Friday, July 22, 2011

Healthy Drink #4 Coffee


Coffee has long been a beverage people enjoy.  If you take your coffee black and unsweetened, you’ve got a no-calorie drink.  When you drive through and order a whipped topping, sweetened coffee beverage, consider that a treat because you’ve added calories to your coffee drink. 

Caffeinated or decaffeinated?  Over the years the advice has changed several times.  One time it’s ok to drink caffeinated coffee.  Then the news says no, caffeinated coffee is bad for us. 

A large study (The Nurses’ Health Study which included over 11,000 nurses for a 24 year period) gives us a valuable answer:  “consumption of filtered caffeinated coffee was not associated with CVD (cardiovascular disease) or all-cause mortality in women with CVD.  This study can be found at

Now, I’ve got one comment about this study finding.  It involved women so researchers are recommending comparable research on men.  Also, remember that caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant.  Some people may find caffeinated drinks cause problems such as high blood pressure, insomnia, and feeling jittery and stressed.  Talk to your doctor before changing lifestyle habits which involve caffeine. However, it is reassuring that coffee does not cause heart disease or increase the chance of dying from heart disease. 

More information about coffee can be found at the Harvard School of Public Health website: 
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/coffee/

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