PERSONAL HEALTH JUNE 25, 2012, 12:01 AM103 Comments
Having Your Coffee and Enjoying It Too
By JANE E. BRODY



A disclaimer: I do not own stock in Starbucks nor, to my knowledge, in any other company that sells coffee or its accouterments. I last wrote about America’s most popular beverage four years ago, and the latest and largest study to date supports that earlier assessment of coffee’s health effects.


A 14-year , 400.00 people study.  Although the new research, which involved more than 400,000 people in a 14-year observational study, still cannot prove cause and effect, the findings are consistent with other recent large studies.


Coffee drinkers live longer.  The findings were widely reported, but here’s the bottom line: When smoking and many other factors known to influence health and longevity were taken into account, coffee drinkers in the study were found to be living somewhat longer than abstainers.

More coffee has greater benefit on longevity.  Further, the more coffee consumed each day — up to a point, at least — the greater the benefit to longevity.

The observed Updating the Evidence

In decades past, experts repeatedly warned that a coffee habit could harm health and shorten lives. And, indeed, the new study did find that when the data were adjusted only for age, the risk of death was greater among coffee drinkers.

But when the researchers took into account other health-related characteristics among the participants, like smoking, alcohol use, meat consumption, physical activity and body mass index, those who regularly drank coffee lived longer.

Similar risks with non drinkers.  “Coffee drinkers shouldn’t be worried,” said Neal Freedman, an epidemiologist at the National Cancer Institute who directed the study. “Their risk is quite similar to that of nondrinkers.”

Coffee drinkers who were relatively healthy when the study began were less likely than nondrinkers to die of heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, infections, injuries and accidents.

The study, published in May in The New England Journal of Medicine, examined data on 402,260 adults in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. They were ages 50 to 71 and free of heart disease, cancer and stroke when the study began in 1995. By 2008, 52,515 had died. Dr. Freedman and his co-authors examined why they died in relation to how much coffee they said they drank when the study began.

Four to five cups are great.  The risk of death gradually dropped as the number of cups the participants drank increased to four or five. At six cups or more each day, there was a slight rise in death risk, compared with that at four or five cups. But the chances of death remained lower than among people who drank no coffee.

Reflecting practices of the mid-1990s, the researchers considered a cup of coffee to be 8 to 10 ounces. The gargantuan cups now often served would count as more than one cup, Dr. Freedman said. Several of these extra-large cups can cause restlessness, irritability, sleeplessness and anxiety (and might enable me to fly without an airplane).

Coffee is not a diuretic.  Contrary to previous belief, at usual levels of consumption, coffee is not any more of a diuretic than the equivalent amount of water. Up to six cups a day can be counted toward one’s recommended liquid intake.

Effects on Health

Stimulant caffeine.  Coffee is a complex substance that contains more than 1,000 compounds that may affect health. Caffeine, a stimulant, is the most studied and sought after. The amounts in coffee can vary greatly, from about 70 milligrams in a shot of espresso to about 100 milligrams in eight ounces of brewed coffee.

But there can be wide variability in caffeine levels, even in similar beverages. As Jane V. Higdon and Balz Frei of Oregon State University reported in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, when the same type of coffee was purchased from the same store on six different days, the caffeine content varied from 130 milligrams to 282 milligrams in an eight-ounce cup.

Antioxidants and polyphenols.  Nor is caffeine is the only compound in coffee important to health. In the new study, little or no difference was found in death rates among those who drank predominantly caffeinated coffee or decaffeinated coffee. Other substances — like antioxidants and polyphenols — probably also play a health-related role, the researchers noted.

Their findings should reassure people concerned about possible harm from substances long used to remove caffeine from coffee. Fear of these chemicals prompted many manufacturers to switch to the Swiss water method for removing caffeine.

Brewing to remove cafestol an khaheiol.  But how coffee is brewed can make a health difference. Two prominent chemicals in coffee beans, cafestol and kahweol, are known to raise blood levels of cholesterol and especially artery-damaging LDL cholesterol. These substances are removed when coffee is prepared through a filter, but remain in espresso, French press and boiled coffee. Single-serving coffee pods, like those used in a Keurig, contain filters.

