Cocaine is the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world. Humans have been consuming coffee, which is a natural source of caffeine, for millennia, yet there has been conflicting information on the beverage's impact on human health for many years.
According to Marc Gunter, chief of the area of nutrition and metabolism at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, "traditionally, coffee has been seen as a negative item" (IARC). People who drink coffee had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to research conducted in the 1980s and 1990s - however that research has changed since then. "
Scientists now have data from hundreds of thousands of coffee consumers, thanks to an increase in large-scale population studies that have emerged during the previous decade, according to Gunter. What the evidence tells us is that coffee drinking has both health advantages and hazards, depending on who you ask.
Coffee has been linked to an increased risk of cancer because it includes acrylamide, a carcinogenic chemical that may be found in a variety of foods such as toast, pastries, and potato chips. However, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) decided in 2016 that coffee is not hazardous unless it is consumed extremely hot - over 65 degrees Celsius (149F).
Beyond that, several studies have shown that coffee may really have a protective impact on the body. Some studies, for example, have shown a link between coffee consumption and a decreased severity and recurrence of colon cancer in individuals, according to the researchers.
Research conducted by Gunter in 2017 looked into the coffee-drinking habits of half a million individuals throughout Europe over a period of 16 years. The findings were released in 2017. Heart disease, stroke, and cancer were all associated with a decreased risk of death in those who drank more coffee. These results are consistent with previous studies from throughout the globe, including from the United States.
There is substantial agreement among observational research, according to Gunter, to indicate that persons who consume up to four cups of coffee a day have fewer ailments than those who do not drink any coffee.
Coffee's potential benefits might be extended much further. Coffee consumers, according to Gunter's research, were more likely to smoke and to eat a less-nutritious diet than non-drinkers of the beverage. This would imply that if coffee does cut the risk of heart disease and cancer, it may be more effective than we realise - it may be able to counteract the consequences of bad behaviours more effectively.
No matter if it's a cup of decaffeinated or caffeinated coffee, the same holds true. According to a study, decaf coffee contains antioxidants in quantities comparable to those found in regular coffee. Gunter found no variations in health between persons who drank caffeinated coffee and those who drank decaf coffee, leading him to infer that the health advantages associated with coffee are attributable to something other than the caffeine in the beverage.
Cause and effect
However, all of this study was conducted using population data, which cannot be used to establish cause and effect relationships.
Coffee drinkers may just have superior overall health than those who do not consume the beverage.
It's possible that those who drink coffee have better underlying health than those who don't, according to Peter Rogers, a University of Bristol researcher who investigates the impact of caffeine on behavioural and emotional responses as well as alertness and concentration. This is despite the fact that they have more unhealthy living behaviours, as shown by Gunter's study.
The possibility of a protective effect has been raised by some, which is rather contentious since it is based on population studies, says Dr. Hess.
Conversely, persons who drink a lot of coffee have greater blood pressure, which should raise their chance of developing cardiovascular disease in the long run. However, according to Rogers, there is no evidence that greater blood pressure caused by coffee consumption is related to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
In contrast to population research, clinical trials investigating coffee are more uncommon. These trials might help to evaluate the advantages and hazards of the beverage. In contrast, a group of scientists recently performed a study in which they studied the impact of consuming caffeinated coffee on blood sugar levels.
During the short study, which was carried out by the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise, and Metabolism at the University of Bath in England, researchers investigated how coffee impacts the body's reaction to breakfast following a night of interrupted sleep. According to the researchers, individuals who drank coffee followed by a sugary drink that served as a substitute for breakfast saw a 50 percent spike in blood sugar when compared to those who did not drink coffee before the fictitious meal.
Nonetheless, for the danger to mount, this kind of behaviour would have to be repeated on a regular basis over time.
Putting individuals in lab settings also raises the issue of how applicable the results are to real-world situations – demonstrating that neither population-based nor laboratory research can give conclusive answers on how coffee impacts our health and wellbeing.
Coffee and miscarriage
When it comes to caffeinated coffee drinking, the advice is especially unclear during pregnancy. In a study conducted by Esther Myers, CEO of EF Myers Consulting, she looked over 380 pieces of research and came to the conclusion that four cups of coffee per day for adults and three cups per day for pregnant women shouldn't have any negative impact on health.
The Food Standards Agency, on the other hand, recommends that pregnant and lactating women limit their coffee consumption to one to two cups per day. Recent research has indicated that pregnant women should avoid drinking coffee totally in order to lower the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, and stillbirth throughout their pregnancy.
Emily Oster, an economist, and author of the book Expecting Better, which examines the science behind pregnancy recommendations, discovered that the advice on drinking coffee was uneven as well, according to her research.
"The likelihood that caffeine use is associated with miscarriage, particularly in the first three months, is a major source of worry," she explains.
However, she points out that there isn't a lot of randomised evidence on this, and that making inferences from observational data isn't very accurate.
« Women who consume coffee during pregnancy are more likely to be older and to smoke than other women." "We know that older age and cigarette smoking are associated with increased risks of miscarriage," she explains further.
According to the research, women who feel sick during early pregnancy are less likely to miscarry. These women also avoid drinking coffee since it is the kind of substance that makes you feel ill when you are already feeling unwell. As a result, a large number of women who are nauseated and do not drink coffee are less likely to miscarry."
According to Oster, drinking two to four cups of coffee per day does not seem to be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage.
The jitters caused by caffeine
Aside from the possible negative effects of coffee on heart health, cancer, and miscarriage, there is the question of how it affects the brain and neurological system. As a psychoactive stimulant, caffeine has the potential to impair our cognitive abilities.
Some individuals can drink caffeinated coffee all day long, while others grow agitated after only one cup. This is true for the general population as well. A number of studies have shown that genetic variations may have an impact on how differently two individuals process caffeine. The problem, according to Myers, is that "we don't understand why one individual is completely happy with a certain dose of caffeine and another person is not."
There's bad news for coffee drinkers who rely on the beverage to give them an edge in the classroom, according to research.
Because we acquire resistant to the effects of caffeine, drinking coffee has no net beneficial impact on our capacity to function productively – Peter Rogers
The physiological changes that occur when the body grows acclimated to ingesting caffeine on a regular basis, according to Rogers, "allow the body to live with caffeine while maintaining normal function." In the long run, coffee use has no net advantage to our capacity to function effectively because we get accustomed to its effects. However, as long as you continue to consume it, you are unlikely to be worse off.
There's bad news for coffee drinkers who rely on the beverage to give them an edge in the classroom, according to research.
According to him, the only individuals who stand to benefit from caffeine are those who don't use it on a regular basis in their daily lives.
On the other end of the spectrum, many individuals make light of the fact that they are addicted to coffee. However, according to Rogers, in the majority of situations, they are simply dependent.
The danger of caffeine addiction, according to the expert, is negligible. "If you take caffeine away from someone, they don't feel fantastic, but they aren't seeking it," he asserts.
Using coffee as an example, he explains the distinction between addiction, in which the user has a strong need to get the drug, and dependency, in which the user's cognitive function is hindered but they do not go to great lengths to obtain the substance.
