The recommended limit for caffeine is 400 mg per day and there is a good reason for that as too much caffeine can be bad for us. But it is also associated with some pretty amazing health benefits.
There has been much research over the past few years about the health benefits of drinking coffee. For many of us it makes us feel more alert, helps us focus and gives us an energy boost. Here we summarise the main findings. Let’s start with the liver.
Liver Health Benefits
Drinking coffee has been linked with a lower risk of cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is a disease of the liver often caused by drinking too much alcohol. A review of all the research found that only drinking one cup of coffee each day was linked with a 22% reduced risk of cirrhosis. Two cups per day and there was a 43% reduced risk, three cups a 57% reduced risk and finally four cups of coffee saw a 65% reduced risk.
The Heart
Research has found that people who drink three or four cups of coffee a day are 19% less likely to have cardiovascular disease.
Diabetes
A review of research found that for every cup of coffee you drink there is a 7% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Cancer
There have been a number of different research papers associated with reduced cancer rates and drinking coffee. One review found that people who drank at least 3 cups of coffee a day had a 18% reduced risk of cancer, one cup of coffee a day was associated with a 15% reduced risk of liver cancer and an 8% reduced risk of endometrial cancer.
Dementia
Regular coffee drinkers have been found in research to be16% less likely to suffer from dementia.
Depression
A large study of 500,000 women found that drinking one cup of coffee a day led to a 15% reduced risk of depression and drinking 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day brought about a 20% reduced risk. A further study of 100,000 men and women discovered that coffee drinkers were 45% less likely to commit suicide.
Mortality Rates
A large study of 500,000 people in Europe found that in a 16 years period men who drank 3 or more cups of coffee a day were 12% less likely to die and women were 7% less likely to die. People who drank coffee were also less likely to die from circulatory and digestive diseases.
We do need to be careful about how much coffee we consume and the young and women who are pregnant need to ensure they don’t consume too much caffeine. Drink too much and you could have problems sleeping and get your heart beating too fast. But research papers from around the world do indicate that there are clearly some amazing health benefits to drinking coffee.