Is Coffee Bad for You? Actually, It Offers a Host of Health Benefits

If you're asking “Is coffee bad for you?” you may be overdoing it. Consumed in moderation, coffee offers multiple health benefits.

is coffee bad for you

Is coffee bad for you? There are risks but by and large, it's got multiple health benefits—if consumed in moderation.

© Rui Matos | Dreamstime

Is coffee bad for you? As you’ve likely seen in multiple health-related headlines over the years, coffee offers numerous health benefits, if you’re drinking it in moderation. On the other hand, the “coffee health benefits” headlines you’ve seen have been accompanied by others that lead you to an opposite conclusion: that drinking coffee comes with risks.

Without a doubt, research on coffee benefits can seem contradictory. For example, we found studies that said coffee can decrease your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and others showing that caffeine can disrupt glucose metabolism in the body, contributing to the development or worsening of type 2 diabetes. Clearly, more research is needed.

WILL COFFEE REQUIRE CANCER WARNING LABELS?

In March 2018, a California Superior Court judge issued a preliminary ruling that may force coffee manufacturers and sellers to place cancer warning labels on coffee products. Does coffee cause cancer, or is the ruling a matter of much ado about nothing? Click here to read our report.

Is Coffee Bad for You? Not If You’re Drinking It in Moderation

Fortunately, most research and medical professionals agree that coffee has strong health benefits when consumed in moderation. The good news for those of us who love coffee: “Moderate” drinking is defined as three to five cups per day. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are 11 mg of caffeine in an eight-ounce cup of coffee. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says 400 mg of caffeine is safe for healthy adults.

There are risks with even moderate coffee drinking, however. Among them:

    • Addiction: According to The Good Drugs Guide, caffeine is ranked fifth in a list of addictive substances, following nicotine, heroin, cocaine, and alcohol. It’s more addictive than marijuana, which ranks sixth. Since caffeine is addictive, you can suffer withdrawal symptoms when you don’t consume it. The most frequent sign is a headache. (See our post “Do You Have a Caffeine Addiction?“)Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance, which is a drug that acts on the central nervous system and can alter brain function. That’s why a coffee drinker gets a feeling of alertnesss—or jittery, nervous feeling—when drinking coffee. You can build up tolerance to caffeine’s effects, causing you to need more to get the same effect, another sign of addiction.
    • Insomnia: Caffeine makes your brain more alert, so it’s nearly impossible to sleep. A few of us aren’t bothered by it at all, quickly metabolizing caffeine without all the downsides. If coffee keeps you awake, you can control the effects of caffeine by timing your intake: Limit yourself to morning coffee only, for example, to avoid insomnia.

      Caffeine’s half-life is four to six hours, which means at that point, your body has eliminated half of the caffeine you’ve taken in, greatly reducing its effects. However, it will take a little over a day—without any additional caffeine consumption—to eliminate all the caffeine.

Coffee Benefits

SOURCES & RESOURCES

For related reading on coffee consumption, please visit these University Health News posts:

Drinking coffee in moderation has many health benefits, including:

  1. It’s rich in antioxidants (including magnesium, riboflavin, and potassium), which help prevent or lessen damage from aging, cancers, and disease.
  2. It helps control tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. (See also “Your Cup of Morning Coffee Could Prevent Ringing in The Ears.”
  3. It may hep in prevention of cancers (including prostate, breast, liver, and colorectal).
  4. It helps burn calories by boosting metabolic rate.
  5. It may offer protection from dementia.
  6. It’s been shown to boost cognitive function.
  7. It can lower the risk of depression.
  8. It can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
  9. It may lower risk of stroke and heart disease.

As a service to our readers, University Health News offers a vast archive of free digital content. Please note the date published or last update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

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Cindy Foley

Cindy Foley is the editor of several health reports, including Managing Your Cholesterol, Core Fitness, and Brain Power & Nutrition, among others. Foley has worked in the private medical practice field … Read More

View all posts by Cindy Foley

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