I drink more coffee than I ought to, but… this recent report confirms what we’ve been reading lately. Coffee risks may be offset by coffee benefits – at least, in some instances.
In an article titled “Coffee Drinkers May Live Longer” on the New York Times Health Blog, Tara Parker-Pope reports:
While coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant that may temporarily increase heart rate and blood pressure in some people, coffee also contains hundreds of unique compounds and antioxidants that may confer health benefits.
So what are we to make of this? Haven’t we heard for years that coffee poses risks? That it makes us jittery and restless, is terrible for our sleep cycles, and unhealthy for any number of reasons?
Confused?
I know I am.
I adore my coffee, and drink it regularly. It’s my morning ritual, the staple in my years of dating, and I’ve availed myself of its magical powers through colicky babies and long nights of work. It’s a pleasurable part of my life, and a social one, at that.
Confusion over Health Studies
Health studies can be problematic. The time required for comprehensive data can be extensive, and controlling for other factors is a challenge. Personally, I take most studies with a grain of salt – medical studies or otherwise.
Ms. Parker-Pope’s article continues:
Over all, the risk of dying during the 14-year study period was about 10 percent lower for men and about 15 percent lower for women who drank anywhere from two cups to six or more cups of coffee a day… whether the coffee drinker consumed caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee.
And?
The article points out that more research is required to address lifestyle factors that are associated with coffee drinking. Perhaps we shouldn’t blame the beloved bean when the real culprits may include job pressures, sleep deprivation, or smoking – which often accompany the constant flow of Joe.
Coffee Risks
This study may be music to the ears for those of us who love our French Roast or Ethiopian Harrar. Moreover, last year, coffee was linked to lower rates of depression for women.
Nonetheless, risks appear to remain (as does my confusion).
Just last Fall, the New York Times Health Blog offered a report on the potential for coffee to interfere with certain medications, explaining:
Studies show that more than a dozen medications — as varied as antidepressants, estrogen and thyroid and osteoporosis drugs — can be affected by coffee consumption.
Unfortunately, that article didn’t provide much detail.
Still, for years we’ve been told to limit coffee intake and now we’re hearing a shifting story. So which is it? Down that second espresso or third morning mug – or pass?
Moderation Makes Sense
I confess, I’m a bit of a coffee snob. Though I grew up in a kitchen with Maxwell House percolating on the stove, my real passion for coffee was acquired when I lived in France at age 19.
I much prefer a cup of tea to a bad cup of coffee; I drink the beautiful brew because I love the taste. The caffeine boost when I need it? Frosting on the coffee cake.
The bottom line for me is – I know when I’m overdoing it (my body tells me as much), and I know when I’m enjoying it. Perhaps the key is as simple as this: moderation in all things.
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There have been a number of studies on nurses and coffee. The nurses who drank coffee had a lower rate of suicides.
I am, right now, sipping fresh coffee from my french press. The whole process of grinding beans and boiling water, the pour and aroma, the 3 minute wait, the press and the joy of the first sip by the window, in the sunshine, makes me so HAPPY. No wonder it combats depression.
French press! Lunaboogie – you’re singing my song… (I don’t have one, but have used others’ – generally in France.)
Coffed and sunshine? Great combination!
I know most people think I drink far too much coffee. For them, maybe. For me? Just enough.
I hear you April! (On that note… time for me to put a small pot on!)
I’ll give you my coffee mug when you take it from my cold, dead hands.
Take that, NRA and Charlton Heston!
Hmmm, Planet of the Ape-shit-because-I-didn’t-get-my-morning-fix? The researchers are correct but slightly mixed up. If you give me my coffee, you’ll live longer. 🙂
Coffee makes me a nicer person, especially before noon. Sometimes when I’m lying in bed, debating getting up, it is only the idea of freshly ground beans (the darker the roast the better) that actually incents me to get out of bed. A favorite mug filled with hot coffee, a quiet house, Mark Nepo’s Book of Awakening, and I feel that there is goodness in the world, and that I can handle whatever my day brings. Just holding the hot cup, inhaling the scent, gets me halfway there.
I’ve said many times that everyone has a vice, and I’ve decided that mine is coffee. As these things go, I feel pretty darn good about it: there isn’t much down side.
(As long as I stop at noon. Before noon? Bring it on. After noon? No thank you, I value sleep too much, and even a half cup after noon seems to disrupt my sleep at night.)
Cutting back to one cup of coffee a day and switching to water afterwards has helped my sleep quality improve a lot; you just have to get through the first week detox. Flirting with the cute barista next door is fun so the occasional decaf latte in the afternoon for the “social” aspect of coffee is still important.
It’s good for you; it’s not good for you. It causes cancer; it doesn’t cause cancer. Stick around long enough and it seems that most “health” studies eventually end up contradicting themselves. I say go enjoy that cup of French Roast and don’t pay any attention to those “experts.” 🙂
As Lisa said, yesterday coffee was bad for you, today it is good for you, tomorrow it will be bad for you once again. Eggs have traveled this road, as have many other things. I choose to believe in moderation, avoid reading too many of this type of article and move through my life as though I have a guardian angel on my shoulder.
I know what you mean, Carol. Crazy, isn’t it? (Thus, my reliance on moderation and a bit of common sense.)
I am taking a small hiatus from coffee because I find that it makes me crave sweets and sucks the energy I need to work out. But I’m hoping that I can get stronger physically and healthier and then can add it back in more moderately.
Oh how I love coffee – and yes, a cup of tea to a bad cup of coffee any day.
I’m with Lisa. Nobody gets out of this alive, anyway.
I’ve been experimenting with eliminating sodas from my diet. But taking away my one cup of coffee? Can’t touch that. It’s more than a cup of coffee for me – it’s a daily meditation.