Coffee and Health Problems Part 2

Coffee and Risk of Heart Disease – Is That Cup of Dark Roast Coffee Bad For You?

In this two-part blog I have been discussing some recent information about coffee and health. Part 1 focused on the correlation between coffee and stroke, in Part 2, we will focus on heart health and other health related concerns.

The information below is a summary of multiple articles on the subject of heart disease, other health issues, and coffee consumption. It is up to each person that reads this to do his/her own research on the subject. In addition, this is not meant to replace a consultation with your health care provider. This article is for informational purposes only.

While some studies have shown that coffee and tea are bad for your health, more information surfaces that indicates that coffee and tea, in moderation are actually good for most of us. Some studies do indicate there may be a correlation between coffee and heart disease.

In one recent Dutch study, it was determined that moderate consumption of tea or coffee reduces the risk of heart disease.

This study of 37,514 men and women was conducted over a period of 12 years. It appears that those who drank between 2 and 4 cups of coffee per day had a 20% lower risk of heart disease than those who drank less than 2 cups of coffee a day and those who drank over 4 cups a day. Moderation appears to be the key element here.

Those who drank over 6 cups of black tea per day had a 36% lower risk of getting heart disease and a 45% lower risk of death from heart disease.

In a study from 2002, a group of about 3,000 subjects with no history of cardiovascular disease were tested for compounds that either promote or are markers of inflammation. The subjects were asked to fill out questionnaires about the quantity of their coffee intake. When compared to individuals that drank no coffee, those that drank about a cup a day had higher levels of the compounds in their bodies.

So it appears that there are two distinct camps on the subject of heart disease – those who think coffee is bad and those who think that, in moderation, a cup or two of java is a good thing. More studies should help to clear the air on this one.

Some studies say that coffee seems to help reduce the liklihood of gall bladder problems and there are studies that say it may help reduce the liklihood of the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Although there are no clear-cut answers, it appears that coffee does have an effect on our health. It does appear that caffeinated coffee may have some benefits when drank in moderation. But this is almost always true with anything – a little of something can be good and a lot can be bad.

Maybe that 4th cup of java isn’t really so bad...

May your next cup be your best!