Coffee, you nasty bitch, you've saved your flesh for later!

My biggest problem with coffee, however, is the relatively instantaneous effect it has on one's....ahem...digestive system, if you catch my drift.

By Sid Kirchheimer

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Monday, January 26, 2004
WebMD Feature

Want a drug that could lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer? That could lift your mood and treat headaches? That could lower your risk of cavities?

If it sounds too good to be true, think again.

Coffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better.

Reducing Disease Risk

After analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18 years, Harvard researchers calculate that compared with not partaking in America's favorite morning drink, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men's risk by 54% and women's by 30% over java avoiders.

Though the scientists give the customary "more research is needed" before they recommend you do overtime at Starbuck's to specifically prevent diabetes, their findings, reported just two weeks ago, are very similar to those in a less-publicized Dutch study last year. And perhaps more importantly, it's the latest of hundreds of studies suggesting that coffee may be something of a health food -- especially in higher amounts.

In recent decades, some 19,000 studies have been done examining coffee's impact on health. And for the most part, their results are as pleasing as a gulp of freshly brewed Breakfast Blend for the 108 million Americans who routinely enjoy this traditionally morning -- and increasingly daylong -- ritual. In practical terms, regular coffee drinkers include the majority of U.S. adults and a growing number of children.

"Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful," says Tomas DePaulis, PhD, research scientist at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies, which conducts its own medical research and tracks coffee studies from around the world. "For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good."

Consider this: At least six studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones.

Coffee even offsets some of the damage caused by other vices, some research indicates. "People who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don't," says DePaulis.

There's also some evidence that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.

The Benefits of Caffeine

Is it the caffeine? The oodles of antioxidants in coffee beans, some of which become especially potent during the roasting process? Even other mysterious properties that warrant this intensive study?

Actually, yes.

Some of coffee's reported benefits are a direct result of its higher caffeine content: An eight ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee contains about 85 mg -- about three and a half times more than the same serving of tea or cola or one ounce of chocolate.

"The evidence is very strong that regular coffee consumption reduces risk of Parkinson's disease and for that, it's directly related to caffeine," DePaulis tells WebMD. "In fact, Parkinson's drugs are now being developed that contain a derivative of caffeine based on this evidence."

Caffeine is also what helps in treating asthma and headaches. Though not widely publicized, a single dose of pain reliever such as Anacin or Excedrin contains up to 120 milligrams -- what's in a hefty mug o' Joe.

It's also caffeine -- and not coffee, per se -- that makes java a powerful aid in enhancing athletic endurance and performance, says physiologist and longtime coffee researcher Terry Graham, PhD, of the University of Guelph in Canada. So powerful, in fact, that until recently, caffeine in coffee or other forms was deemed a "controlled" substance by the Olympic Games Committee, meaning that it could be consumed only in small, designated amounts by competing athletes.

"What caffeine likely does is stimulate the brain and nervous system to do things differently," he tells WebMD. "That may include signaling you to ignore fatigue or recruit extra units of muscle for intense athletic performance. Caffeine may even have a direct effect on muscles themselves, causing them to produce a stronger contraction. But what's amazing about it is that unlike some performance-enhancing manipulation some athletes do that are specific for strength or sprinting or endurance, studies show that caffeine positively enhances all of these things."

In other words, consume enough caffeine -- whether it's from coffee or another source -- and you will likely run faster, last longer and be stronger. What's enough? As little as one cup can offer some benefit, but the real impact comes from at least two mugs, says Graham. By comparison, it'd take at least eight glasses of cola to get the same effect, which isn't exactly conducive for running a marathon.

But the harder you exercise, the more benefit you may get from coffee. "Unfortunately, where you see the enhancing effects from caffeine is in hard-working athletes, who are able to work longer and somewhat harder," says Graham, who has studied the effects of caffeine and coffee for nearly two decades. "If you a recreational athlete who is working out to reduce weight or just feel better, you're not pushing yourself hard enough to get an athletic benefit from coffee or other caffeinated products."

But you can get other others benefits from coffee that have nothing to do with caffeine. "Coffee is loaded with antioxidants, including a group of compounds called quinines that when administered to lab rats, increases their insulin sensitivity" he tells WebMD. This increased sensitivity improves the body's response to insulin.

That may explain why in that new Harvard study, those drinking decaf coffee but not tea beverages also showed a reduced diabetes risk, albeit it was half as much as those drinking caffeinated coffee.

