The final verdict on coffee

by renovatio | July 20, 2008 at 08:05 pm

1111 views | 19 Recommendations | 32 comments

Coffee is not that dangerous, for me... How about you, do you find coffee is dangerous?

If contradicting research has you wondering if coffee is healthy or harmful, the answer is simple: it depends.

A recent study showed a benefit from drinking java on a population level. But it's difficult to make individual recommendations for safe coffee consumption, said Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy, a University of Toronto associate professor funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research who has studied caffeine and health.

El-Sohemy’s research has showed that coffee could either lower or raise a person's risk of heart attack. That's because safe daily coffee intake is going to vary with the ability to process caffeine, and that changes from person to person. There's no easy way to tell how effectively your body deals with caffeine, and therefore how much of it is safe for you to drink, he said.

Because individual variations are hard to measure, it’s difficult to confidently recommend a safe amount of coffee consumption because what might be dangerous for one person could have no effect on another, El-Sohemy said. That’s why numerous studies have associated coffee consumption with both an increased and a decreased risk for many chronic diseases, he said. Even for a single condition like heart disease, the findings have been inconsistent.

"You can sense the stimulating effects of caffeine when it binds to receptors in the nervous system,” he explained. “You cannot feel how quickly your liver is breaking down caffeine in your body, and there are no other signs or symptoms that tell you whether or not caffeine can trigger a heart attack in you."

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Paschen

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 02:52 on July 21st, 2008

renovatio, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Well i drink both Coffee and Tea!

enathu

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 03:08 on July 21st, 2008

renovatio, I like this story. It's good stuff.

I like coffee sometime. Nice findings.

tiha zaman

at 09:52 on July 21st, 2008

Im addicted to coffee, the world does not go round without that all important caffeine fix and that's a proven theory. Ergo my numerous drawings on the said subject. haha

tiha zaman has contributed a photo to this story.

theselovinghands

at 10:07 on July 21st, 2008

MMMM coffee

theselovinghands has contributed a photo to this story.

Paublo

at 10:35 on July 21st, 2008

The full story also talks about coffee as an antioxidant.

http://features.us.reuters.com/wellbeing/news/2E75623A-5437-11DD-8FFA-DF2F5BFC.html

Green2Photo

at 10:46 on July 21st, 2008

Love my coffee. After giving birth to 2 kidney stones and recently being diagnosed with more, I may be giving up my caffeine companion.

Green2Photo has contributed a photo to this story.

rydoc1212

at 12:08 on July 21st, 2008

Coffee is a comodity, comodities are going up, but it is also a luxury item, as the economy gets worse, less coffee being sold
people will down size...including the size of their cup.
Coffee is not in a bubble...until it bursts...

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jestrrulz

at 14:18 on July 21st, 2008

This picture was taken at the Doka Coffee Estate in Costa Rica. They were grinding, bagging, and vacumn sealing the coffee as we watched. I bought some whole bean coffee home with me and it is fabulous.

jestrrulz has contributed a photo to this story.

Watty

at 14:26 on July 21st, 2008

Coffee for me is necessary for survival. My dr said no more than a cup or two a day, and I use protein coffee, which is 15 grams of protein per serving. I get the protein I need at the same time as I get my mochalicious caffiene fix!

Watty has contributed a photo to this story.

FromJapanWithLove - Japanese Kawaii Stationery

at 16:24 on July 21st, 2008

I love coffee and the break to calm down.

FromJapanWithLove - Japanese Kawaii Stationery has contributed a photo to this story.

JeffHuang

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 16:47 on July 21st, 2008

renovatio, I like this story. It's good stuff. One study that was posted somewhere on nowpublic talks about the dangers of females drinking coffee. I think it causes some sort of birth defect.

Jesu__

at 16:49 on July 21st, 2008

Good momments feels better with a cup of coffee ♥

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miri-go-round

at 17:19 on July 21st, 2008

Japanese "koh-hee"

miri-go-round has contributed a photo to this story.

ron.bonk

at 17:19 on July 21st, 2008

Make yr choice..

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mafp

at 18:36 on July 21st, 2008

You are welcome

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debby_ziegler

at 19:17 on July 21st, 2008

I love coffee. . . my three cups in the morning with the newspaper and the sunshine. . . and occasionally when i'm near Starbuck's. . how much is too much??

Prof EuLOGist

at 20:18 on July 21st, 2008

Coffee is good at time, but I wouldnt say its something to go for all the time. When I sip in a good coffee then I am hyperactive and cant even sleep for 48hrs if its a espresso.

So I confine myself from caffeine most of the times but to be frank I love coffee

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meghuff

at 20:50 on July 21st, 2008

I tend to be one of those people who joke that there's too much blood in my caffeine system, however its a habit I'm trying to change. I recently finished my undergrad and after a couple weeks away from the go-go-go lifestyle I've realized that I may rely on coffee a bit too much.

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HeatherKL

at 20:56 on July 21st, 2008

Heather K-L has contributed a photo to this story.

miss loneliness is escaping for being stopped

at 21:51 on July 21st, 2008

The most important coffee of my day: in the morning.
I wake up and I take one. No sugar and after it lost heat to taste it really. I drink it slowly: the day can wait.

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kana

at 21:56 on July 21st, 2008

I love coffee and the break to relax.

This photo was taken in Portland. It's rainy day.

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Mils Kompagniet

at 22:38 on July 21st, 2008

Coffee - good or bad? I love a good cup of fresh brewed joe, but as a coffee professional i'm disapointed about all the bad coffee out there in the market. High quality sustainable coffee doesn't have to be expensive or difficult to get. Use the internet to learn more.......

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ffog_789

at 01:29 on July 22nd, 2008

These are coffee beans that are being cooled. In Chicago on the first saturday of each month Intellagensia offers tours of there coffee factory. You learn a lot about the roasting of coffee and growing coffee and consuming coffee. Like here, you need to cool the beans quickly to help perserve the flavor of coffee.

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restlesseye

at 03:14 on July 22nd, 2008

was so yummy I had to drink it all!!

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Lameen

at 04:44 on July 22nd, 2008

I think there is some value to the assumption made in this report that it depends on your ability to process caffeine. I know people you cannot drink coffee after midday because it will affect their sleep pattern, almost 12 hours later. For me however, I am one of the lucky few depending on how you see it, where I can drink a double espresso after dinner and still go to sleep, which I do every night thank God. For more about enjoying coffee see www.fromcoffeewithlove.com