The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Coffee Consumption

Coffee is heavily studied, but study results contradict one another. If science says that it is bad for you today, wait a day or two and another study will be published claiming the exact opposite findings.

The Good:

Coffee has had its medicinal purposes. My own ancestors used it to treat asthma. Certain chemicals in coffee have even be proven effective at stimulating bronchial dilation of people previously diagnosed with specific types of asthma. Some modern day asthma medications are even made from chemicals in the caffeine family.

Newly published findings suggest that men drinking caffeinated beverages, including coffee, have as much as a 3 to 6 times lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

The caffeine in coffee increases your metabolic rate, making weight loss faster and easier. It has also been associated with a reduced risk of suicide in women.

The Bad:

Women who drink more than one cup a day of decaf are considered at a much higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. The theory is that the chemically decaffeinated products are causing the increased risk of autoimmunity. If you are going to drink decaffeinated coffee anyway, be sure that it uses a non-chemical based method.

Those at risk of heart disease and stroke should avoid coffee. Drinking coffee interferes with your body's ability to keep homocysteine and cholesterol levels in check and can increase blood pressure. (According to a study done in the Netherlands, this is true even if the coffee is filtered.) Raised levels of homocysteine are as a factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. Australian researchers found drinking coffee has potentially harmful effects on blood vessels. The caffeine may cause a loss of aortic elasticity, the main artery supplying blood to the body.

The findings are disputed by the coffee industry and some studies, but it also appears to be associated with an increased risk for breast and endometrial cancer. This is due to an increase in estrogen levels.

Studies have also shown that caffeine in coffee can raise levels of stress hormones and can lead to heart palpitations, jitters, and nervousness. People with panic or anxiety disorders can be especially sensitive to the caffeine in coffee. Even in small amounts, the stimulant can exacerbate their symptoms.

Coffee relaxes the esophagus causing reflux.

The Ugly:

Pregnant and nursing women should never drink coffee. Caffeine is a stimulant drug that easily passes through the placenta to the developing fetus and is also transferred through breast milk. Fetuses have no ability to detoxify caffeine. Drink coffee increases the risk of miscarriage and various birth defects.

For more information, visit the following:

How Bad is it Really? http://www.mercola.com/2003/dec/10/coffee.htm

Coffee Drinkers Face Lower Parkinson's Disease Risk
http://www.mercola.com/2000/may/28/coffee_parkinson.htm

Coffee May Damage Blood Vessels
http://www.mercola.com/2000/sep/17/coffee_blood_vessels.htm

Coffee and Suicide http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9603/coffee_suicide/

Coffee and Diabetes http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/news/coff_diab.htm

Coffee and Reflux http://www.s-t.com/daily/03-97/03-11-97/b01ho075.htm

Coffee and Addiction
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=C1VYBJVSS04E2CRBAEZSFFA?type=healthNews&storyID=6369844

Heidi Whitaker is an author and speaker on the topic of nutritional support of autoimmune disease. She is also the co-owner of http://www.healthydivas.com. To read other articles written by Heidi or to learn how to participate in her next free teleseminar, visit her blog at http://autoimmune.myblogsite.com/blog.

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

La Minita Coffee - It's in the Green Beans
La Minita; Spanish for "The Little Gold Mine" says it all. La Minita is arguably the best coffee in the world and is sipped by the who's who in the specialty coffee industry as well as by those of us who have access to it in our businesses.

The History Of Coffee
Coffee - THE Drink of ChoiceDid you know coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world. How did coffee get this ranking? What country first figured out coffee was safe for consumption? When was the first drink of coffee prepared? Where did the first coffee shop come in being? There are many questions about the starting point of drinking coffee.

Coffee and Alzheimers Disease
With the American population aging rapidly, diseases that affect the health of the elderly are becoming increasingly important. The prevalence of these conditions is increasing and is costing both insurers and taxpayers billions of dollars each year.

Coffee Bean Roaster
The coffee bean roaster is fast becoming a "must have" in today's kitchens. The flavor and freshness of coffee is at its best when it is roasted in small batches at home.

