Some facts about coffee

• coffee is the most popular drink in the world - every single day, 2 billion cups are drunk
• coffee grows in more than 50 countries, and after oil, is the world's largest export
• coffee is an important source of fluids, and does count towards your daily fluid intake
• a cup of coffee has been shown to help relieve the symptoms of a common cold
• coffee has been shown to be a significant source of antitoxidants which are known to prevent or postpone the onset of degenerative ageing diseases

Coffee and it's effects on our health - should we be worried?

There has been much media coverage over the past few years, about the adverse effects of coffee on our health.  Particular conditions such as diabetes, heart attacks, pregnancy and cancer have all been targeted, leading to public concern over the effects of drinking coffee.

There is now widespread confusion about coffee, should we or shouldn't we drink it, and if so how much?

With such a large amount of health information available on coffee and its links to a wide range of conditions and diseases as well as positive health benefits, it's difficult to put the information into context and to really understand the effects of drinking coffee on our health. 

This article is intended to provide you with balanced, science based information on one of the most widely researched elements of our diet.

Coffee and Heart Disease

According to the British Heart Foundation, heart disease is a major cause of death and disability. Heart disease such as heart attacks, raised cholesterol, high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats can be inherited through our genes.  Lifestyle factors such as smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise and stress are also major contributing factors to coronary heart disease.

The British Heart Foundation state that, 'Drinking a moderate amount of coffee of coffee should not affect your heart'.  There is no evidence to suggest that drinking 4-5 cups of coffee per day for the general population, is associated with the development of heart disease. In fact the British Heart Foundation goes on to say that, 'cutting down on coffee is less likely to help people protect their heart than other measures such as physical activity, a diet low in saturated fat and one that includes at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day'.

Levels of raised cholesterol have been shown to be responsible for heart disease.  However, the only method of brewing coffee that is known to effect cholesterol levels is a Scandinavan method of boiling coffee grounds with water and then serving without filtering.  There has been some research in the Netherlands that suggested the consumption of coffee brewed in a 'Cafetiere' style pot could raise cholesterol levels.  However, this research had little relevance to normal coffee consumption, as the participants had to consume more that 5 cups of very strong coffee per day for over six months - in fact the coffee was so strong, it had to be diluted in order to make it palatable!

High blood pressure or hypertension is known to be a major factor in the development of heart disease.  Factors that cause hypertension include, being overweight, taking little or no exercise, high sodium intake and low potassium intake, with the impact of coffee consumption being small by comparison.  In fact, to put this in context, the slight increase in blood pressure levels attributable to coffee is not larger than that experienced during common activities such as taking part in a conversation.

Irregular heartbeats or palpitations have, in the past, been thought to be caused by the consumption of coffee. Research conducted in Edinburgh found that individuals experienced palpitations, irrespecive of whether or not they consumed coffee.  he British Heart Foundation state that 'studies which have investigated the link between caffeine and abnormal heart rhythms, or cardiac arrhythmias have found that moderate amounts of caffeine do not necessarily lead to life threatening arrhythmias.  This implies hat drinking a modest amount of coffee should not increase your risk'.    

Coffee and Diabetes

Coffee/caffeine and it's relation to diabetes has been studied and research is ongoing however, there is no current evidence to suggest that individuals with Tpe 1 or Type 2 diabetes need to avoid coffee.

Type 1 diabetes affects infants and children up to late teens and is sometimes referred to as 'early onset' or 'childhood diabetes'. This form of diabetes cannot be controlled by diet alone and is therefore insulin dependent.

Type 2 diabetes usually appears in middle aged or elderly people, but it does occasionally occur in younger people.  In Type 2 diabetes, the body does not respond normally to its own insulin (insulin resistance) and/or the body does not produce enough insulin (pancreatic insulin deficiency). This type of diabetes can be controlled by diet alone or a combination of diet and tablets.

Published research in relation to coffee and Type 1 diabetes has shown that a modest amount of caffeine can increase awareness of the warning symptoms asociated with the onset of a hypoglycaemic attack, which would allow he patient to take action, avoiding such an event.

With regards to Type 2 diabetes, research has suggested that coffee may actually protect people from developing the disease.  In 2004, research concluded that there is an association between long term coffee consumption and statistically significant lower risks for developing Type 2 diabetes.  Research conducted in the UK found that drinking coffee had an effect on two hormones in the body that control insulin secretion, suggesting that this could be the mechanism behind the protective effect of coffee consumption and Type 2 diabetes.   

Coffee and Cancer

There is no conclusive evidence that drinking a moderate amount of coffee is a isk factor in the development of cancer in humans.  A comprehensive review of diet and cancer conducted by the World Cancer Research Fund stated that 'most evidence suggests that regular consumption of coffee and/or tea has no significant relationship with the risk of cancer at any site'.

A large study conducted in Norway (of 43,000 people) also found no association betwen the consumption of coffee and the overall risk of cancer. In fact there has, over the years, been thousands of research projects to investigate any links between coffee consumption and the development of cncer in the human body.  The overwhelming results from these studies conclude that moderate coffee consumption of 4-5 cups per day, is completely safe for the general population.

Coffee and Osteoporosis

Osreoporosis is a disease in which the bones are demineralised or weakened, leading to an increased risk of fractures.  This condition is most common among postmenopausal women and it is believed that certain lifestyle factors such as lack of exercise, smoking, oestrogen deficiency and poor diet could be significant in the development of the disease.

Coffee has also been implicated as another possible factor contributing to the development of osteoporosis, because it has been suggested that caffeine, which is a natural additive in tea, coffee and chocolate and an additive to some drinks such as cola, can cause calcium excretion which in turn results in weakened bones.

A review of the scientific literature in 2002, stated that, 'there is no evidence that caffeine has any harmful effects on bone status or on the calcium economy in individuals who ingest the currently recommended daily allowances of calcium'.  The UK Goverment also published a report on Nutrition and Bone Health, which looked at all the evidence available.  It concluded that concerns about loss of calcium in the urine due to caffeine intake 'are not well founded'.

Recent research published by Osteoporosis International has suggested that the impairment of bone health is possibly due to a low intake of milk rather than a high intake of caffeine containing beverages.  In fact the Osteoporosis Society in the UK state that, 'the effects of caffeine on calcium absorption are small and increases in calcium intake, for example by adding milk to your coffee, will counteract any negative effect.

 Throughout the advice, the words 'in moderation' are continually used, but what exactly does this mean?  We would normally accept that moderate means the amount of a food substance or drink, we can consume in order to stay healthy. Therefore, a moderate or healthy amount of coffee is 4-5 cups per day.  If you drink less than this, it doesn't mean that you need to increase your intake but for those who drink up to 5 cups per day, you can continue to do so.  However, if you regularly consume significantly more than this, you should consider reducing the amount of coffee consumed and look to replace some of this with other types of fluid.

4-5 cups of coffee per day equates to approxamately 400mg of caffeine and scientific evidence has found this amount to be perfectly safe for the majority of people.  In pregnancy, the amount should be reduced to 300mg per day, which would be 3-4 cups per day.

Not all cups of coffee are equal in caffeine content.  Factors such as type of bean used, how the coffee is processed and brewed and the size of the serving.  For example, an average cup of instant coffee contains about 75mg of caffeine, whereas an average cup of brewed coffee would contain up to 100mg of caffeine.

To conclude, people who enjoy coffee can safely drink up to 4-5 cups per day without any risk to their health, as part of a healthy balanced diet.