You are more likley to read or hear about how coffee or one of its ingredients (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine – caffiene) can damage your health. I don’t think I have ever seen a newspaper heagline that says “Coffee is good for you – drink more!”
In the form of caffeine we probably drink the most psychoactive substance in the world today. It is not only found in coffee, but also in wide range of other products including soft drinks, tea, chocolate, energy drinks and medicines.
As far as coffee is concerned, whether you get your coffee from a filter coffee machine, a grind and brew coffee maker, or anespresso machine, one thing that is guarenteed is that you will also be getting some caffeine.
I have always been confused about some of the health effects associated with coffee, so I thought I would look into this myself. All the information I looked at was published research articles and not the ‘pop scintific facts’ you can find. Here is a brief resume of the health effects I found:
- There are no adverse effects associated with moderate caffeine consumption (approx. 400mg/day)
- People feel feel less alert when they have undergone ‘chronic exposure’ to caffiene, but more alert and less tired following acute intake of caffeine. Caffeine withdrawal has been linked with reported increases in frequency and severity of headache, with some reports of sleeping longer and more soundly.
- Long term, moderate coffee consumption is linked to a significant reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes
- Higher levels of caffeine consumption (higher thaan the recommended guidelines) may result in delayed conception among women
- Very high doses of caffiene have been linked with increases in anxiety levels, but this is not often seen within the normal range of caffiene levels.[5]
- Normal consumption of coffee has been shown to improve performance of vigilance type tasks (those that require added prolonged concentration) and simple tasks which benefit from a high level of alertness.
- Coffee improves performance of artificial tasks and simulations of industrial work and driving. It has been suggested that coffee may be of benefit in safety-critical situations and may improve working efficiency.
- High doses of caffeine in the late evening will increase the time taken for some individuals to go to sleep.
- There is some evidence to suggest a weak relationship between coffee consumption and an increase in blood pressure.
- According to an analysis of a range of studies that looked at the risk of coronary heart disease and coffee consumption, it concluded that there is no evidence that coffee consumption increases the risk of coronary heart disease.
- There have been no significant associations found between coffee drinking and the incidence of cancer of the bladder
- There is some evidence to suggest that heavy coffee drinkers (when compared with non-drinkers) were less likely to contract Parkinson’s Disease later in life
- In addition to the above, a longitudinal study found that moderate coffee drinkers had a reduced risk of developing Dementia
So what does all this mean? From the above studies, consuming normal quantities of coffee doesn’t pose a risk to our health. But this does beg the questiion – “What is a normal quantity?”
It is probably best to think about this in terms of the recommended quantities of caffeine. The list below provides the quantities of caffeine that can be expected in a range of coffees and tea:
|
Coffee
|
Quantity of caffeine (mg)
|
|
Plain, brewed coffee 8 oz
|
135
|
|
Instant coffee 8 oz
|
95
|
|
Espresso 1 oz
|
30-50
|
|
Plain, decaffeinated 8 oz
|
5
|
|
Tea
|
|
|
Green tea 8 oz
|
25-40
|
|
Black tea 8 oz
|
40-70
|
|
|
|
There does not seem to be a definitive answer the ‘normal’ quantities of caffeine. Many countries do not provide such a recommendation (that I could find), however there is some consensus around the following figures:
- For women of childbearing age, a maximum daily intake of no more than 300mg,
- For the rest of the general healthy population healthy adults, a daily intake of no more than 400mg.
Not surprisingly, the biggest ‘wallop’ comes from an espresso. 3 x 1oz espressos gives you about the same, if not more caffeine than coffee from your filter coffee machine.
With many areas of life, you will always be able to find a study, or report that says this is bad for you, no it is good for you. In my view the main thing to remember is that the key to preventing harm lies in moderation. Even moderation should be taken in moderation from time to time!
I think that many people are aware of the caffiene in thier coffees, but it is worth considering just how much you could be drinking. I hope that this article may just give some others further insight.
