Health effects of coffee: Where do we stand?

[marmar]

So raise your cup if you are wrong in all the right ways





(CNN) It's one of the age-old medical flip-flops: First coffee's good for you, then it's not, then it is -- you get the picture.

Today, in 2015, the verdict is thumbs up, with study after study extolling the merits of three to five cups of black coffee a day in reducing risk for everything from melanoma to heart disease, multiple sclerosis, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, liver disease, prostate cancer, Alzheimer's, computer-related back pain and more.

To stay completely healthy with your coffee consumption, you'll want to avoid packing it with calorie laden creams, sugars and flavors. And be aware that a cup of coffee in these studies is only 8 ounces; the standard "grande" cup at the coffee shop is double that at 16 ounces.

And how you brew it has health consequences. Unlike filter coffee makers, the French press, Turkish coffee or the boiled coffee popular in Scandinavian countries fail to catch a compound called cafestol in the oily part of coffee that can increase your bad cholesterol or LDL.

Finally, people with sleep issues or uncontrolled diabetes should check with a doctor before adding caffeine to their diets, as should pregnant women, as there is some concern about caffeine's effect on fetal growth and miscarriage. And some of the latest research seems to say that our genes may be responsible for how we react to coffee, explaining why some of us need several cups to get a boost while others get the jitters on only one. .....................(more)

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/14/health/coffee-health/

[OnyxCollie]

1. I use a French press, which is good...

...but I drink one-half to three-quarters of a gallon by 9 am, which I am going to assume is bad.

[6chars]

46. i think the article says french press is not good

"Unlike filter coffee makers, the French press, Turkish coffee or the boiled coffee popular in Scandinavian countries fail to catch a compound called cafestol in the oily part of coffee that can increase your bad cholesterol or LDL. "

i parse that as saying all three non-filter methods (french, turkish and scandinavian) can increase bad cholesterol. on the other hand, there is something to be said for having your coffee taste good.

[99th_Monkey]

2. K&R - Organic French Roast rules nt

[Brother Buzz]

9. French roast is almost there. Italian roast goes a bit further...

and eliminates almost all the acids. Splained to me by an Eyetalian roaster, French roast brings the oils to the surface, which is good, but the acids cling to the oils, which is bad. Italian roast is pushed a bit to a higher temperature and flashes off the oil; the benefits of the oils are overshadowed by the detraction of the acid.

Says this guy who is drinking French roast coffee at this moment.

[taught_me_patience]

29. There is almost 100% chance an Italian roast is rancid

The oils come to the surface and go rancid within weeks of roasting. All that is left in Italian roast is ash.

[olddots]

3. we use a french press and drink 2 cups a day at most

If we watch 5 minutes of CNN we feel like we drank 7 gallons of gas staition coffee and were told the world was ending after the commercial break .

[magical thyme]

13. old fashioned filter good. french press bad...

"the French press, Turkish coffee or the boiled coffee popular in Scandinavian countries fail to catch a compound called cafestol in the oily part of coffee that can increase your bad cholesterol or LDL."

[Stellar]

4. Coffee to me means caffeine.

Not only coffee w/caffeine but so-called caffeine free, any cola's, hot chocolate, tea, anything with a hint of caffeine in it is out for me. It would cause me to have major heart palpitations or the feeling I was about to jump out of my skin.

Caffeine put me in intensive care for a couple of days, then I was placed into a regular room, the doctor (with a heavy accent) would ask me two to three times a day, how much coffee you drink, how much tea you drink? At that time, I didn't drink coffee or tea. So they finally let me out with a prescription of valium. I didn't take that but one day because I was knocked out after one pill almost the whole day. That was it for me.

One day I found out where I was getting the caffeine from (reading the label on the bottle while on the phone), I was drinking 8, 16 once Pepsi Cola's a day (when a case of Pepsi's came in a carton of 8 bottles).

Today, I mostly drink water and maybe a cup of decaf once or twice a month.

[Blue_In_AK]

12. I think it's so interesting how people have different reactions

to different substances. I can drink coffee all day long, even right before bed, have no side effects at all and go right to sleep. My blood pressure is low and heartbeat slow and steady. When I was wild and young, I could drink a lot and never get drunk, and even with stronger recreational drugs, I never wigged out...and I did quite a bit of that. My friends always counted on me to be "the responsible one." When I've had Vicodin for broken bones or whatever, it makes me wide awake and alert where other people I know get drowsy and can't function. I think I'm pretty lucky.

