A topic that frequently pops up is 'is coffee bad for you'
The answer to this like most things is it depends on certain factors:
- How much you drink
- How you take it (cream & sugar or short & black)
- If you're pregnant or breastfeeding
- If you're susceptible to the effects of caffeine
Pros and cons of coffee:
Let's start with the pro's
- Enhances performance
- Enhances alertness
- May reduce the risk of certain diseases
- Stimulates bowel movement
- Contains antioxidants
- May help you live longer
Now for the cons
- May disrupt sleep
- May trigger anxiety
- May increase fracture risk in women
- May trigger reflux symptoms & irritate the gut
- Can be harmful to unborn babies & must be limited in pregnancy
- Tannins in coffee can block iron absorption
What's in our coffee?
There’s not just caffeine in coffee – in fact, there are 800 compounds including chemicals called polyphenols which have antioxidant properties. As such, coffee isn’t just a tool for waking you up in the morning, evidence from epidemiological studies suggests that regular, moderate coffee consumption of (approx. 3–4 cups/day) is associated with a reduction in the multiple diseases including specific forms of cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimers disease), and depression.
Who should avoid coffee?
if you suffer from sleep issues or anxiety, or if you find it causes unpleasant symptoms (e.g. racing heartbeat, headache, or reflux) you may want to limit your intake. Also, there are compounds called tannins in coffee which can block absorption of iron so space it out 30mins from iron-containing meals.
Can I drink coffee if I'm pregnant?
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you can consume coffee still but your safe coffee limit is 200mg/day – but actually, there is also evidence that decaffeinated coffee may, in some respect, have similar benefits.
Conclusion
Like most things in life, certain things work for some people and certain things don't. It seems coffee certainly has many benefits and more and more are being discovered over time. Coffee could be a great addition to some peoples diet if it isn't already but at the same time if you have never drunk coffee before or absolutely hate the taste of it, please don’t feel like you need to be signing up to a coffee card in Starbucks. There are lots more ways to support your health – drinking coffee is unlikely to make a difference to an overall healthy lifestyle.
We found a great Instagram account to follow for some great professional advice on health & wellness its definitely worth a follow - @thefoodmedic