Is Coffee Bad For You?

Many people may wonder:is coffee bad for you? And in truth, there is still some debate about this question. Originally, people thought that coffee was definitely bad for you, and some people even thought it might cause early death or slow down growth in children. Recent studies have reversed the opinion of some experts on the question, and some coffee drinkers are pretty pleased with this new evidence. Apparently most of the warnings about coffee were nothing but old-wives tales. 

In truth, if you’re wondering if coffee is bad for you, most new research suggests that it’s not. Or to be more specific, it shouldn’t be dangerous most of the time. Many people seem to actually get health benefits from drinking coffee. Studies have shown that coffee drinkers tend to live longer than non-drinkers, most of the scary stuff that was supposed to happen to people never materializes. This doesn’t mean that everything about coffee is good for you, but it does suggest that positives might outweigh the negatives, and the idea that coffee is bad for you is probably not really accurate.

Experts aren’t sure exactly why coffee is good for you, and they’re still doing some research on the subject. The main hypotheses right now revolves around the idea of antioxidants, which have a variety of potential health benefits, and are very concentrated in coffee. There is also evidence showing that coffee may fight certain types of cancer, and help prevent Alzheimer's disease. It might even help prevent people from developing type 2 diabetes. It may seem a little farfetched to think that coffee is some kind of miracle drug, and that's not really what the scientists are saying. They're just trying to make the point that there are some small possible benefits that come with drinking coffee.  

Even so, some people might still argue forcefully that coffee is bad for you, and their are a few arguments that work in their favor. For example, people get addicted to the caffeine in coffee, and it happens pretty quickly. If being an addict doesn's sound like a lot of fun, coffee might not be your best beverage choice. To be fair, it’s not as serious as some other drugs, but coffee withdrawl can be a fairly unpleasent experience for both the addict, and the people around who have to put up with his grumpy attitude. Experts also think its a bad idea for women to drink coffee while they are pregnant, and high levels of caffeine can cause blood pressure spikes or changes in heart rate, which could be something to consider for certain individuals.

So, when you examine all the evidence, is coffee bad for you? The best answer available is no, at least not for most people, but it’s also probably better to drink it in moderation. Most experts suggest that three or four cups a day is enough to get the benefits, and help avoid most of the pitfalls, while women who are pregnant should probably move to decaffeinated coffee during their pregnancy.