The debate continues, even as the evidence mounts. The question is, are there health benefits of drinking coffee? Furthermore, are there health risks from consuming coffee? If so, how to balance the risks with the benefits? And does everyone experience these risks and benefits equally? As the research on coffee continues, there seems to be a consensus emerging, as outlined in a recent article in The Guardian entitled, “ Coffee bad, red wine good? Top food myths busted.” According to French coffee expert Astrid Nehlig, extensively quoted in this article, in the last 10-15 years there’s been a lot of research progress on the health effects of coffee, which contains more than 1,000 compounds, in addition to caffeine. While coffee enhances alertness and also relaxes, it can interfere with sleep and increase anxiety. What Dr. Nehlig emphasizes is that we don’t all metabolize or experience the effects of coffee equally. In fact, she suggests that individuals should experiment with their coffee habits to determine exactly how coffee (how much and at what times of day) affects their bodies. As she says, “If you don’t experiment you won’t know.”

As far as the benefits go, most experts agree that the amount of coffee consumed per day is important and that no more than 4-5 small cups per day should be consumed (with no more than 1-2 cups per sitting). That being said, the health benefits of coffee continue to be better understood and documented. As Dr. Nehlig made clear, “We now have global research showing that coffee is protective against cardiovascular disease, stroke and coronary heart disease, and decreases mortality linked to cardiovascular issues. There is also clear evidence that coffee protects against type 2 diabetes, regardless of body fat; it’s definitely protective against Parkinson’s disease and almost certainly against cognitive decline in general. Coffee does not increase our risk of cancer. It’s neutral, or even protective in some cancers, like the liver, colon, endometrium and some non-hormonally dependent breast cancers.” Beyond that assessment, new research out of Johns Hopkins suggests that coffee consumption of 2-3 cups/day may lower the risk of acute kidney injury, which is a sudden episode of kidney failure or kidney damage allowing waste products to build up in the bloodstream. Find out more by reading here.

Perhaps the biggest news story about the health benefits of coffee consumption comes from a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which examined the link between coffee consumption and a lower risk of death. Researchers followed coffee drinkers -both those who drink coffee black and those who add sugar- over a 7-year period to determine the risk of death of the coffee drinkers versus non-coffee drinkers. While we previously knew that consuming coffee without sugar lowered mortality risk in comparison to non-coffee drinkers, what this new study demonstrated was that coffee drinkers who added a teaspoon or so of sugar had an even lower risk of death (29-31% less likely to die) than those who drank their coffee black (16-21% less likely to die). The results were inconclusive when it came to using an artificial sweetener.  This was an observational study only, meaning it failed to demonstrate cause and effect. However, scientists do suspect that the antioxidant properties in coffee may delay or prevent cell damage and limit inflammation in the body, which is linked to heart disease and other chronic illnesses. For more on this study, take a look at the “Summary for Patients” published alongside the study results- but don’t take this as permission to load up on your favorite frappuccino drink- which is loaded with excess and potentially harmful amounts of sugar.

Regarding risks from coffee consumption, there is a new study published in the British Medical Journal Open Heart which found that male coffee drinkers who consumed 3-5 cups a day of espresso (which is brewed differently than regular coffee) have significantly higher levels of serum-total cholesterol in their bloodstreams, which could raise the risk of heart disease. While there is caution in interpreting these results, they do suggest that for some, drinking larger quantities of very strongly brewed coffee may not be without risk. To find out more, put down your espresso cup and click here. If this makes you think about the possibility of quitting coffee, you may want to take a look at the recent post in Fast Company, where writer Stephanie Voza describes the benefits and burdens she experienced when she decided to give up her 4 cups/day coffee habit. Acknowledging that everyone metabolizes coffee differently, she ultimately decided that the better quality sleep she achieved when not drinking coffee was worth the pain of missing coffee (and perhaps the health benefits that accompany those cups of Joe). So it’s likely a debate that will continue, with different outcomes suiting different individuals. But the bottom line seems clear: Drinking coffee is not only a pleasurable (even necessary) experience for many but may yield important health benefits in the long term.