11 Effects of Caffeine on The Body
Caffeine is big business. There are new coffee shops popping up all over the place.

Coffee is a commodity
At Starbucks they obviously need coffee. To insure that they get the coffee at a good price, Starbucks has chosen to buy the coffee fields, rather than pay an advanced contract price for the coffee beans.

Who is Juan Valdez?
Juan Valdez is a fictitious character who was created in 1959 to represent the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Columbia, founded in 1926.He is one of the most familiar faces in the advertising world, with his moustache, sombrero, poncho and his faithful mule, Lana.

There is More to Motivation Than Meets the Coffee
The stress of unemployment can really take a toll on ones confidence and state of mind. For some individuals, it could lead to depression, for others - a mere lack of motivation and feeling of hopelessness.

Buy Only Fresh Gourmet Coffee Beans if You are Looking to Brew Flavorful Gourmet Coffee
Most coffee beans are grown in sub-tropical climates all over the world. The altitude and region can make a world of difference in the taste of your coffee.

Coffee, Caffeine & Fitness
One look at a line at the local Starbucks in the morning and you don't need to be convinced of the huge amount of coffee consumption in the U.S.

Portrait of a Barista
The barista is the Italian word for the skilled person who prepares coffee (ultimately espresso) in a coffee house.What would you want your barista to be like?This is not a trick question.

The Great Bean Mystery - Find the World's Best Coffee
Who doesn't love solving a good mystery? Is the Loch Ness monster real? Who built Stonehenge? Does Big Foot really exist? What is the world's best coffee? While you may need to be an expert to solve the first three, no advanced degree or special knowledge is required to unravel one of the greatest mysteries of the 21st century: What is the world's best coffee?All you need to solve this caffeinated mystery is equip yourself with the right information. And, thanks to the Internet, finding the information for your coffee trekking adventure is as easy as the click of a button.

Roast Your Own Coffee - Secrets Revealed
For years, the idea of roasting your own coffee beans has been kept a mystery by the coffee roasting industry. It had been deemed "too hard" or "too complicated".

Russian Tea drinking - The beginning
It is believed history of Russian tea drinking tradition have began at 1638.That year, Russian Czar, Michael Fedorovich, granddad of Peter the Great, got special, diplomatic gift from Altyun-Khan, ruler of Mongolia.

Coffee, A Brief Overview
The coffee plant has two main species. There is the Coffea Arabica, which is the more traditional coffee and considered to be superior in flavor, and the Coffea Canephora known more commonly as Robusta.

Is Caffeine a Hero or a Villain in Your Life?
Many sober, law abiding people who would never dream of knowingly taking a mind- altering drug, actually consume one every day. Chances are that you�??re doing it too! What is this drug? �?" Caffeine!Caffeine is so pervasive in our culture and in many other cultures that we often forget it is literally a drug that affects our brain.

Starbucks Product Review
Have you had the pleasure of tasting Starbucks new less fattening frappachino? It is a blended coffee drink with quite a reputation for helping you keep the weight off and the extra pounds that Starbucks groupies are complaining about who drink the regular version. Have you tried this new well publicized drink to help you from becoming so fat? The average frappachino drinker appears to be about 20 to 30 pounds over weight by my observations of those in the long lines.

How Is Kona Coffee Different?
Like much of Hawaii, Kona offers ideal climate conditions for growing coffee. But there is something different about the Kona coffee cherries produced here that has earned this coffee a worldwide reputation for excellence.

10 Timeless Tips to a Perfect Cup of Coffee
Few quests in human history have so captivated men and women from around the world than the search for the perfect cup of coffee. Yes, believe it or not, coffee connoisseurs have dedicated entire lifetimes in the pursuit of finding that one cup of the most heavenly coffee ever made.

Why Your Cup of Coffee in the Morning May Keep You Up All Night
One of the most common complaints among coffee drinkers is that the caffeine can disturb their sleep. This result has been known for thousands of years and is, in fact, one of the reasons why many drink coffee in the first place: to stay awake.