[Stellar]

22. Geez...

For a tall lady, one aspirin tablet if I have a headache, works wonders for me. And two glasses of wine is more than plenty, the third, I need a designated driver. LOL, Yes, lucky you.

[Blue_In_AK]

39. My husband is like that.

One beer and he gets all floaty and silly. Cheap date. LOL.

[840high]

49. I can drink coffee

all day. If you give me a glass of wine I'm proposing to peoples shoes under the table.

[Stellar]

55. So I'm an alcoholic, compared to you. LOL! nt

[CTyankee]

19. Yup. It's water, coffee and wine for me. Coffee in the AM, wine with dinner and water

from then on til morning. No soda, diet or otherwise. Very little juice (little bit of OJ to wash down bp pills in the am). Works well, been doing this for years. No ill effects.

[Stellar]

23. Now, I love my Ice water the same way I used to love my Pepsi Cola's.

As the saying goes...if god made anything better than water, he kept it for himself. And, good for you.

[CTyankee]

30. That ice/ice water function in the door of my refrigerator has proved to be the best

thing I ever got! Some people told me it reduced the size of my freezer but I said so what? I don't stuff my freezer with sides of beef. I do drink ice water every day. Love the thing!

[Stellar]

53. See, that's what I'm talking about. I LOVE mine too! nt

[CTyankee]

56. I love the crushed ice option, too. Nice for occasional diet pepsi...hubby loves it!

[packman]

5. The older I get, the more selective I am on my vices

If coffee is a vice, that is the one I am willing to make a life/health decision on. I know anecdotal stories are BS in relation to true scientific facts (My dad drank/smoked for 110 years and died in his sleep smiling in the arms of a 29 year old beauty queen), but I've been drinking coffee since I was 6 and have no intent to stop. Hell, I remember those endless perk coffee makers that bubbled the hot water up and over the grounds over and over and over again and we drank that black , tarry mass and didn't give it a second thought. Hard to think of a day without coffee.

[Marr]

6. I'm afraid most people now think coffee is a 600 calorie sweet drink.

I stop in a couple of different coffee shops on work days, and I've noticed I'm almost always the only person buying a coffee.

People get these enormous drinks filled with syrup, cream, topped with fluffy things and sprinkles, and call them coffees.

[DawgHouse]

33. All those added sweets are for people who don't like coffee.

[malaise]

7. I love coffee

Drink three to four filtered cups a day between 5.00am and noon. I'm fine with two cups but I love my blue mountain - one of my great luxuries.

[madokie]

24. I just put on a pot

and am having my first straight cup as I type this.
I love coffee, but mostly only early in the morning but this op put me in the coffee drinking mood. It smells so good.

[TheBlackAdder]

8. 2 - 3 cups a day of fine grind French Roast. I do question those anti-French Press health concerns.

.


To give some back story:

My brother used to drink strong French Pressed coffee and started to have heart palpitations. He spoke to his doctor after looking up the positives and negatives of his coffee, and there supposedly are more things forced into the coffee that normal drip or perk systems. BUt, he used to drink a boatload of coffee. He's down to 2 cups a day and is fine.

Both of my brother-in-laws are into this coffee kick, where both must use a burr grinder to properly shred the beans, and one of them just bought their own roaster. He roasted coffee, something with a blueberry hint to it. I ground it at home and it came across as slightly substandard, slightly acidic, and not as smooth. Note: The deeper the roast, the less acidic the coffee is.


===


Now, getting to my areas of questioning these things:

If you grind your coffee extra-fine, pulverized coffee from a burr grinder, coffee mill, or any other device still yields the same thing, coffee ground much smaller than grains of salt. Regardless of the device, ground coffee is ground coffee. So those device claims appear to be bullshit.


The use of a French Press with fine ground coffee versus a drip machine using extra-fine ground coffee yields almost the same result. Granted the pressure of the press should force a little more oils and other chemicals from the coffee, but the ground is slightly larger.


Boiled coffee seems no different that the perk machines we used. The water repeatedly traverses the grounds, instead of a single pass. I guess the water temperature and time boiled might play into things, but this all goes back to the size of the grounds. I believe boiled coffee uses the same larger grinds that perk systems use. Something that requires extra effort to extract the elements.


