Is coffee a healthy beverage?

Is coffee a healthy beverage?

The evidence is solid but not yet conclusive, according to a professor who edited recent mortality findings.

Research from the past has suggested that drinking coffee may lower mortality and protect against diabetes and cancer. Contrary to worries that sweetness would cancel out the

 benefits of the beverage, a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine claims that adding a little sugar to your cup did not diminish documented mortality effects. In fact, the study found that daily coffee drinkers had up to 30% lower mortality rates over a seven-year period than non-drinkers, even when they added a teaspoon of sugar. Associate professor at Harvard Medical School Christina Wee edited the research and also wrote a supplementary editorial. She discussed the results with the Gazette in an interview. The conversation has been altered for

Q&A

Where are we with coffee science and its health advantages, Christina Wee GAZETTE?

WEE: In general, coffee consumers seem to have a significantly lower risk of mortality than non-drinkers. The majority of the available information is from from observational cohort studies, which compare coffee drinkers and non-drinkers over time. There are also a few smaller Mendelian randomization studies that, instead of directly evaluating coffee consumption, look at genetic markers that are linked to caffeine metabolism and are, in essence, indications of who might handle coffee better and so be more inclined to drink coffee. The next step is to see whether those with such genetic make-up—a proxy for a higher propensity of drinking coffee—perform better. These investigations have mainly

These studies do, however, contain some flaws. Mendelian randomization is a good study design since you don't have to worry as much about confounding, or whether the better results are truly due to coffee consumption being linked to some other health habit. The genetic indicators of coffee use, however, are only marginally predictive of actual coffee consumption. It might only be somewhat more likely to drink coffee even if you have a genetic marker for coffee tolerance. It's comparable to randomly assigning participants to drink coffee in a trial, but only a small number of them really do, so you can't be certain that there isn't a difference.

In a randomised trial, only a small portion of the participants who were assigned to drink coffee actually do so. As a result, when no difference is observed, it is impossible to determine whether this is due to a lack of compliance on the part of the participants in the coffee group or whether there were insufficient participants in the coffee group.

"Despite the possible health advantages, I wouldn't recommend starting to drink coffee if you don't already and don't truly enjoy it. That's a big jump.

Does that imply that the verdict is still out? GAZETTE

WEE: The verdict isn't in yet. Smaller physiological investigations, however, seem to indicate that some coffee constituents might also be advantageous. Coffee's chlorogenic acids and caffeine both appear to have antioxidant properties and prevent platelet aggregation. We first consider whether an impact is biologically reasonable whenever we observe one in observational studies. Coffee is one such drug that appears to have some advantageous physiological effects that may contribute to the declines in mortality that we are currently witnessing. All of this therefore provides corroborating evidence, not proof.

GAZETTE: One of the things I've heard over the years is that adding a lot of cream and sugar to your coffee may counteract any potential benefits. That particular question was addressed in this study, right?

WEE: In a certain way. They especially examined whether coffee consumption with added sugar or artificial sweeteners was still potentially advantageous or at the very least not harmful when compared to individuals who did not consume coffee. Furthermore, these researchers discovered that moderate coffee drinking with a small amount of added sugar was still significantly associated with lowered mortality risk. They did not examine coffee with extra cream or milk.

particularly. Additionally, they did not make a direct comparison between consuming coffee with and without sugar. As a result, we are unable to determine whether drinking coffee with sugar is superior to drinking coffee without sugar from a statistical perspective. The only thing we can really draw from this is that folks who drink coffee and add a little sugar still perform significantly better than those who don't.

GAZETTE: If you had to summarise where science stands today, where does that leave us?

What we can say with the greatest degree of assurance is that moderate coffee use is probably not dangerous. If you regularly consume up to three cups of coffee each day, you should be alright. You'll probably be alright if you add a little sugar. And it might even be advantageous to consume coffee this way. However, given that the evidence is still inconclusive, it is difficult for me to advise individuals to start drinking coffee. Despite the possible health advantages, I wouldn't recommend starting to drink coffee if you don't already and don't particularly enjoy it. Such a leap!

What to do if you regularly consume four cups of coffee every day and want to add two to three tablespoons of sugar is the harder question to answer. I don't think adding a second teaspoon of sugar will make coffee hazardous if we accept the data that suggests that drinking coffee with one teaspoon of sugar may be beneficial. However, it depends on how many cups of caramel macchiatos you consume; then it's a different story. I'd use common sense to solve the problem. Consider your distance from the study's typical drinker, and then determine the likelihood that any of the findings apply to your behaviour.