Got Java?

The French and Mediterranean people drink coffee every day, and the evidence is that we should too. Despite the controversy that swirls around it, the research data show that this common morning eye-opener is very healthy for you.

The catch? Coffee is just like all other foods and drinks, a little is very health for you, but overconsumption makes that very same substance bad for you. The health, or ill health, of this drink is not a function of the coffee or tea itself. It comes down to whether you use it or abuse it.

But first, let’s clear out the old myths. Although caffeine was traditionally associated with cancer, according to Harvard’s Walter Willett, “during almost 2 million person-years of follow-up … consumption of caffeinated coffee or tea with caffeine or caffeine intake was not associated with the incidence of colon or rectal cancer.”

Here’s the most recent concern you might have heard brewing. If you have a cup of coffee, you’ll stimulate cortisol production that will cause you to develop excess belly fat, memory problems, mood disorders, sleep disturbances, and you’ll have a depressed immune system to boot. However, one Canadian research group showed that for people who drink 1-3 cups per day, there’s actually no detectable increase in cortisol production.

Maybe the confusion arises because of how each research team did their studies. For example, a 2002 study in Psychosomatic Medicine showed that you could get a rise in cortisol by taking a 500mg pill of caffeine. In a similar study, researchers actually injected caffeine intravenously into experimental animals, and then showed spikes in cortisol and also in their anxiety levels.

Caffeine pills? Intravenous injection in lab animals? The real-world relevance here is strained, to say the least – especially when there is so much evidence that coffee and tea consumption of 1-2 cups per day has terrific health benefits. Just try to refrain from popping caffeine pills and injecting it straight into your veins, and you’ll get all the health benefits without the potential harmful consequences.

Keep it small and you keep it healthy.

But what’s the limit? How much is too much?

Scientists at Athens University in Greece showed that once you drink about 500 milliliters per day of coffee (1/2 liter), you really begin to produce health problems. “We have shown that caffeine acutely increases aortic stiffness and wave reflections,” report the researchers in the June 2005 issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, (Vol. 81, No. 6, 1307-1312). “Which may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease,” they conclude.

This accords with a similar study showing that about 500 ml per day is the approximate threshold at which cortisol can be produced in your body.

And “up to 3 cups per day” seems to be the upper limit. After analyzing data on 126,000 people over 18 years, Harvard researchers have found that 1-3 cups of coffee per day reduces the risk of diabetes by 54% in men, and 30% in women. This must be due to the fact that coffee improves your insulin sensitivity.

In fact, in a 2004 study of more than 900 healthy elderly Swedish adults who drank up to 3 cups of coffee daily, researchers found increased insulin sensitivity of 0.16 units for each cup of coffee consumed. This is confirmed by two studies, one in Finland and another in New York, showing an inverse relationship between diabetes and coffee consumption (as one goes up, the other goes down).

Other benefits? Regular coffee consumption can reduce your likelihood of getting Parkinson’s disease by 80%, of getting colon cancer by 25%, liver cirrhosis by 80%, and liver cancer by 30%.

So go ahead and have a little cup (decaf is just fine) to start your day and finish your lunch. It’s not only good for you, it’s pleasant too!