For several decades, the use and abuse of coffee and its caffeine content, have been at the center of heated debate based on information which have been proved as unfounded by recent medical studies.

Coffee and cancer

Over the past two decades, methodologically sound research and in-depth studies carried out in the USA have ruled out the hypothesis that coffee might cause cancer. In the past, drinking coffee was considered as a possible cause of cancer, especially of pancreatic cancer. These wrong assumptions were based on empirical studies conducted on patients whose health was already compromised by serious problems to the gastrointestinal tract. On the contrary, recent studies have suggested that coffee has a protective effect against colon cancer.

Coffee and the heart

As for the circulatory system, caffeine has a vasodilating effect and a cardiotonic action, which causes a temporary rise in blood pressure which is not relevant from a medical point of view, because the extra effort of the heart is compensated by vasodilating in other vascular districts, such as kidneys and lungs. The wrong conclusions regarding correlation between caffeine intake, hypertension and palpitation, derived by studies that did not take into account other variables, such as stress level or cigarette consumption in the patients that took part in the studies.
The research team led by Dr. Lauretta A. Lynn (Hearth and Lung, July-August 1992) claims: "there is no objective evidence showing a link between caffeine intake and coronary diseases". There is no case where the consumption of coffee proved to be a risk for the heart, not even in cases of people who drink 4 or more than 4 cups a day of American coffee which has a higher level of caffeine than coffee prepared with a moka machine or espresso.

Coffee and osteoporosis

Recent studies have proved that there is no link between coffee intake and osteoporosis.

Kidneys and breathing
No influence on breathing, while drinking coffee has a diuretic effect.

Coffee and stomach

Coffee affects the digestive system by making the stomach produce more acid, which has no harm for a healthy person, actually stimulating the digestive functions of the body.
Those who have gastrointestinal problems (peptic ulcers, gastritis, etc), due to excessive gastric secretion, should limit coffee consumption, as well as other drinks containing caffeine such as tea, soft drinks and beer.
In the case of coffee, however, gastric secretion is not primarily determined by caffeine, but rather by the substances that are released during roasting, which also cause the reduction of hunger that can occur when drinking coffee on an empty stomach.
Finally, it should be emphasized that, because of its bitter taste, the drink stimulates the production of saliva, bile and intestinal motility, which help digestion.

Coffee and pregnancy

Women should not give up coffee during the breastfeeding period, because it has been shown that caffeine reaches its maximum level in the milk after about an hour.

Caffeine concentration varies according to the content of fat in milk and an infant absorbs only from 0.06 to 1,5%. So a moderate consumption of coffee when breastfeeding is not discouraged.

Drinking coffee does not cause problems even during pregnancy, as demonstrated by a study conducted on 12,208 pregnant women. (Linn et al.: No Association between Coffee Consumption and Adverse Outcomes of Pregnancy, N. Engl. J. Med. 306, 1982).

Coffee and Diet

A cup of coffee without the addition of either milk or sugar, contains zero fat and only a couple of calories.

In fact, this drink has been classified as "no nutritional dietary component" because it does not play a significant role in terms of nutrition and energy. Actually, if someone would like to follow a diet to loose weight or reduce food intake, a cup of coffee can help in reducing sensations of hunger.

Furthermore, it has been proved that the metabolic activity of a person who drinks 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day increases by 10% compared to that of non-regular coffee consumers.

Coffee and cholesterol

A possible increase in cholesterol level after coffee intake depends on the way the drink is prepared. The cafeolo and cafestolo, two elements found in the fat part of the coffee, are responsible for this effect, but are present in greater quantity only in certain types of extracted product.

In particular, Turkish coffee, in which case 5 cups, if taken daily, could lead to an increase of 13 milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter.

Boiled coffee contains the largest amount of cafeolo and cafestolo. Five cups a day push the rate up to 19 milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter.

Filtered coffee, instant coffee, espresso and coffee based drinks prepared with espresso either do not contain these elements, or their presence is so minimal as not to affect cholesterol levels.

Coffee and aging

Thanks to its strong antioxidant properties, coffee is a key ally in the fight against free radicals.
Both its phenolic components, as well as caffeine, are responsible for this anti-aging effect that has been proved in a study conducted at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Bombay (India) and published in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta. The data collected by the study show that the antioxidant power of caffeine is greater than that of vitamin C.

Abuse and intolerance

The daily highest dose of caffeine intake should not exceed 600 mg per person (especially if the subject is anxious or pregnant), which is contained in about 8 cups of coffee.

Excessive intake of coffee, especially in sensitive individuals, could cause problems such as irritability, restless sleep, insomnia, muscle cramps, hot flashes alternating shivering and sweating.

Coffee abuse does not automatically cause these effects, because each individual has a different level of tolerance and the effects can be triggered also by the combination of other factors, such as environmental and psychological ones.

But there are also cases of intolerance and conditions under which coffee consumption should be limited as in the presence of gastritis, peptic ulcer, enteritis, colitis, or if one is subject to excitability, muscle cramps or hyperthyroidism. Other problems may occur if you suffer from liver or chronic kidneys diseases.