Seeing coffee aficionados orgasming over their coffee is an amazing sight to behold. First, true coffee drinkers must drink it black, to 'taste' the coffee. When a rank batch is served, the group turns to the most revered member to get his take on it, then most will follow. Yet, when out in the parking lot, those who agreed will mention that the stuff actually sucked. But, this level of what is good or bad borders on wine tasting lunacy. Granted, we all know what bad coffee or wine is, but the coffee should be what you enjoy, not what others try and tell you to enjoy. Look at Starbucks, pushing that vile Pikes Peak and Americanos on people at late night. Sure, there are those who will drink it, some who like it, but they lost most of their evening crowd when they change over to only offering those. When they offer them to my family, we walk out of the store and go elsewhere. We don't even bother to go to a Starbucks after 8PM, unless someone wants a frap. Now, the several Starbucks near me, that closed at 11PM, are closing early--and they seem confused why people don't go there at night anymore, while the local coffee shops maintain a clientele.


Agreeing with the article, it's really the additives in the coffee that get you. I used to need sugar and half-and-half. Now, I drink it with a little milk or black. The smell of sugar in coffee then took on a revolting smell to me. The filters catching the cafestol seems a little suspect, since perks don't use a filter. My coffee machines use metal mesh baskets, and don't use a filter.


.

[malaise]

15. I love your post

as I love discussions from serious coffee drinkers. I'm with you - I don't see how French press differs from filtered or boiled. We waste no money on fancy equipment - we use that for the blue mountain coffee (although we get a lot free from friends). We grind our own and never use sugar or any other sweetener. My first cup always has cream and since I love it hot, I top up over and over and don't add any more cream so by cup four, it's black

[madokie]

27. sometimes in my last cup

I'll put a couple tablespoons of Carolans liquor in it. Other than that I want it Hot and straight. Mostly just HOT

[malaise]

38. Tell me about Carolans liquor

never heard of it - nothing like that first sip of hot coffee in the morning.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

[madokie]

43. Comparable to Baileys irish creme liquor

Really really good in coffee especially for me in the last cup of the morning.

[taught_me_patience]

31. Sorry to say, but the prior post is completely inaccurate

when it comes to brewing coffee. A french press requires a coarser grind, making it impossible to properly extract coffee from lighter roasts. French press works great for darker roasts, though.

Again, the prior post could not be more wrong about brewing coffee. The grind size and uniformity is almost EVERTHING in brewing coffee.

You should try guatemalan or colombian coffee. All Blue Mountain crops are infected with mold.

edited to add: I own a high end coffee shop and do not want to come off as pretentious. The #1 thing is that the coffee tastes good to you. All coffee is AWESOME.

[malaise]

40. There is no better coffee on the planet than Jamaican blue mountain

Not all coffee is awesome but there is a lot of great coffee out there.

[TheBlackAdder]

59. It is a misconception that you need coarse grind for a French Press, dependent on the mesh size.

.

Well, you do come off as a bit pretentious, since you have a very myopic view of how to make coffee.

You have consumed the Kool-Aid thought of others, especially those sites justifying on spending $50-200 on a burr grinder. while dropping the "completely inaccurate" and "wrong" thing with mild ignorance.


If you were savvy to coffee making, you'd know there are different models of French Presses around and I was equating a fine grind French Press versus an extra fine grind drip machine. Sure, with larger grinds, there might be a benefit to using a burr grinder, but once the grind falls below a certain level, it becomes moot. Size matters for the equipment being used.

.

[randome]

10. Let's be honest. Anything but milk, juice, bread, fruits, nuts and vegetables is not 'real' food.

There will always be a study supporting something one way or the other. But the fact is we all know how to maintain our health and it's not by eating non-essential 'supplements'. We might 'get away' with indulging once in a while but they are not necessary. And some of them have long-term results that don't lend themselves well to short-term studies.

I indulge in non-essential faux foods, too, but I will admit to it, not try to convince myself that any of it is good for me.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]

[milestogo]

20. Cow's milk is not real food

unless you are a baby cow nursing from your mother... who hasn't been fed antibiotics and hormones.

[randome]

54. Fair point.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[PersonNumber503602]

62. That description fits me exactly.

*drinks some milk from the udder*

[Hekate]

36. Coffee is a food group. Yessirree.

[Runningdawg]

11. Coffee is a tradition

in our Native American family. I don't even remember the first time I drank it, but according to my parents and grandparents it was as a toddler - just a few sips here and there. My family has all died now, the youngest was 74 the oldest 98. Both my grandmother and father literally died with a cup in their hand. I hope I am holding a cup as well.

