Is Coffee a Divine Drink or a Poison? Recent Research Keeps Contradicting Itself
Today, let us review research from the past two years and see whether coffee is a “divine drink” or a “poison.”
October 2022: does coffee shrink the brain?
A study from the University of South Australia found that people who drank more coffee every day had smaller white matter, gray matter, and hippocampal volume, equivalent to a smaller overall brain capacity. Especially among people who drank more than six cups a day, the risk of cognitive impairment rose by 53%. Even switching to decaf coffee was associated with a 19% increase in risk.
April 2024: does coffee protect the cardiovascular system?
However, a study in April 2024 pointed out that sitting for more than six hours a day significantly increased cardiovascular disease mortality by nearly 80%, but among people who liked coffee, this risk became less obvious. In other words, coffee may have some protective effect against the cardiovascular risks of prolonged sitting.
July 2024: is coffee related to lung cancer risk?
By July 2024, another analysis combining data from 14 studies found a positive association between coffee drinking and lung cancer risk. For each extra cup per day, about 250 ml, lung cancer risk rose by 6%. Heavy drinkers had a 28% higher risk compared with people who did not drink coffee at all, and women were affected more than men.
September 2024: does coffee lower heart disease risk?
A September 2024 study using the UK Biobank found that people who drank at least three cups of coffee per day had nearly 50% lower odds of heart disease. Ironically, a 2020 study based on the same database found that people over 37 who drank too much coffee might have affected cognitive function, though those markers were still far from dementia.
November 2024: does coffee improve gut health?
In November 2024, Nature published a study of more than 20,000 people. It found that people who drank more than three cups of coffee a day had eight times more of a beneficial gut bacterium than people who did not drink coffee. Decaf coffee was also effective, suggesting that certain components in coffee may benefit the gut microbiome.
Coffee keeps reversing itself. Who should we believe?
In the end, the expert consensus is: drink moderately, about one to two cups a day, and do not overdo it. But beyond “drink moderately,” are there more specific, more scientific ways to drink coffee? Yes.
Three scientific coffee tips:
- Reduce acrylamide intake, a carcinogenic substance
Acrylamide is a Group 2A carcinogen produced during coffee roasting. The longer the high-temperature roasting time, the less acrylamide remains.
Suggestions:
Choose medium-dark or dark roast. This reduces acrylamide, although antioxidants may also decrease.
Avoid boiled coffee and instant coffee, which tend to contain more acrylamide.
Choose Arabica beans, which contain less acrylamide, and try to avoid immature beans.
- If you have high blood pressure, keep it to at most one cup a day
Research suggests that for people with high blood pressure, drinking more than one cup of coffee a day may double cardiovascular disease mortality risk.
Suggestions:
If your blood pressure is not yet well controlled, keep coffee to at most one cup a day.
If your blood pressure is normal, one to three cups a day may instead be associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk.
- Heavy drinkers should choose filtered coffee when possible
Certain oily compounds in coffee, such as cafestol, may increase cholesterol and affect cardiovascular health.
Suggestions:
If you drink more than three cups a day, choose paper-filtered coffee, such as pour-over, drip, or cold brew.
Avoid unfiltered coffee, such as Turkish coffee or French press, if you are drinking heavily.
If you only drink one to three cups a day, the effect of unfiltered coffee may be small enough to ignore.
#how-many-cups-of-coffee-a-day #advanced-coffee-guide