors for coronary heart disease are less consistent.
Moreover, there seems to be little association with the incidence of hypertension, despite the acute increases in blood pressure.
More research on this subject needs to be undertaken. But for now, it seems moderate caffeine consumption poses few risks and may even be beneficial to one’s health.
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