Coffee break is a daily ritual for many people. We simply enjoy it without questioning if it is healthy or not.
Popular public opinion says that coffee is a drug number one. We (typically non-raw/organic/vegan) ignore it and rather read articles about coffee curing cancer.
Nobody argues anymore that alcohol, cigarettes or sugar are unhealthy. While coffee dilemma remains unanswered.
Coffee is a big star for sure. It is one of the most discussed and investigated beverages in the scientific literature. It became a kind of competition to study and to discuss positive and negative effects of coffee. Isn't it a waste of time and resources to work on the question that most likely has no answer or needs no answer?
Coffee as a source of riboflavin and antioxidants is listed among foods that fight cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research summarizes that the better designed scientific studies suggest coffee as being protective for some cancers (endometrial or liver). Coffee might have health benefits, like reducing the risk of melanoma, stroke and Parkinson’s disease or type 2 diabetes.
flash4science has checked recent studies about the health benefits and risks of coffee. Newest publications available at National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), say:
Better not to drink.
- Coffee consumption and bladder cancer are linked, analysis shows
- Increased risk between coffee consumption and bladder cancer
- Some caffeine-related metabolites were inversely associated with colorectal cancer and should be studied further to clarify the role of coffee in the cause of colorectal cancer.
- There is little or no association between tea consumption and endometrial cancer risk. If there is any association with coffee consumption, it appears to be weak.
To be unbiased, one shall say that there is almost the same number of publications about coffee's health benefits. So what to do? To drink or not to drink?
The good rule of the thumb might be not to consume anything what is so much questionable.
Maybe some of you think “OK, from on tomorrow - green tea and water”. Rather this tomorrow’s decision to switch to a glass of water comes today. There are no endless publications discussing about health threats or benefits of pure water? Or? So it is better to be on a safe side.
We will join you... maybe tomorrow.
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