[malaise]

42. I had my first cup at five or six

clearly it was very weak and full of milk and sugar. My mom made a big pot every morning. Gradually we got a sip of the real stuff.
It has been fun watching generations acquire the taste.

[pinboy3niner]

14. I cut back until that British study a few years ago said coffee is nearly as hydrating as water

That was like being given a free pass!

[Hekate]

35. That picture is fantastic! No more espresso for that little guy!

[LisaL]

16. If I drunk 3-5 cups of coffee per day, I would never sleep.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

37. If I drank 3-5 cups a day I'd never notice.

I'm generally between 12 and 24 cups a day.

[struggle4progress]

17. It's got my vote!

[Deadshot]

18. I now don't have to feel bad drinking my Gevalia chocolate mocha coffee.

[yuiyoshida]

21. I love my Kona Coffee...

Just wish I could afford the full stuff and not the blended mix, but I would have to live in Hawaii to do that.

[ananda]

25. If coffee agrees with you, I say go for it.

I like coffee, but it doesn't like me. I can drink it occasionally,
but if I drink too much, it brings up cold sores.

That's both caff and decaff by the way. Bummer.

[ohheckyeah]

26. Coffee is

the nectar of the gods. Life without coffee isn't worth living.

[etherealtruth]

28. I stand with coffee

[pokerfan]

32. "It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion...

"It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java the thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion..."

[Hekate]

34. I stand with coffee, always have.

[seabeyond]

41. yea... coffee is my friend. i need my coffee. and just so much better knowing it is literally

saving my life, lol

i know. the whole coffee thing. back and forth. want me to talk in the morning, need the coffee.

i do not put junk in it. i use a filter. and drink maybe a tad more or less of what they suggest.

[PufPuf23]

44. Coffee is life.

I use a gold filter.

[MineralMan]

45. I stand at the kitchen counter,

pouring my next cup, three times a day.

[Ex Lurker]

47. I never developed a taste for coffee. I drink unsweetened ice tea NT

[840high]

48. Read today it's good for eyesight. I would

be too fuzzy without my coffee.

[Reter]

50. It's more addicting than crack

Mindless zombies in a diner at 9:00 AM makes you see what it has become.

[2naSalit]

51. Ahhhh, coffee! It's what's for breakfast!

It's also what gets me into a socializing state of mind (more palatable for interacting with other humans) so I can figure out what I'm doing the rest of the day. I buy fair-trade coffee from my local roaster exclusively and I haven't regretted it for the past ten years.

I use a porcelain Melita (cone-drip) that makes perfect coffee every time,,. two 10oz cups and that's enough. If it's a vice, I take care of that in the morning and then that's that.

The rest of the day I drink water or I make a juice for lunch. I used to drink soda on occasion - only at night - and only if it was watered down with some kind of alcohol, otherwise it just wasn't worth it.

[Skittles]

52. work seventeen 12 hour+ nights straight

you won't care about its health effects

[gollygee]

57. I don't know what to think about health claims

but I'm drinking coffee right now. I don't drink a lot but I like a couple of cups in the morning.

Maybe some things about it are healthy, and other things about it are unhealthy. I don't know why we put everything into dichotomies.

[Baclava]

58. I have a new love = cold brewed Frappuccinos in my blender

First make your cold-brewed coffee concentrate - the only way to make it, a gallon lasts me a week

dump a pound of grounds in a large container, add water and leave in the fridge overnight, strain it and save it

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2...t-iced-coffee/








then use your blender, an 8 oz glass of your coffee, add ice, a little sugar, milk or half&half and/or sweetened condensed milk/chocolate syrup if you like -takes me 2 minutes to make a fresh pitcher







adjust the ingredients to your liking, I'm having some now - no bitterness, just smooth icy lava coffee goodness!


http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2...e-frappuccino/

[Throd]

60. Don't stand between me and the coffee pot.

[PersonNumber503602]

61. I just eat 2 lbs of chocolate covered coffee beans a day.

I'm must be in super great health by now.

[Gloria]

63. When I want to spin out for the day, I can use my

ceramic drip thingy with the non-bleached filter for a single cup (like a Melitta, but not plastic)...and that's using only a tsp. of coffee and pouring through at least 8 ounces of water!

Coffee is like a kick in head for me...and also, it is very dehydrating. I love the taste, but...well, have to be darned careful...I also read that if you don't drink it regularly, having it once a week can actually trigger very strong effects which could rsult in bad things..like heart related issues....arrhythmias (sp?) and the like...it actually scared me quite a bit...