The good news for coffee lovers just keeps on coming. A study published in the December issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says that coffee appears to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. This is just one more study in a long line of studies claiming the benefits of coffee far outweigh the risks.
Dr. Peter Martin, director of the Institute for Coffee Studies at Vanderbilt University, says in this Atlantic article that although "coffee and caffeine have been inexorably intertwined in our thinking... the truth is coffee contains a whole lot of other stuff with biological benefits." What are those benefits, you ask?
Thousands of mostly understudied chemicals that contribute to flavor and aroma, including plant phenols, chlorogenic acids, and quinides, all of which function as antioxidents. Diterpenoids in unfiltered coffee may raise good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol.
The Atlantic article cites a dozen studies conducted over the years that point to coffee's health advantages, including preventing Alzheimer's, protecting the liver, acting as pain relief, reducing depression in women, and raising good cholesterol while reducing bad cholesterol levels. It can even help you live longer, according to this study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The article is a really fascinating read if you, like me, enjoy your morning cup of joe.
Read More: The Case For Drinking As Much Coffee As You Like | The Atlantic
Related: The Secrets To Making a Spectacular Cup of Coffee: The Best Barista Reveals All
(Image: Juliana Jiménez Jaramillo for Slate via this Kitchn post)
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I appreciate you guys posting real studies (a few of them anyway) however it's irresponsible to say that all the studies are positive. There are in fact studies on pancreatic and lung cancer that point to a possible risk. Be more responsible to your readers.
http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/19362749/reload=0;jsessionid=Jrp3EQKFBWkc2jbwHD4c.2
Emmi - It looks like the issue in the article you referenced is that coffee may have an interaction effect with tobacco, and that the meta-analysis authors cannot draw any reliable conclusions about lung cancer risk for non-smokers (the study actually showed a decreased risk for this group). Also, the highest association of lung cancer risk corresponded to the heaviest coffee drinkers - and in general we have reason to believe that people who drink a lot of coffee are often "different" (worse sleep, higher stress, more tobacco, etc) than those who only drink 1-2 cups a day.
Anyway, the article above notes that the benefits of coffee outweigh the risks, not that coffee is always good and never bad. I've seen a lot of bad science writing on general interest blogs, and the above article is not one of them.
I talked to a doctor about this a while back and and he said that it is like everything- moderation. But that people unfortunately do not tend to drink coffee in moderation. So while having a cup or two once in a while is good for you, drinking 2-4 coffees a day is definitely bad (which is what most people do!).
Health benfits aside, anyone know where I can purchase that nifty metal single serve coffee filter holder? {Have no idea what to call it.}
@tonyammartin: generally that type is called a Melitta filter, although I've never seen a cool metal one like the one pictured!
@Cocoapuff (great name)! yes I agree there are caveats in the article, just like there are in every study. This piece conveniently ignores the effects of blood pressure and maternal and infant anemia. Imagine if an uninformed pregnant or nursing mother read this, or if someone who had undiscovered heart disease or gastritis read this and thought they should drink more coffee. Not good.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2125.1985.tb02729.x/abstract
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/48/3/645.long
how about coffee that doesn't taste like coffee. gross.
@Emmi, The article and this post is more about general health. Somebody who is pregnant or has a specific illness would have talked to their doctor about their specific condition. I'd hope nobody would look to a cooking blog to find out how to treat specific illnesses, and TheKitchn doesn't seem to ever try to treat specific illnesses; that's for doctors and nutritionists.
For those of us without specific illnesses, but are concerned about general health and general risk, this article and post is helpful.
@Cashba, I don't know if you read the article but it most certainly is about illness. The author mentions type 2 diabetes, alzheimersa and pain management. The title actually says "ALL the studies say it's good for you". ALL. This is the problem if AT wants to dabble in health articles I suggest they hire a medical consultant.
Don't get me wrong, this is one of my favorite sites but yeesh, I also just read an article where AT said pine needles can be used to make tea then they posted a photo of the wrong plant. I write about edible plants on my blog too but I always tell people to consult a botanist first and plus I don't have hundreds of readers.
It's nice that authoritative studies have been published stating that coffee may help you reduce the risk of certain diseases, but people should just drink coffee because it tastes great and has some energizing effects. I'm a
coffee blogger and an all-around coffee enthusiast, but I can't imagine anyone drinking coffee primarily for its health benefits. That's clearly a bonus, but not a reason to take up coffee drinking or to increase your consumption of it. In my opinion, people should buy coffee and drink it for the right reasons. Those that have high blood pressure or whose body doesn't tolerate caffeine should steer clear of it.