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Is Coffee Healthy?

Updated on November 1, 2013

Yes and No. Coffee does have some health benefit properties. But there are people sensitive to caffeine or to coffee itself.

If you are gluten sensitive, you may also be sensitive to coffee. Have that tested. Because coffee is a gluten cross-reactive food.

Black unsweetened coffee may actually good for you. It contains good antioxidants and flavonoids.

Coffee can provide some protection against cardiovascular disease. Coffee reduce the risks of developing type II diabetes. It also reduces the risk of liver cirrhosis and some types of cancers.

Nevertheless, everything in moderation. Caffiene is like a drug. And too much can kill you. EnergyFiend has a "death by caffeine" calculator which comes up with the answer that it takes 95 cups of brewed coffee to kill a 150 pound person.

Of course, we can not just blindly trust such calculators found on the internet. We have to do some cross-checking. Wikipedia says that the median lethal dose is ...

"The LD50 of caffeine in humans is dependent on individual sensitivity, but is estimated to be about 150 to 200 milligrams per kilogram of body mass or roughly 80 to 100 cups of coffee for an average adult."

which corroborates what the calculator gave.

In Chapter 1 of the book, "Dr. Chopra Says: Medical Facts and Myths Everyone Should Know", it writes ...

"rather than being dangerous, coffee may also offer substantial benefits, including protection against heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, liver cirrhosis, Parkinson’s disease, cavities, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and even suicide."

It is best not to put any sugar in your coffee or tea. If black coffee is too strong, you can add a little bit of milk, provided that you do not have casein allergy or do not have much problems of lactose intolerance.

If at Starbucks, just ask for "black house coffee and no room for cream". It is the least expensive beverage they have and is also the healthiest (aside from plain water). Don't get any of those high-sugary drinks like latte, etc.

An Harvard School of Public Health article says that ...

"evidence is good that for people in general—outside of a few populations, such as pregnant women, or people who have trouble controlling their blood pressure or blood sugar—coffee is one of the good, healthy beverage choices."

Coffee does have caffeine, which can be both bad and good. Those who are negatively affected by caffeine and pregnant woman should limit consumption of caffeine. Caffeine may dysregulate blood sugar and diabetics should be careful. In fact, many diabetes are told to limit or avoid caffeine. Caffeine also may increase the stress hormones. Hence, if you are stressed out or have adrenal fatigue, you also want to avoid caffeine.

Also those with serious cardiac arrhythmias should also avoid. Caffeine decreases your body's ability to absorb magnesium, which can lead to magnesium deficiency. Caffeine may also deplete the body of other vitamins and minerals.

But caffeine is not all bad. The caffeine in coffee may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. Study in Japan found caffeine consumption in coffee, green tea, black tea and oolong tea is associated with reduce risk of mortality from cardiovascular diseases.[reference]

Because of caffeine's good and bad sides, do not over-consume caffeine and do not use caffeine as a replacement of a healthy breakfast.

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