Beans for Health? How about Coffee Beans?

 

Maybe we'll start this one with a not-so guilty pleasure, now that you know I'm going to say good things about coffee!  If you're like me, it's not hard at all to bring to mind the intense aroma of coffee.  Grinding coffee, brewing coffee, the steamy delicious smell wafting from the top of your favorite mug, or the warm taste of the first cup in the morning... take your time, close your eyes if you wish and imagine. And now, here are some facts that maybe you didn't know, about what a good choice this is as your beverage!

A 2017 article in the British Medical Journal by Poole et al. reviewed the findings from well over 200 studies that had analyzed the relationship between coffee intake and health outcomes. After all the details were sorted out, they concluded that on balance, drinking coffee was more likely to be associated with health benefit than harm to health, over a wide range of health conditions that had been studied.  The comparison held up when looking at better outcomes for those who drank more versus less coffee (4th cup anyone??), or any coffee versus no coffee.  Specifically, we are interested in the major causes of illness and death, so it's worth noting the details on cardiovascular disease and cancer.  It appeared that the largest reduction in disease risk occurred at three to four cups per day for something called "all-cause mortality," (that's being dead versus alive no matter what caused it), for  cardiovascular mortality, and cardiovascular disease. Across very large groups of people, those who reported "high" coffee consumption were less likely to get a new diagnosis of cancer than those reporting "low" coffee intake.  The authors did point out some important cautions, specifically that coffee intake during pregnancy has been associated with adverse effects such as low birth weight, preterm birth and pregnancy loss.

How do I digest and act on data like this? First, I did start drinking a little more coffee, since I am mostly a tea person.  Second, it is ALWAYS important to interpret studies like this in the light of other big picture truths.  Thus, while coffee lovers can rejoice at this information, it is very clear that the greatest health benefits accrue to those who follow an overall pattern of healthy eating (reference the Mediterranean diet blogs I posted), regular physical activity, tobacco avoidance, and healthy sleep. Without those, you can't wish your way to good health with four cups of coffee per day. Third, what you put in your coffee matters.  This is a potential source of excess sugar or artificial sweeteners, both of which have only down-sides when it comes to health. And how much saturated fat is in some of those fancy coffee drinks you buy at the counter or drive-through?  Buyer beware.   Fourth, where your coffee comes from matters.  Coffee is big business, and big business sometimes runs roughshod over planet earth and the laborers who bring it to market.  Look for organic and fair trade coffee, such as Cafe Justo, a grower owned cooperative in Mexico, and others. 

Enough of this!  Go brew a cup of coffee!

To your health,

Robert Pendergrast, MD, MPH

Aiken-Augusta Holistic Health