The question in your coffee cup, is coffee good or bad for you?

We debunk the debate around whether coffee is good or bad for you.

Coffee’s bad for you! Coffee’s good for you! We hear the back and forth of this age old debate being battered around the media constantly. So where does the truth lie? Is coffee the elixir of life or bringing you one step closer to the grave? Should we be switching our morning brew to a turmeric latte? Or upping our dose to three double espressos a day?

Well good news, it is it not all doom and gloom for your daily flat white. Numerous studies have shown regular caffeine consumption can reduce the risk of Alzheimers, lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, and Depression as well as increase your life span.

Here’s the bad news; be wary of your caffeine intake if you have Anxiety, Insomnia or a pre-existing heart condition as coffee can have an adverse effect on these conditions.

Now let’s back to the good stuff.

Coffee is the elixir of life

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012 found that people aged between 51-70 years’ old who regularly drank coffee “had a lower risk of dying over a 12-13-year study period.” So it’s good news for your Italian grandma still knocking back 3 espressos a day.

Coffee can help your mind stay sharp when you’re older

Studies have found that “daily coffee drinkers have up to 65% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease” according to a paper published by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. 

Coffee is good for your mental health

Depression globally is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders with “over 1 million Australian adults suffering from depression annually” according to BeyondBlue. A Harvard study from 2011 found that “people who drank coffee had a 20% lower risk of becoming depressed.”

Not to mention it’s packed full of antioxidants

Looks like an apple a day doesn’t keep the doctor away but a long black might. According to the Journal of Nutrition “The average person who eats a Western diet gets more antioxidants from coffee than from fruit and vegetables.”

Caffeine can help reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes

According to the Australian Department of Health an estimated 1.2 million Australian’s, 5.1% of the population have Type 2 diabetes. According to a review by the JAMA Network who reviewed 18 studies of close to half a million people they found that “a daily cup of coffee can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 7%.”

So by the looks of things a daily coffee pick-me-up might be doing more than just helping you get out of bed.

Maddie Lucre

Contributor

Maddie is in her first year of a Bachelor of Communications at UTS. She has a passion for writing, podcasts and photography. A self-confessed coffee addict Maddie loves all things to do with food, wine and the beach. In her down time you can often find her coffee in hand heading down to beach with plenty of sunscreen on.

No Comments Yet

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Verified by MonsterInsights