Coffee?
(Photo: Todd Plitt, USA TODAY)
The quick answer: Despite what you have heard lately about health effects of coffee, a major study concludes the more you drink, the sooner you'll die.
USA Today has a fascinating report on long-term effects of coffee consumption.
The Mormon Word of Wisdom proscribes tobacco, alcohol, and coffee. There’s plenty of evidence that tobacco is bad—about 400,000 deaths each year are attributed to tobacco. Likewise, there are about 40,000 annual deaths caused by the use of alcohol. So clearly, this 180-year-old health code was way ahead of its time and those who followed it’s teaching were protected from the twin scourges of tobacco and alcohol.
In the case of coffee, however, the actual harm has been less clear. Some sources in recent months have claimed health benefits. So if you abstained from coffee as the nation swooned for their oversized cups of “Joe,” you may have felt like an odd duck—or maybe a wise owl.
The Mayo Clinic just published an examination of coffee’s effects summarized from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study that ran from 1971 to 2002. The study included 43,727 men and women followed for an average of 17 years—that’s a lot of data.
The conclusion? Scientists found a higher risk of death from heart disease and other causes for coffee drinkers. The risk is greatest for women who average four cups daily. This doesn’t mean four servings—Starbucks’ Trenta contains almost that amount in a single serving.
The effect was worst for younger people. Death rates for women under 55 drinking at least 32 oz. of coffee daily were a whopping 113% higher than the comparison group. For men under 55 the mortality was 56% higher. These are big numbers!
More studies will be needed to clarify the danger and the mechanisms involved. Because the harm clearly increases with dose, prudence suggests that “none” is most likely healthier than “some.” To read more, or to get a link to the formal report, go here.
Sunday, August 18, 2013 at 8:03AM | by Skip Hellewell | 2 Comments | 3 References | Share Article | Email Article 
Reader Comments (2)
Hi Skip, you are providing a really valuable service with this blog. I think a lot of people are very confused about where to go for trustworthy, accurate and timely nutrition information; you provide that in a comprehensive and approachable way.
I just wanted to point out that it's a bit unfair to categorize tobacco and alcohol together as though they are both uniformly bad. Research has shown many potential benefits to moderate alcohol consumption, from reducing inflammation to increasing HDL cholesterol levels. Wine is an important component of the Mediterranean diet and is thought to contribute to this dietary pattern's overall benefits. Excess alcohol consumption is bad, certainly, just as excess food consumption is bad, but neither alcohol nor food are bad in and of themselves. I actually think it's quite unfortunate that Mormons are prohibited from consuming alcohol. I only have one or two drinks per week, but it is one of life's small pleasures, and I am glad to be getting some health benefits as well.
I'd sure like to see similar research for energy drinks! Thanks for your work!