Coffee news not so bad

First the goods news: Coffee has a lot of antioxidants. There’s been a ton of research done on it – some 19,000 studies according to WebMD. “Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful”, says Tomas DePaulis, Ph.D., a research scientist at Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Coffee Studies. “For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good can result”.

Research shows that people who drink coffee regularly are up to 80 percent less likely to develop Parkinson’s, are 25 percent less likely to develop colon cancer, have an 80 percent reduction in their risk for liver cirrhosis, and have an almost 50 percent lower risk for gallstones. A widely reported 2004 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine by Harvard researchers show that long-term coffee consumption substantially and significantly reduces the risk for type 2 diabetes.

Even the aroma of coffee can have some benefits by positively affecting both genes and brain proteins, according to a 2008 study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry (giving new meaning to the old saying “Wake up and smell the coffee!”). Researchers from Seoul National University found that merely sniffing coffee actually affected seventeen different genes in the brain, at least in rats. Levels of some brain proteins also changed in way that could increase antioxidant function and have a smoothing effect on stress.

The bad news is that many people abuse this potentially beneficial substance, literally running their empty engines on the false fuel of caffeine. Instead of using it as a pick-me-up and mild energy enhancer, they depend on it to overrule any brain messages telling them to slow down. For some susceptible people, the increase in blood pressure (though usually temporary) can be problem. Plus coffee is an acidic beverage, something most of us don’t need more of in our diet.

The best solution? Use your Judgment. I don’t think coffee is a health hazard, and truth be told, I wouldn’t be without it. 9Full disclosure: Espresso is my favorite). But you really don’t want to drink coffee late in the afternoon (it stays in your system way longer than you might think, decreasing the effectiveness and quality of your sleep), and you don’t want to drink too much, (“too much” being defined as the amount that makes you feel jittery and keeps you awake at night). I also highly recommend organic, because coffee can be a highly sprayed crop loaded with toxins.

However, for a quick energy boost, or a before-exercise performance enhancer, you can’t beat it. “People who already drink a lot of coffee don’t have to feel quilty as long as coffee does not affect their daily life”, says Harvard researcher Frank Hu, M.D. “They may actually benefit from coffee habits in the long run”.

Amen to that.