Coffee...It's a Food Group!!!

Donald Hensrud, chair of preventive, occupational and aerospace medicine at the Mayo Clinic expresses that people have preconceived ideas about different foods, and the common perception about coffee drinking is that it’s bad for you. But for most people, the benefits outweigh the risks.

Studying coffee’s health effects is tricky because coffee comes in so many forms and strengths. The volume is not the issue.  The strength of the potent brown liquid is determined by the amount of caffeine in coffee.

Here are some of the benefits of coffee:

• Might help protect against heart arrhythmia, stroke and depression in women, and basal cell carcinoma
• Contains hundreds of antioxidants. Coffee is the main source of antioxidants for some coffee lovers.
• Improved cognition and alertness
• Decrease in depression risk & suicide risk
• Can potentially reduce the risk of liver disease.

So, go ahead and take advantage of your java with all of its health benefits!

However, as much as I crave a cup of joe, I have to consume sparingly because it sometimes produces acid reflux. Other side effects can include heart palpitations, indigestion, insomnia, and urinary tract problems in men. A side note; coffee doesn’t appear to increase blood pressure over the long haul, among people who don’t drink it often, it can cause blood pressure to spike temporarily. If you add cream and sugar to your coffee, your coffee habit could lead to weight gain.  So the old saying goes, “All things in moderation.”

National Coffee Drinking Trends Study,The National Coffee Association of U.S.A. Inc., 2011

Jennifer LaRue Huget, Eat, Drink & Be Healthy Columnist, 11/15/2011