How much coffee can I drink without fear of not sleeping?
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(CNN) -
Myth or reality?
Is coffee good for you?
If you are guided by the facts, you are right.
New studies this week add to dozens more reporting the health benefits of coffee, including protection against type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, liver disease, prostate cancer, Alzheimer's, pain from computer back and more.
But if you choose to believe the myth, you would also be right.
There are times when coffee is bad for you and it depends on your genetics, your age, and even how you prepare it.
Should I start saving?
We explain it to you with a coffee
Good to the last drop
Coffee lovers, rejoice!
There are more studies than ever encouraging you to sip for good health.
A large study of more than 25,000 coffee drinkers in South Korea shows that moderate daily consumption, that is, three to five cups a day, is associated with a lower risk of calcium in the coronary arteries.
That factor is a great predictor of future heart disease and hasn't been studied much in the past.
Four cups of coffee a day was also recently found to moderately reduce the risk of melanoma, a very dangerous skin cancer.
However, in the study, decaffeinated coffee did not provide any protection.
The study supports a previous finding of a link between coffee and a reduced risk of basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer.
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How much coffee can I drink without fear of not sleeping?
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Another recent study looked at coffee consumption and multiple sclerosis.
It found that consuming high coffee, that is, four to six cups a day, lowered the risk of getting MS.
It also made him drink a lot of coffee for five to ten years.
Researchers now want to study the impact of coffee on relapses and long-term disability in MS.
Add to that existing research on Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and researchers now believe that coffee may be neuroprotective, meaning the drink may be suppressing the production of inflammatory markers in the brain.
And it may be more than caffeine to blame.
Researchers are beginning to look for other compounds in coffee that may also help.
May reduce women's cancer risk
Before you rush out to your favorite café for a double mocha latte, keep one thing in mind about these studies.
Most research defines a "cup" of coffee as 5 to 8 ounces, about 100 mg of caffeine and black or maybe with a little cream or sugar.
Not one of those 24-ounce monsters topped with caramel and whipped cream.
Be careful: how many cups of coffee do you drink per day?
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Many studies have analyzed it
Coffee has been studied a lot, and not just recently.
The Harvard Health Professionals Tracking Study, which began in 1986, and the Nurses' Health Study, which began in 1976, have been tracking the coffee drinking habits of healthy men and women for decades.
“We found no relationship between coffee consumption and an increased risk of death from any cause, death from cancer or death from cardiovascular disease.
Even people who drank up to six cups of coffee a day were not at increased risk of death, ”writes Dr. Rob van Dam of the Harvard School of Health.
Drinking coffee has been linked to a longer life
So why was coffee given a bad reputation for so long?
Previous studies did not always take into account the serious health behaviors that used to accompany coffee, such as smoking and lack of physical activity.
Today's coffee drinker doesn't necessarily fit that mold, and researchers are more likely to examine those behaviors in their results.
For me tea, please
While the health benefits of coffee keep popping up, the full story is not so rosy.
In some studies, a very high consumption (six or more cups a day) reduced the benefits.
Some populations may find coffee consumption potentially harmful.
People with sleep problems or uncontrolled diabetes may need to check with their doctors before adding caffeine to their diets.
There is also a concern about caffeine use among young people.
And there is a genetic mutation that many of us have that can affect how quickly our bodies metabolize caffeine.
The gene is called CYP1A2 - if you have the slow version, that would explain why you have so much energy overflow after just a cup or two or why it could contribute to your high blood pressure.
Women should pay special attention.
Coffee can increase menopausal hot flashes.
And pregnant women may be more likely to miscarry (this is still under discussion), but caffeine does reach the fetus and may restrict growth.
Doctors recommend only one cup a day during pregnancy.
And interestingly, the way you brew your coffee could also make a difference to your health: there is a compound called cafestol in the oily part of coffee that can increase your bad cholesterol, or LDL.
It's caught in the paper filters, so as long as you use them to make your morning coffee, you'll be fine.
But if you are a lover of the French press, Turkish coffee, or boiled coffee popular in Scandinavian countries, you could be putting your health at risk.
For many of us, coffee is a blessing.
And as long as you avoid its problems, current science seems to be saying that you can continue to enjoy it, without guilt.
Coffee is good for you, but it's okay to drink it in the right amount.
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