Best to consider your own personal health profile and don’t overdo it.
There’s no doubt about it: Coffee contains bioactive compounds, including disease-fighting antioxidants, associated with multiple physical and mental health benefits that both protect and enhance our well-being. And for many people, coffee is a primary go-to drink for social get-togethers and simply waking up and getting moving at the start of the day.
At the same time, coffee contains caffeine, also a potential source of antioxidants, but one that stimulates (and can overstimulate) your central nervous system to the extent that it causes or increases anxiety, dizziness, and insomnia, raises your blood pressure, releases acid into your stomach that can contribute to heartburn, and acts as a diuretic, which means you urinate more often, losing both body fluids and essential minerals that function as electrolytes. And while not necessarily addictive, you can develop a dependence on caffeine to the degree that you suffer physical discomfort when you quit the habit.
Several studies published in 2019 found that, as you get older, habitual coffee drinking can reduce the risk of developing any of several chronic diseases, increase attentiveness and cautiousness, and prevent accidents, all of which can help you live a longer life. In fact, the findings of one meta-analysis, published in the August 2019 issue of European Journal of Epidemiology, found that the lowest risk of death from any cause was associated with drinking 3.5 cups of coffee a day, the lowest risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was associated with drinking 2.5 cups a day, and the lowest risk of dying from cancer was linked to just 2 cups a day.
There was no additional benefit to drinking more than that amount, in any category. In fact, other recently published research found that drinking too much coffee could have detrimental effects on your health. One study found that drinking more than four to six cups of coffee a day increases the risk of developing bladder cancer. And for some people who are prone to episodic migraines, drinking three or more cups of coffee or other caffeinated beverages a day may trigger a headache that same day or the next, according to one Harvard study published in the American Journal of Medicine.
The bottom line: For most people, up to 400 mg of caffeine a day from coffee or other sources is considered safe and could provide benefits. To put that number in perspective, an 8-ounce cup of coffee generally contains between 95mg and 200 mg of caffeine. An 8-ounce cola drink generally contains 35 mg to 45 mg. An average 8-ounce cup of black tea contains between 14 and 60 mg of caffeine, depending on how long it steeps. Energy drinks and gums, and some over-the-counter medications such as pain relievers, cold medications, and pharmaceuticals that are meant to keep you alert also contain caffeine; check product packaging and labels for amounts.
For people more sensitive to the effects of caffeine, however, even a cup or two of coffee might be too much, and the risks may outweigh the benefits. What if you already have anxiety issues or high blood pressure, have experienced heartburn, or are prone to dehydration? The best advice is to consider your own personal health profile and discuss the benefits vs. the harm of drinking coffee with health-care providers familiar with your medical history.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cravings/201910/coffee-does-it-help-or-harm-you
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