"We don't know exactly why coffee is beneficial for diabetes," lead researcher Frank Hu, MD, tells WebMD. "It is possible that both caffeine and other compounds play important roles. Coffee has large amounts of antioxidants such as chlorogenic acid and tocopherols, and minerals such as magnesium. All these components have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism."

Meanwhile, Italian researchers credit another compound called trigonelline, which gives coffee its aroma and bitter taste, for having both antibacterial and anti-adhesive properties to help prevent dental cavities from forming. There are other theories for other conditions.

Children and Coffee

How does this brew affect growing minds and bodies? Very nicely, it seems, says DePaulis. Coffee, as you probably know, makes you more alert, which can boost concentration. But claims that it improves a child's academic performance can be exaggerated. Coffee-drinking kids may do better on school tests because they're more awake, but most task-to-task lab studies suggest that coffee doesn't really improve mental performance, says DePaulis.

But it helps kids' minds in another way. "There recently was a study from Brazil finding that children who drink coffee with milk each day are less likely to have depression than other children," he tells WebMD. "In fact, no studies show that coffee in reasonable amounts is in any way harmful to children."

On the flip side, it's clear that coffee isn't for everyone. Its legendary jolt in excess doses -- that is, more than whatever your individual body can tolerate -- can increase nervousness, hand trembling, and cause rapid heartbeat. Coffee may also raise cholesterol levels in some people and may contribute to artery clogging. But most recent large studies show no significant adverse affects on most healthy people, although pregnant women, heart patients, and those at risk for osteoporosis may still be advised to limit or avoid coffee.

The bottom line: "People who already drink a lot of coffee don't have to feel 'guilty' as long as coffee does not affect their daily life," says Hu. "They may actually benefit from coffee habits in the long-run."

Published Jan. 26, 2004.

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SOURCES: Tomas DePaulis, PhD, research scientist, Vanderbilt University's Institute for Coffee Studies; research assistant professor of psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville. Terry Graham, PhD, University of Guelph, Canada. Frank Hu, MD, PhD, associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston. Hu, F. Annals of Internal Medicine, January 2004; vol 140; pp 1-8. Benedetti MD, Neurology, July 12, 2000; vol 55; pp 1350-1358. Ross, G. The Journal of the American Medical Association, May 24, 2000; vol 283; pp 2674-2679. Gazzani, G. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Feb. 27, 2000. Leitzmann, M. The Journal of the American Medical Association, June 9, 1999, vol 281; pp 2106-2122. Giovannucci, E. American Journal of Epidemiology, June 1, 1998; vol 147; pp 1043-1052. Pagano, R. Chest, August 1988; vol 94; pp 387-389.
© 2004 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.

i don't really drink coffee anymore. the acids in the coffee & chocolate(and the caffiene) tend to have detrimental effects on my stomach lining & digestive system.

I'm glad actually that I clicked this thread and that Alex brought it up because I had forgotten that one tidbit about caffeine intake and had been worried for a bit that I was experiencing serious hearing issues for no reason.

Actually the high caffeine and sugar intake of late may be responsible for quite a few of my recently spawned health issues. Excessive muscle soreness, for example.

(Tea is definitely the way to go.)

grrr!

Plus a camel or two and some techno records.

How much more research? Cause I'll totally drink 10+ cups a day for science. Might as well let someone other than myself benefit from my consumption.

Drinking coffee makes sperm swim faster and could improve male fertility.

With coffee, there's no dunking or making sure you don't leave the bag in for too long or too short a time. I think coffee & tea are about equally simple to make.

I don't get the tea/coffee dichotomy. They are both useful.

* optional/not required (depending on your preference)
** optional/not required (depending on style of coffeemaker)

Fill it to the rim!

