Is Coffee Good For You? | HealthiNation

Описание: How healthy is your fix?

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Do you know what the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet is? Are you thinking dark chocolate? Perhaps you have in mind berries or red wine? How about white, black or green teas? Sure, they are all great sources of antioxidants—substances that help us fight off aging and many diseases. However, in terms of antioxidant value, those foods are not worth a pile of beans compared to this hot shot: coffee.

The average American drinks about three and one half cups of coffee a day. This totals to about 416 eight-ounce cups of coffee a year, providing around 1300 mg of antioxidants every day. That is a lot of antioxidants, and also a lot of coffee.

So what does coffee contain besides antioxidants? It is estimated that there are over one thousand different compounds in coffee, many formed during the roasting process. These include nitrogenous compounds and alkaloids, as well as carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins and minerals.

Coffee also naturally contains caffeine. At high enough levels caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, which increases blood pressure and raises the metabolic rate. This has led some to think that drinking coffee might increase a person's risk for developing cardiovascular disease. This is especially true for people who already have some of the risk factors for heart disease.

Studies show that for adults with no previous history of cardiovascular complications, moderate caffeine consumption does not increase the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, or sudden cardiac death. And what about type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and certain forms of cancer, like liver and colon cancer? Actually some studies have shown that drinking moderate amounts of coffee might even lower a person's risk of developing these serious conditions.

Overall, there is a lot more research to be done. For now though, it appears that for otherwise healthy adults consuming moderate amounts of coffee (3 to 4 cups a day, providing 300 to 400 mg. a day of caffeine) there is little evidence of health risks. In fact, there is even evidence of potential health benefits.

However, some groups including people with hypertension, children, adolescents, and the elderly, may be more vulnerable to the negative effects of caffeine. They should be careful about their coffee intake. In addition, current evidence suggests that it may be good idea for pregnant women to limit coffee consumption to no more than 3 cups a day (providing no more than 300 mg. a day of caffeine) to lessen any chance of miscarriage or impaired fetal growth.

It's a question of "is the (coffee) cup half empty or half full?" The debate over whether drinking coffee is ultimately good or bad for you will be brewing for a long time to come.

Sources

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