HEALTHY LIVING


Way to Go: Have a Cup of Joe!


New research finds coffee lowers risk for dementia, diabetes, and heart disease. ::


benefit of caffeine, too much can cause anxiety, jitters, insomnia, and other unpleasant effects. There is a recommended limit for


caffeine of 400 mg daily. Below that level, says van Dam,


caffeine in coffee and tea is generally not harmful, but reactions also depend on an individual’s habits. For someone who suddenly


begins to consume caffeine, it can produce quite a jolt. “Then you get a big stress


reaction in your body,” he says. “Your adrenaline goes up; your stress hormones and your blood pressure also go up quite substantially.” But this is a temporary reaction. “If you have caffeine in coffee or


BY VERA TWEED C


offee is one of our most popular beverages, outranked only by bottled water and soft drinks. But


is it good for you? It seems like opinions on whether


it is healthy or not change almost daily. Coffee used to be seen as quite


an unhealthy beverage, says Rob van Dam, Ph.D., a researcher and professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University in D.C. But that perspective has changed. “There’s been a lot of research


now on coffee, and it has been quite confidently shown there are no detrimental effects,” he said. In fact, studies have found that


coffee drinkers are less likely to fall prey to some of today’s most common chronic diseases, such as dementia, diabetes, and heart disease.


84 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | DECEMBER 2024 Recent research has examined


how coffee affects mental function as people age. One study, led by the Harvard


T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, tracked 6,000 older American adults’ health and coffee- and tea-drinking habits for more than seven years. It found that those who drank


two or more cups of coffee per day had a 28% lower risk of dementia than those who drank less than one daily cup. Tea drinking, up to two cups


daily, also led to lower dementia risk compared to drinking no tea.


PROS AND CONS While increased alertness is a


Tea drinking, up to two cups daily, also led to lower dementia risk compared to drinking no tea.


tea every day for a week, then the body gets used to that,” he explains. “You develop the tolerance to these effects of caffeine and then the blood pressure-raising effect largely disappears.” But if you consume isolated


caffeine — which is added to some supplements, energy drinks, and drugs — blood pressure can remain somewhat elevated. Pregnant women should limit


caffeine to 200 mg daily from all sources, as it can be detrimental for the baby.


OTHER BENEFITS One recent study looked at coffee consumption and health among more than 360,000 people in the United Kingdom between ages 37 and 73. Researchers found that healthy


people who drank about three 8-ounce cups of coffee per day had 48% less risk for developing cardiometabolic diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, or stroke. Other research has identified


many more benefits of coffee, including lower risk for gallstones, Parkinson’s disease, and premature death from any cause.


WOMAN/ELEGANZA©ISTOCK / COFFEE/MEMORYSTOCKPHOTO©ISTOCK / TABLE: INSTANT COFFEE/ANDREI KUZMIK/SHUTTERSTOCK / HOME COFFEE MACHINE/PIXEL-SHOT/SHUTTERSTOCK / GREEN TEA/GOIR©ISTOCK CHAMOMILE AND PEPPERMINT TEA/KARANDAEV©ISTOCK / ENERGY DRINKS/STEPHANE GRANGIER/GETTY IMAGES / SODAS/JEFFREY GREENBERG/UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY IMAGES / BLACK TEA/HATTA MUSTAPHA/SHUTTERSTOCK


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