Picture the scene: you are late for work. The line at your favorite coffee shop is out the door and around the corner. You get in line and wait anyway.
(Photo Credit: dyobmit/Flickr)
Let’s face it, once you are addicted to coffee, it doesn’t matter what the latest newsbite has to say about coffee’s health benefits or lack thereof. And yet, there is a ton of conflicting information coming at us from all sides. So, is coffee good for you or bad for you?
It depends. (You weren’t expecting an easy answer, were you?)
Health Benefits of Drinking Coffee
We all know the benefit of waking up to a nice, warm brew, and we all enjoy the sense of alertness the caffeine brings.
According to The BizNavigator, coffee may help prevent the onset of some illnesses, including:
- Alzheimers
- Parkinson’s
- Gallstones
- Asthma attacks
Negative Effects of Drinking Coffee
- Changes in sleep patterns. (Which is the reason so many of us start drinking it.)
- It is a diuretic, which means the more you drink, the more dehydrated you may become. This is counterintuitive, but true.
- Caffeine also flushes vitamins B and C out of your system.
- May cause high blood pressure.
- May cause heartburn.
Moderation May be the Key
It seems that serious health problems are much more likely in people who drink coffee in great quantities. Men who drink six cups per day are statistically more likely to develop more lethal forms of prostate cancer than men who drink less or no coffee on a daily basis.
Women, on the other hand, seem to develop nasty health problems at five cups per day.
Enjoying a cup or two each day seems to be the best strategy.
Tell Us What You Think
How much coffee do you drink every day? Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.
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