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Is coffee healthy?

For many busy Australian mothers, coffee has become more of a survival tool than the backdrop to a blissful retreat and gossip session with friends. To get a good coffee a few years ago would require you to stop by your local café and stand in line to order, but with the invention of pod machines these days a good coffee can be speedily extracted in the kitchen of most residential homes.

Few of those who drink coffee would consider themselves drug addicts, but under strict definition coffee is indeed a drug. In fact caffeine is the most popular and commonly used drug in the world today. More people are addicted to caffeine than any other substance. Caffeine addiction is felt in the form of withdrawal symptoms when coffee is removed from the diet. These symptoms can include headaches, dizziness and nausea. Research suggests that 3-4 cups of coffee a day on a regular basis can be enough to form a reliance on caffeine.

What are the health consequences of coffee?

If coffee is a drug then surely its bad for you, right? Well don’t throw out your coffee bean just yet…

Contrary to commonly held beliefs, recent studies have been surprisingly positive when testing the health of regular coffee drinkers. A large study recently conducted in Finland, that included 60,000 men and women, showed that moderate and regular coffee consumption had zero adverse health effects and no increase in heart disease risk. Similar studies in Sweden and Japan have even shown that consumption of up to 3 cups of coffee per day can REDUCE the risk of heart disease. Now that’s reason enough to celebrate with a coffee! Other health benefits may include reduced risk of Type 2 Diabetes, reduced risk of Dementia later in life and less risk of stroke and gout.

Most of the negative health issues associated with drinking coffee are for NON- REGULAR drinkers. These are generally short-term symptoms that may include increased heart rate, blood pressure, perspiration, shaking and disturbance to sleep. The good news is that when coffee intake becomes regular, the short- term health effects seem to subside.

How much is too much?

The positive health effects of coffee are evident when consumed at up to 3-4 cups per day. Early research indicates that drinking any more of this may be detrimental to your short and long-term health and can lead to dependence. Don’t forget by definition caffeine is a drug, and therefore it is wise to treat it with caution and moderation.

For those coffee lovers my advice would be to enjoy 1-2 cups of good coffee daily. Drinking at this level will avoid dependence and at the same time may result in some long- term health benefits.

Enjoy!

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  • I love my coffee in the morning,it wakes you up and gets you going for the day ahead.

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  • I’m so glad to hear this. I’ve only really started drinking coffee in the last 12 months but love my daily skinny latte – would be so disappointed if it was too bad for me

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  • Just like everythingin this life – everything in moderation

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  • i was thinking that i don’t even need to read this because YES lol but i did read your article and you do have some good points. Moderation is the key to anything

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  • Thanks again for sharing this article and information; have shared with other coffee lovers!

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  • Thanks for sharing this interesting article; coffee is wonderful!

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  • I’m not sure I would be concerned too much about the health benefits of coffee. I only have one cup a day and I really look forward to it and enjoy it.

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  • I have cut down on coffee, I believe in moderation most things are good.

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  • I think some coffee is healthy and there are brands the say they have properties in there to help.

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  • I have 3 a day but my doctor was aghast when I told her, she said I should only have one now & again…. as in maybe one a week! I’m not sure how she made it through medical school without coffee, but after denying myself for almost a month I went back to my 3 a day.


    • Hahaha, maybe she used some stronger drugs to stay awake during long nights of studying?!

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  • I am loving coffee right now. Going to have one now.

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  • everything in moderation

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  • I really enjoy my daily cups of coffee. My Doctor advised me to only have up to four cups per day (I was drinking a few more than this). I definitely agree that coffee is good for your health (in moderation). It gets me going in the morning and definitely lifts my mood.

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  • I know a lady who has always been a regular coffee drinker who on one very cold day over-did it and had 2 extra ones. That evening, home alone because her husband had gone to a work-related lecture with other Drs.she felt tight in the chest and could feel and hear her heart racing. Knowing he wouldn’t be home for at least another 2 hours, she called an ambulance and went to hospital. After doing tests the specialists on duty came to the conclusion it was too much coffee so she has made sure she doesn’t have any extra than normal and it hasn’t happened again.

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  • Thanks for the good news. Enjoy my morning coffee.

    Reply

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