OK morning Joe, what’s the deal? Is coffee bad for you or is it good for you? There are pros and cons to drinking this notoriously addictive liquid. But, what things I do hear is mainly all the good stuff about drinking it, until you begin digging a little deeper.
Of course, there are some who say it makes them feel anxious to the point of feeling like something terrible is going to happen or gloom and doom is coming for them.
Is coffee good or bad for you? It depends upon who you ask. I know there used to be a book (I read forty years or so ago) that talked about how bad coffee was for you, but I don’t remember the title or the author. I do still remember some things it said…
This book discussed things like it caused Arteriosclerosis (which is hardening of the arteries) and kidney failure, among other things in your digestive system I can’t remember. Bear in mind that the coffee industry is a multi billion dollar enterprise in which big business money has its way of making books and information disappear (buying copyrights, books and paying poor hungry struggling authors off. At least this is a theory of mine…)
Nevertheless, it is generally known that those who drink coffee in excess can become more nervous, their hearts can beat faster; even their hands can start trembling (like yours truly.)
But, we have to still ask the question, because who on earth doesn’t love their coffee?
Is Coffee Good for You?
Some sources say that coffee drinking in moderation, by someone in good health, who lives an active lifestyle, who also has a healthy diet, may lower the risk of some diseases, conditions and ailments, like…
Possible good with coffee drinking…
- Type Two Diabetes – Is not proven why drinking coffee is beneficial, but is said to reduce the risk of becoming diabetic
- Parkinson’s disease – Effects of coffee not fully understood here, but may reduce the risk
- Colon cancer
- May protect against Gout (a form of Arthritis)
- May help to fight free radicals in the body which can damage cells
- Headaches – Other than just in coffee, there is added caffeine in some if not most headache pills
- Cavities – Coffee has compounds which have antibacterial properties
- Cirrhosis of the liver – Coffee may be protective
- Gallstones
- Asthma
- Improve mood
- Increases alertness throughout each day
- Some studies suggest coffee drinking may offset damage done by smoking and drinking alcohol
- May reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke
- Coffee has more caffeine than soft drinks and chocolate
- Coffee beans have antioxidants, retained through the roasting process
- Minerals like Magnesium
- May help promote microbial diversity in gut
- More than half of Americans drink coffee every day averaging about 3 cups
- May be safe drinking up to 6 cups a day
Although, coffee could help fight some diseases, certain health conditions, and improve the mood, the research is not conclusive. Some sources say if one drinks more than one cup per day, this may further reduce the risk of certain diseases. So we have to ask the last question you have been waiting for…
Is Coffee Bad for You?
- May raise bad cholesterol levels in some
- May make anxiety disorders worse
- May contribute to Atherosclerosis of the arteries (Clog them up)
- May raise your blood pressure
- May cause Glaucoma by increasing pressure inside the eye
- Pregnant women should probably avoid it, or at least limit it
- Heart patients should avoid drinking coffee
- Those with Osteoporosis (bone disease) may want to avoid or limit coffee to a couple of cups a day, because coffee may leach minerals (Calcium) from the bones flushed out through the urine
- Can dehydrate you because caffeine is a diuretic
- Makes more acid in stomach
- Can make your body pH more acidic
- May kill beneficial bacteria in intestines possibly leading to Leaky Gut Syndrome
- May be a trigger for inflammation
- Messes with your blood sugar, making you feel hungry giving you cravings to eat the wrong things
- Makes you crash during the day, needing another cup to pep you back up
- Coffee is addicting and withdrawal from stopping drinking it may give you headaches even body aches for days, even weeks. Green tea as a substitute can help you quit. It has much less caffeine in it than coffee
- Excess Coffee drinking (over four cups of coffee per day) may increase the risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis (Inflammation of the lining of the joints. This is when the body’s immune system attacks its own joints leading to deformity and disability)
- Caffeine reduces the amount of Pepsin in your body reducing the absorption of protein
- Increased heart and breathing rate
- I stopped drinking it because my heart raced, skipped a beat and seemed to become irregular (researchers are not sure yet whether coffee causes ‘heart arrhythmia’.)
- Possible headaches
- Ringing in the ears
- Irregular heartbeat
- Insomnia
- Frequent urination
- Caffeine can change your moods making you angry, anxious, moody, combative
- Withdrawals ceasing to drink coffee can make you angry, get headaches, depressed
- Nervousness and restlessness
- Stomach upset
- Nausea and vomiting
- Worsen mood
