All About Coffee

Is coffee good or bad?

Does coffee increase longevity?

How much coffee per day is recommended?

Questions like these are posed to me on a daily basis. The fact is, everyone has their own unique individual needs and wants. Like most things in nutrition, I answer most questions like these with, “it depends.” I know, not exactly the most popular answer.

For some people, coffee can provide health benefits. For others, it can cause a host of issues. You see, not everyone metabolizes coffee the same. People metabolize caffeine at different rates, some are slow and some are fast. Slow metabolizers should limit caffeine consumption because of the relationship with that particular gene and increased risks of sleep disturbance, increase blood pressure, terrible PMS symptoms, and even miscarriage.

For those of you that are fast metabolizers, coffee may improve your health. Coffee has been shown to improve athletic and mental performance. There is also research showing lower rates of certain types of cancer, neurodegenerative effects, type 2 diabetes, and even possible benefits of preventing premature mortality and cardiovascular disease. The problem is that most of this research is epidemiological, meaning that they are based on association instead of cause and effect. Just because coffee is associated with these benefits / risks doesn’t necessarily mean that coffee causes these benefits / risks.

In today’s world, the issue isn’t so much about whether coffee is good or bad, but more so in regards to what are you putting into your coffee and how much are you consuming per day. When consuming coffee, go black if possible. The frappuccino with 12 pumps of whatever acts more like a morning dessert than a cup of coffee. Be careful with how many sweetners, creamers, etc. you are using each day. Those calories, sweeteners, and additives can start adding up after a while. So how much is considered safe each day? Two to Three cups of coffee or 200-300 mg of caffeine per day is considered to maximize the benefits of coffee while reducing the risks.  Please don’t think that these same rules apply to energy drinks and caffeine pills, I would highly advise avoiding those. Another thing to keep in mind, try to keep coffee to the AM. Drinking coffee late into the afternoon can cause you to have issues falling asleep or waking up throughout the night.

I hope this helps!

I enjoy drinking cold-brew coffee by Chameleon Cold-Brew Coffee. I typically drink a 10 oz. glass every morning. Here’s is a link to their website: https://www.chameleoncoldbrew.com

 

Helping you live YOUR best life,

Justin Murphy