For the love of coffee

The healthiest amount of coffee and some surprising health benefits

This article is coming to you thanks to the comforting sips of a cup (or two) of the magical liquid, coffee. Many of the Hawthorne Clinic team aren't ashamed to admit their daily ritual of the morning coffee run, and the chance to say a hello to their best friend/barista as they head in to start their working day.

Every coffee lover will admit, however, that at some point they have pondered the questions; how do I know if this brown bean is good for me and how much is too much? Well, the results are in.

With more than two billion cups of coffee consumed around the world every day, the sound of coffee lovers sighs of relief can be heard following the results of recent findings. "Coffee consumption was more often associated with benefit than harm."1.

According to the October 2017 review, even drinking three to four cups of coffee in a day won't hurt you (insert visual of coffee bean confetti being thrown in celebration).

The umbrella review (research that combines previous meta-analyses to give a high-level summary), was conducted by researchers at the University of Southampton and University of Edinburgh, looking at more than 200 meta-analyses of different health outcomes associated with coffee consumption. Because different studies use different cup sizes and brew strengths, the three-or-four-cup recommendation is a rough estimate.

BENEFITS OF A BREW

The review also found specific examples of coffees surprising health benefits. A daily coffee habit of three or four cups was associated with a lower risk of heart disease and other incredible benefits.

Drinking coffee was suggested as being associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, gallstones, renal stones, gout, some types of cancer, Parkinson's disease, depression, Alzheimer's disease. Coffee was also a factor when it comes to lowering the risk of liver cancer and liver disease.

The largest benefit was associated with drinking three or four cups, however, being coffee's biggest supporter and drinking even more than that wasn't found to be problematic. Extra cups of coffee weren't found to be harmful, but the benefits were just less pronounced.

TAKEAWAYS

Whether you're a coffee consumer or not, taking a teaspoon of common sense with these finding is advised. Pay attention to how your body reacts to coffee and note that this review is not suggesting that you increase your coffee intake in order to obtain these suggested health benefits.

Pregnant women continue to be advised to limit their caffeine intake, with a guideline of 200 milligrams a day or roughly one small cup of coffee.

For advice and guidance on any specific coffee-related health questions, please speak to your GP.

Sources:

http://www.bmj.com/content/359/bmj.j5024?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=TBMJ_UK_TrendMD-0

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jul/10/coffee-cuts-risk-of-dying-from-stroke-and-heart-disease-study-suggests