Coffee can produce temporary rise in BP.  Even though coffee can cause a temporary rise in blood pressure, the new study, like those before it, found the risk of heart disease to be lower among otherwise healthy coffee drinkers. Other benefits suggested by recent studies include a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes, liver disease and Parkinson’s disease. Some research has found a reduced risk of depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease among coffee drinkers.

Good for exercise benefits.  People who engage in strenuous physical activities can also benefit, but only if their coffee contains caffeine, which helps muscles use fatty acids for energy and blunts the effect of adenosine, extending the time before muscles fatigue. Post-exercise soreness is also reduced and recovery time shortened.

Whether coffee poses a risk to pregnant women remains controversial. A causal relationship between coffee consumption and miscarriage has not been demonstrated at caffeine intakes of less than 300 milligrams a day, but some studies have found increased risk of low birth weight associated with consuming more than 150 milligrams a day.

Keep in mind, too, that caffeine is a drug. Some medications, including Tagamet, Diflucan, Luvox, Mexitil, estrogens and antibiotics like Cipro and Levaquin, interfere with the metabolism of caffeine and can increase its effects.

In other cases, caffeine can enhance the effect of drugs like aspirin and acetaminophen (a benefit for pain relief). Caffeine can be toxic if used with prescribed doses of the antipsychotic medication clozapine.

CAFFEINE, COFFEE

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103 Comments


JohnBrooklyn, NY
What about esophageal cancer? I've read that coffee and alcohol are things to avoid if there is a history of esphogeal cancer in your family. Is that true? Because there is such history in my family and I love coffee.
June 26, 2012 at 1:44 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND

REDMassachusetts
Can the NYT provide results from any similar studies on tea? As a daily tea drinker (aka tea snob) I'd like to know if it's the caffine or some other property in the coffee bean or the roasting process. I get plenty of caffine from my beloved tea leaves and would be interested a comparison.
June 26, 2012 at 12:59 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND3

janes' kid99559
Articles that write of this or that substance shortening or not shortening lifespan should also tell us how much that extra year costs.

If I drink a cup of coffee and a glass of wine and live an additional year the coffee costs me $2*365 and the wine $3*365 and the rent and the utilities and the food and the medications and...?
June 26, 2012 at 12:59 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND

SequelBoston
It seems like only yesterday that equally statistically unpersuasive studies were declaring that coffee caused cancer, hypertension, heart attack, and stroke.

Since this study is only a correlation, which means that the results could be attributable to variables present but not identified in the study sample, or to numerous variables not present in the study sample, it would be prudent for NYT to flag such results with a clear disclaimer stating something like 'Risks or Benefits Observed in the Sample Group Do Not Necessarily Exist Outside the Sample Group."
June 26, 2012 at 12:59 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND

Richard SchmidtConcord, NC
Frankly, I take good news where I find it. Coffee, chocolate, and red wine, are now three of the five main food groups. Huzzah!
June 26, 2012 at 1:44 p.m.RECOMMEND1

KateBoston
I could never give up my morning coffee, so its always great to hear that it may actually be doing me some good! I've come across a few other articles recently discussing the fact that coffee is not actually the devil like we used to think- apparently a European study recently found no evidence that coffee increases the risk of chronic diseases like heart attack, stroke and cancer and it might even decrease the risk of diabetes.

http://www.naturalstandard.com/news/news201203005.asp

Like so many other things though, I think coffee is always safest, healthiest, and most enjoyable in moderation!
June 26, 2012 at 12:12 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND1

PBMCT
Thank you to all the answers so far; confirmed my own perception of gold tone filters, and dark roasts as well. any more info on readily available (supermarket)dark roasts/expressos with known low acidity would be helpful--I cannot afford to buy exotic varieties such as Sumatran at specialty vendors. Why is Sumatran low acid? Is it the variety of coffee bean itself, the location grown, or the way it is processed? I am not familiar with it. Always curious!
June 26, 2012 at 11:10 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND

