Don’t Shrug Off Coffee As A Benign Stimulant
With designer coffee shops dispensing lattes on almost every corner, supermarket aisles overflowing with flavored beans and even episodic, soap-opera coffee commercials on prime-time TV, is there any doubt caffeine is an essential part of American life?
Perhaps more than alcohol, coffee is the country’s drug of choice. It wakes us up, calms us down, complements our meals and frequently accompanies business and social intercourse.
But is it good for us?
The news is pretty favorable. Unlike alcohol, coffee seldom is blamed for traffic accidents, marital breakups and fatal diseases.
“For most people, if coffee is drunk in reasonable amounts, it presents little problem,” says John B. Allred, professor of nutrition at Ohio State University.
That doesn’t mean coffee is completely safe. People with accelerated or irregular heartbeats, those with high blood pressure, and patients taking beta blocker drugs, for instance, should talk to their physicians about drinking coffee or other beverages containing caffeine, such as teas, colas and some other soft drinks.
“But if you don’t have disease or aren’t on medication,” Allred says, a couple of cups a day are “not a real problem.”
Caffeine, the primary active component in coffee, tends to exaggerate the response of some hormones, adrenaline in particular.
For example, if you do something to stimulate adrenaline response, such as heavy physical exertion or another stressful activity, caffeine will enhance the adrenaline and extend its power. The heart will beat faster, arteries will constrict and fat will be mobilized as energy, Allred says. That is why some marathon runners believe caffeine can improve their performance and why consumption is restricted by the International Olympic Committee rules.
The downside is that a lot of coffee can put extra strain on the heart because it increases its rate. This is especially true if the heart is already working fast, as it does in a long-distance race.
That added stimulus is something the body may get used to, though Allred stops short of calling it an addictive drug. “Your cells may adapt to it for an extra boost,” he says. “And if you stop quickly, you could get a reaction.”
What about other ill effects?
Birth defects
Research on whether heavy caffeine consumption is dangerous for pregnant women tends to fluctuate. Several years ago, laboratory studies predicted caffeine might interfere with development of a fetus because it has a similar molecular structure to nucleic acids, the building blocks of living cells.
But there have been few clinical studies to support that theory and there is little evidence that two cups of coffee a day should have any effect on a developing baby, Allred says.
Nevertheless, the American Dietetic Association officially advises pregnant women not to consume caffeine, or to at least use it in moderation. “Still, scores of pregnant women continue to drink coffee without any ill effects,” Zelman says.
Cancer
Although a few studies have linked coffee to several forms of cancer, many more have not. The American Cancer Society and the World Health Organization have stated there is no known association between coffee, tea or other caffeinated beverages and cancer.
Osteoporosis
According to some research, heavy coffee drinking may lead to a decrease in bone density in older persons, because caffeine tends to accelerate the use of calcium stores. However, this is offset by getting adequate calcium in the diet.