If you are a coffee lover like myself, you may now have reason to treat
yourself to another cup or three.
A
recent Medscape Medical News slideshow
reviews the potential medical and psychiatric benefits of coffee consumption. These mental
and medical benefits include reducing your risk of brain neuron degeneration and
depression and cancer and cardiovascular disease. I have recapped that slide show here:
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found
that coffee consumption lowered all-cause mortality by over 10% at 13-year
follow-up.[1]
To
say that caffeine, a substance known to increase blood pressure can benefit the
cardiovascular system may seem
counterintuitive. When caffeine is consumed
as coffee, lengthy elevations of blood pressure are small and cardiovascular
risks may be offset by other protective properties. Coffee beans contain antioxidant
compounds that reduce formation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. A
reduced concentration of inflammatory indicators in the blood has also been
seen with coffee consumption.[2-7] Several studies have indicated that moderate
coffee intake was associated with a lower risk for coronary heart disease as
far out as 10 years,[3] and new data suggest that an
average of 2 cups a day protects against heart failure.[8] This really should not surprise us since other studies have found the cardiovascular protective effects of antioxidant containing juices of fruits.
The vascular benefits of coffee are
not lost on the brain. According to a 2011 review of studies, consuming between
1 and 6 cups a day reportedly cut stroke risk by 17%.[9] Coffee's impact on stroke risk in those
with vascular disease is still in question, a review presented at the European
Meeting on Hypertension 2012 found that 1 to 3 cups a day may protect against strokes
caused by blockages in the general population.[11]
Despite its association with increased blood pressure, coffee appears to
benefit other aspects of what is known as “metabolic syndrome.” This is a dangerous cluster of elevated blood
pressure, high blood sugars, abnormal blood lipid levels, and increased body
fat. Numerous studies have linked regular coffee drinking with improved glucose
metabolism, insulin secretion, and a significantly reduced risk for type 2
diabetes.[12-14] Early data from an ongoing study
also suggest that coffee consumption can promote weight loss. In this study, overweight
patients treated with raw, unroasted
coffee beans in supplement form lost an average of 17 pounds over 22 weeks. The authors suspect that this effect may be
due in part to coffee containing a plant compound with antioxidant properties
thought to reduce blood sugar absorption.[15]
With so many food products thought to increase cancer risk – soda, grilled
meat, any thing pickled – at least we can rest easy when it comes to coffee
(according to recent data, anyway). Evidence suggests that moderate to heavy
coffee consumption can reduce the risk for numerous cancers, including endometrial
(> 4 cups/day),[16] prostate (6 cups/day),[17]
head and neck (4 cups/day),[18,19] basal cell carcinoma
(> 3 cups/day),[20] and estrogen receptor-negative breast
cancer (> 5 cups/day).[21] These benefits are thought to be in no small
part due to coffee's antioxidant and antimutagenic properties.[16,18]
Many
of us find that morning cup of coffee to be effective for alertness , but new research also links
coffee with longer lasting effects on cognitive well-being. One
study showed that patients with mild thought and memory impairment and blood
levels of caffeine of > 1200 ng/mL – which is about 3 to 5 cups of coffee a
day – avoided progression to dementia over the following 2 to 4 years. [22] Other
data showed that 3 cups of coffee a day may help prevent the neurologic damage caused by Parkinson’s Disease.
A 2011 study suggests that coffee consumption might also benefit our mental
health[26]: Women who drank 2 to 3 cups of coffee per day
had a 15% decreased risk for depression compared with those who drank less than
1 cup per week. For those who drank 4 cups or more per day, a 20% decreased
risk was seen. The effect of coffee on
mood in the short term may be due to altered serotonin and dopamine activity,
and on the antioxidant activity in the long term.[26-29]
Evidence
suggests that coffee consumption slows the progression of liver disease. Patients with alcoholic cirrhosis and
hepatitis C reduced the risk of developing primary liver cancer.[30-33]
Other
research suggests that coffee consumption may help dry-eye syndrome by
increasing tear production,[35] that it may reduce the risk
for gout,[36] and potentially fight infections.[37] Coffee and hot tea consumption were found to be protective
against one of the medical community's most concerning bugs, methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) [37], typically pronounced Mursa. It
is unclear whether the beverages have antimicrobial activity through out the body, but
study participants who reported any consumption of either were approximately
half as likely to have MRSA in their nasal passages.
Now,
with all the validated benefits of coffee we may have a tendency to see it as a
health panacea, but coffee is not a totally innocuous beverage. Coffee consumption certainly has negative
medical and psychiatric effects to consider. Besides the previously mentioned
increase in blood pressure, coffee can cause or worsen anxiety, insomnia, and
tremor and has the potential to increase
glaucoma risk[38] for those so predisposed. Also, due to the potential severity of its
symptoms, “caffeine withdrawal syndrome” is under consideration for inclusion
in the forthcoming DSM-5[39] , a manual published by the American
Psychiatric Association (APA) that includes all currently recognized mental
health disorders.
As
always be aware of the total affects of what you put into your
body. Enjoy and good health to you.
For
your better health,
Dr.
Heller
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More than 60 million Americans have high blood pressure (high BP), high BP is a major risk factor for a 