SaraCincinnati
White Castle Coffee is 100% arabica and has a wonderful, smooth and rich flavor. It is inexpensive and delicious. Buy it through Amazon. If you like to make espresso, I recommend Lavazza (gold label) which is not a mixture of beans but also 100% arabica.
June 26, 2012 at 12:11 p.m.RECOMMEND

sbMaine
for 25 years I have not drank coffee once or drank any liquor! So, I assume my lifespan has increased? While at work while my co-workers all drink coffee I choose to drink chocolate milk in the AM and then water through out the day. People should try to get 7-8 hrs of sleep each night and eat the 3 main meals through- out the day followed by healthy snacks in-between the meals. That will keep one's energy level consistent through out the day instead of having the depend on coffee every single day. Also, what about green tea instead of coffee!? Thoughts/suggestions are welcome.
June 26, 2012 at 11:10 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND

Somewhere Over the RainbowDreams Come True
I believe a cup of black coffee is better for your health than a cup of chocolate milk. "Got milk". Milk is oversold in the USA in part due to the farm lobby. Asian people live long and consume little dairy.
June 26, 2012 at 12:59 p.m.RECOMMEND1

I WonderNYC
so i wonder if the cholesterol raising chemicals are removed from instant coffee?
June 26, 2012 at 11:09 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND

skgNew York, NY
So if coffee-drinking, when adjusted only by age, leads to greater death rates, but lower ones when more controls are added, wouldn't that mean that coffee-drinking tends to be associated with unhealthy behaviors?
June 26, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND2

P. HenrySan Rafael, CA
Statistically, yes, but that's why studies are adjusted for controls like that. The point being that coffee may be associated with those other bad behaviors, but there is no cause-and-effect relationship in either direction between them; thus, they are factored out.
June 26, 2012 at 12:59 p.m.RECOMMEND1

MarkNew York, NY
@P. Henry: How do we know that there is no cause-and-effect relationship?
June 26, 2012 at 2:26 p.m.RECOMMEND

karen smithnyc
We brew espresso coffee through a Mr. Coffee, which has some kind of filter. I hope that means the LDL cholesterol risk is lessened that way. Does anyone know for sure?
June 26, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND1

jmbboston
Ms. Brody, I get your point...you mean risk of death at an earlier age (perhaps). But please be more precise in your writing. Risk of death is 100% for everyone. There's no such thing as a "lower death rate" for coffee and/or non-coffee drinkers. We're all going to die.

I think what you're writing about is the relationship of coffee drinking to life longevity...right?
June 26, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND4

Joe DMassachusetts
About a year ago, I switched from a drip electric coffee maker to a cup-at-time AeroPress, and as a result of the “hassle” of having to invest time to brew each cup, I’ve lowered my coffee consumption from four cups a day to two. The coffee is far superior and I get greater satisfaction out of each cup, so I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything. The ritual of the brew process fits with my DIY orientation. Water temperature is critical, so I monitor the electric kettle with an infrared thermometer (while I grind my beans in a hand mill). I buy green beans from several Internet sources and roast them in my garage. I can achieve the medium roasts I prefer and thereby preserve the distinctive characteristics of the coffee country of origin.
June 26, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND3

JGNew York, NY
Storm in a coffee cup. Everything in moderation. Or have we forgotten that old maxim?

I drink 1-2 strong cups per day -- with milk and sugar. Keeps me sane. Never giving it up. I don't smoke, rarely drink, stay slim, eat healthy.
June 26, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND

RichardNew York, NY
Everything in moderation -- Including Moderation!

Don't forget the essential corollary, JG.
June 26, 2012 at 2:26 p.m.RECOMMEND

szinesznoToronto
I find this article to be passive-agressive. There are too many wink-wink, nudge-nudge to really make sense.
June 26, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND1

ArabianCoffeesUK
The news on coffee is just getting better and better, it's a real marketing coup for us in the business... I promise you, we haven't been lobbying for this!
June 26, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND

ToniDC
Surely the one takes their coffee ( sugar, cream, or both) is an important factor that is unaddressed in this article. Plain black coffee is usually the way to take it in order to benefit from all its healthful properties. Now I would like to see a similar study about tea.
June 26, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND

witnessWashington, DC
Let's get this straight: we've blown billions of dollars on decades of medical research that has only produced conflicting study after conflicting study. Never mind humanity has 1,000 years of epidemiological evidence suggesting that coffee is irrelevant to human health.