Damn, now I want a coffee.

conscious decision to cut back. day 2 of only one coffee first thing in the morning. after that, green tea.
it is sort of painful.
but i feel better.

what's so healthy about coffee?

i just love the taste :D i don't even care about the caffeine really, actually it makes me nervous

i love the taste too! and i care about the caffeine
it totally makes me into crazy tho

i've become obsessed with just milk, no sugar. or black (i feel like i was just going over this in chatz or somewhere)

(ya chatz)

SOY MILK is A++ great in coffee, also ALMOND MILK

almond milk is really tasty but isn't it kind of clumpy for coffee?

i have tried these imposters, and thought i enjoyed them, but then i realized that the truth is:
organic whole milk all the freakin way

ok now u r makin me want coffee and the source of all my issues, the office espresso machine, is so close, so close

whole milk otm. sometimes if i'm crazy, cream

i just can't do skim in coffee, it really upsets me

i was all into cream for a couple of months but it was making me feel uhh and bloaty. fun facts

same thing happened to me! was into it for a few months too. like drinking it was wow, but it was a bit heavy

i dunno, i really don't like the fatty flavor of whole milk or cream, not as much as i used to at least! i feel it tends to overpower the flavor of the bean.

soy milk (chocolate variety, if you dirty) has a mild nutty flavor, almond milk moreso, that i find more complimentary

i do like almond milk in coffee for a lighter flavor, it's true. maybe i will go back to it, since my milk just went off
weird thing is that i drink more coffee on the wkends bc i am home in the morning and so i make a thing (stovetop espresso maker) of coffee at least twice. and it is strong. and then i feel crazy.

people hand me coffee when I walk into the office! so good.

h8ing soy milk in coffee, but it is not as bad (by a long shot) as soy milk in Earl Grey

i relegate my coffee consumption to caffeine emergencies only, which translates to about 2 or 3 times a month. this keeps my tolerance crazy low, so when I do take it (no cream, no sugar, just straight up and usually only about 8 oz) I am on the fucking moon. it is AWESOME.

i remember those days

i've had coffee today & yesterday after being off the junk for awhile

I no longer drink coffee bcz it upsets my tum-tums BUT if I go even a day w/out coca-cola classic I get mad withdrawal headaches. There's no winning.

the only lingering effect of my one-year vegan experiment was learning to drink coffee black. and like it! sometimes i get one with milk by accident and it's not bad, but it doesn't taste like coffee to me. (and the way my wife drinks it, half+half plus sugar, tastes like a milkshake.)

i find that the occasional stomach upsets from too-much-coffee are greatly reduced by taking the lactose out of it. not to mention it makes it pretty much guilt-free on the calorie side.

It's pretty much the meds + cigarettes + black coffee + oops forgot to eat combo that wipes out my poor stomach. Maybe all the blame does not belong to the coffee, but when it's added to the mix, I get literally nauseous.

Black, strong. Fuck a milk and sugar. Coffeeeeee.

Double espresso, early in the morning. Almost never any caffeine after that with the exception of small amounts in mint tea and larger amounts in chocolate.

i usually have 2-3 cups in the morning, one or 2 in the afternoon, often one in the early evening. (then red wine to bring myself down...)

i have been on soy milk lately and am really enjoying it! do not like regular milk. it just tastes bizarre to me either it's too light and makes everything weird or it's too fatty/heavy and makes things seem filmy. ew. filmy is gross word.

lately i have been on: 1 mug at home in am, 1 travel mug that i drink when i get to work, 1 diet coke at lunch. probably too much caffeine, huh. i LOVE weekends when i can make a pot and just sit around and relax and drink it.

I stopped drinking it because it was destroying my tum too and making me have migraines. The last two days I have had a small coffee in the morning and it has been ok. I know I should switch back to green tea before I am drawn back in though.

I used to drink insane amouts of coffee in highschool. I worked at a coffee shop and for awhile I would fill a nalgene bottle with espresso to bring to school the next day!

plain black coffee. strong. wondering once again if i should try to quit, or at least switch to decaf, because i get a headache and horribly moody and short tempered if i don't have a cup every morning

i did a 2-week coffee fast a few years ago, just to sort of test my level of dependency. i didn't really notice that much of a difference. had a few mild headaches, felt a little more tired toward the end of the day. basically i could function fine without it. but knowing that, why would i? i like it.

On the down side are coffee's well-documented side effects: anxiety, insomnia, tremor and irregular heartbeat. It can also irritate the digestive system, bladder and prostate. If you experience any of these effects, you're better off avoiding coffee (and decaf, which contains substances that may contribute to the symptoms) no matter what potential health benefits it may have. The way coffee affects you is your surest guide to whether or not you should be drinking it at all and, if so, how much.

Andrew Weil, M.D. (heartbreaker)

i read this today and am curious do some people actually not get these effects? i thought it was something you gotta just power through into the plateau of addiction but i don't seem to be making "progress"

I thought I got anxiety if I didn't drink it. I find it hard to connect the symptoms.