Should you drink coffee?
Coffee drinking and the choice of coffee bean is fast becoming as sophisticated as choosing a great wine! And just like red wine it is talked about for health benefits one moment and demonised the next. So what does the scientific evidence tell us?
Caffeine is stimulating and can result in the release of dopamine and noradrenaline, improving our mood and making us more alert. It has also been shown to increase exercise performance. Hence why we so often reach for that coffee to get us going, wake us up or before hitting the gym.Used occasionally this won’t cause us any problems but being an adrenal stimulant it won’t do us any favours if we are chronically stressed.
Caffeine has been shown to improve the movement symptoms of Parkinson’s disease with as little as 2 cups per day and may even reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
Coffee isn’t all about the caffeine though. It contains hundreds of compounds and is dense in polyphenols delivering antioxidant activity lowering of the risk of type 2 diabetes and liver cirrhosis.
Many studies have looked at the risk of mortality in coffee drinkers. Results have been rather conflicting with some showing lower mortality rates and others showing increased rates. These studies generally looked at coffee consumption of more than 6 cups a day.
So, if you enjoy coffee, drink it in moderation. Avoid using it as a stimulant if you are stressed and remember it may keep you awake, so evening drinking is best avoided. It goes without saying, avoid adding sugars or syrups!