We can only conclude one of two things. Anyone who burns billions of dollars over decades and hasn't been able to put this issue to bed is either:
a) completely incompetent
b) deceiving us, because they do not want to kill the golden goose that keeps funding this pointless medical studies

Your choice.
June 26, 2012 at 10:15 a.m.REPLYRECOMMEND2

RichardNew York, NY
Clearly, you don't understand how science and the scientific method works. Scientific studies *never* give definitive answers, they only gather data that we can use to help expand our understanding of the world around us.

That's not to say that there is no fraud or incompetence in scientific research. Far from it, in fact. But that's the beauty of the scientific method -- if it's not reproducible, for whatever reason, then it isn't accepted as good science and the results are relegated to the dustbin of history.

As to your statement that "...humanity has 1,000 years of epidemiological evidence suggesting that coffee is irrelevant to human health," either provide specific citations with the data to back up your assertion, or your statement is completely meaningless.

I'll say it one more time in case you didn't get it -- science is the process of gathering data in an effort to better understand the world around us -- it is *not* an oracle.

If you want revealed wisdom, place your faith in one or more demonstrably false belief systems, more popularly known as religions.
June 26, 2012 at 2:26 p.m.RECOMMEND

SaraWisconsin
Sheesh,coffee (and tea) are "ritual" beverages when done well. They are special, take time to prepare, and the preparation is a part of taking the time to savor something special. The aroma of brewing coffee. The preparation of a fresh green or black tea and the ensuing aroma, wait time and enjoyment of the beverage also figure into the equation.
I really don't have time to run every beverage, snack or meal through my "will I live longer" computer - there are too many other things to do.
June 25, 2012 at 11:45 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND14

grannychiGrand Rapids, MI
And when you think about it, most of us would get pretty decrepit with a long, long life. Ugh!
June 26, 2012 at 10:13 a.m.RECOMMEND1

GeddyHong Kong
Coffee....it gives so much and asks so little!
June 25, 2012 at 11:45 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND7

maggieastchicago
Hahahaha! I am going to remember this one....
June 26, 2012 at 10:14 a.m.RECOMMEND

compMD
I'd drink it even if it were bad for me.
June 25, 2012 at 11:45 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND6

andreamadison wi
I have a serious anxiety disorder. On Christmas Day, 2004, I had a bit too much coffee (like 4 cups full) and ended up in the emergency room with a panic attack. It all depends on the genotype...
June 25, 2012 at 11:45 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND2

SteveIthaca, NY
OK, I can't resist. These often contradictory studies showing correlations between lifestyle and health always remind me of the Woody Allen movie Sleeper in which he plays a health food store owner who wakes up in the future. When he asks for wheat germ an organic honey, it is remarked that these were considered healthy foods in the 20th century. One character asks: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or... hot fudge? The other replies: Those were thought to be unhealthy... precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.

As a coffee drinker, I'm comforted in knowing that at least it wasn't shown to be harmful in this study,
June 25, 2012 at 11:45 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND5

Denis C.Montreal, QC
Did you know that caffeine was first isolated in 1819, when Goethe handed some Arabian coffee beans to the chemist Friedlieb Runge and asked him to analyze them? Goethe loved coffee. He is said to have 'swallowed oceans of coffee in his younger days'.
June 25, 2012 at 11:45 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND2

Dogged OptimistTennessee
Like PBM, I want to know if metal filters are acceptable or if paper filters are better for removing cafestol and kahweol which raise cholesterol.
June 25, 2012 at 11:45 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND

AngelaMNew York
My grandmother lived to be 92. Drank coffee all her life. That's all the research I need. Couldn't (wouldn't) live without my coffee in the morning.
June 25, 2012 at 11:45 p.m.REPLYRECOMMEND2
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