Contraversial Coffee – How many Cups a Day are Beneficial?

3-5 cups of coffee a day – linked to longer life, lower diabetes risk 

• A recent review gives an overview of coffee’s health benefits, considering the most recent data.
• For most, moderate coffee intake offers health benefits, including decreased mortality and decreased risk for some diseases like cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.
• There are still factors to consider, such as caffeine intake during pregnancy and decaffeinated drink. More research is needed.

What health benefits does coffee offer? Does adding cream and sugar make a difference in the benefits? Is there anyone who should avoid coffee?

A review published in Nutrients Journal discusses much of these questions and the currently available information on coffee, including how it decreases mortality risk and risk for several diseases.

It also discusses coffee’s impact on well-being, the possible mechanisms responsible for its effects, coffee additives, areas of concern, and future research.

Coffee linked to lower diabetes, death risk 

This review explains that for the most part, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers coffee healthy when it has fewer than five calories..

Decaf and caffeinated coffee may both decrease mortality risk. The mortality reduction may also be true for all coffee types.

Next, the review discussed cause-specific morbidity and mortality. Drinking three to five cups of coffee daily may decrease the risk for cardiovascular disease by around 15%. Evidence also supports that coffee likely doesn’t increase risk for cancer and may help decrease the risk for some cancer types, like endometrial cancer.

Coffee might also decrease the risk of injuries and accidents. The authors note that coffee increases alertness and contributes to higher mobility.

Possible benefits of drinking coffee 

• Diabetics – coffee may decrease the risk for cardiovascular events, cardiovascular mortality and overall mortality.
• Coffee may benefit the liver, but the impact is likely not as substantial as experts previously thought. It may also decrease the risk of kidney problems such as chronic kidney disease.
• Drinking coffee may decrease the risk of cognitive disorders by 25%, and this is a non-linear relationship. Regular coffee
  and caffeine consumption may also decrease the risk for Parkinson’s disease and its progression.

3 to 5 cups of coffee a day 

Studies conclude that coffee is overall linked to benefits over harm, with likely the most benefit form drinking three to four cups a day.