Drinking coffee has been linked to a reduced risk of all kinds of ailments（疾病，小病）, including Parkinson’s disease, melanoma /ˌmɛlə'nomə/, prostate cancer, even suicide.
Drinking coffee has long been associated with a lower risk of a variety of diseases, including Parkinson's disease, melanoma, prostate cancer, and even suicide
Americans sure love their coffee. Even last spring when the pandemic（流行病） shut down New York,
Americans do love coffee. Surprisingly, even last spring, when the pandemic hit all of New York and almost all community stores selling takeaway coffee barely opened, many people were willing to venture out and go to the store to brew a cup of their favorite coffee to start their home life.
One elderly friend who prepandemic（疫情发生前） had traveled from Brooklyn to Manhattan by subway to buy her preferred blend of ground coffee（咖啡粉；研磨咖啡） arranged to have it delivered. “Well worth the added cost,” she told me. I use machine-brewed coffee from pods, and last summer when shop I stocked up on a year’s supply of the blends I like. (Happily, the pods are now recyclable.)
Before the pandemic, an elderly friend took the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan to buy her favorite ground coffee and arrange deliveries. She told me, "The extra cost is well worth it." "I usually use a pod machine to make coffee. When it was relatively safe to go out last summer, I went to the supermarket to stock up on a year's supply of blended coffees that I liked. (Happily, the pods are now recyclable.) ）
. The and caffeine, its main active ingredient（成分，要素，配料）, are reassuring（安心的，可靠的，令人放心的） indeed. Their consumption has been linked to a , including Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, gallstones, depression, suicide, cirrhosis, liver cancer, melanoma and prostate cancer.
All of us should be happy to know about this: in fact, getting our favorite coffee to the best of our ability may help keep us healthy. The latest assessment of the health effects of coffee and caffeine, its main active ingredient, is indeed reassuring. Their consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of a variety of diseases, including Parkinson's disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, depression, suicide, cirrhosis, liver cancer, melanoma, and prostate cancer.
In fact, in numerous studies conducted throughout the world, consuming four or five eight-ounce cups of coffee (or about 400 milligrams毫克 of caffeine) a day reduced death rates. In a study of more than 200,000 participants followed for up to 30 years, those who drank three to five cups of coffee a day, with or without caffeine, were 15 percent from all causes than were people who shunned（避开，躲开） coffee. Perhaps most dramatic was a 50 percent among both men and women who were moderate（适度的） coffee drinkers, perhaps by brain chemicals that have antidepressant（抗抑郁的） effects.
In fact, in numerous studies conducted around the world, drinking four to five cups of 8-ounce coffee per day (or about 400 mg of caffeine) has been linked to reduced mortality. In a 30-year follow-up study of more than 200,000 participants, people who drank three to five cups of coffee a day, whether caffeine or not, were 15 percent less likely to die prematurely for a variety of causes than people who didn't drink coffee. Perhaps most strikingly, men and women who drank coffee in moderation had a 50 percent lower risk of suicide, possibly by promoting the production of brain chemicals that have antidepressant effects.
As concluded, although current evidence may not warrant recommending coffee or caffeine to prevent disease, for most people drinking coffee in moderation “can be part of a healthy lifestyle.”
As a report published last summer by a team of researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health concluded, while there is currently no evidence to recommend coffee or caffeine to prevent disease, for most people, moderate coffee consumption can be part of a healthy lifestyle.
It wasn’t always thus. I’ve lived through decades of sporadic（断断续续的；偶尔发生的） warnings that coffee could be a health hazard（危害）. Over the years, conditions such as heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, pancreatic cancer, anxiety disorder, nutrient deficiencies, gastric reflux disease, migraine, insomnia, and premature death. As recently as 1991, the World Health Organization listed coffee as a possible carcinogen（致癌物）. In some of the now-discredited studies, smoking, not coffee drinking (the two o) was responsible for the purported hazard.
But this is not always the case. For more than a decade, I've received intermittent warnings that coffee is bad for health. For many years, coffee has been thought to be the cause of diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, pancreatic cancer, anxiety disorders, nutritional deficiencies, gastric reflux disease, migraines, insomnia and premature death. As recently as 1991, the World Health Organization listed coffee as a possible carcinogen. In some now-untrustworthy studies, smoking, rather than drinking coffee (both often occur at the same time), is responsible for the alleged harm.
“These periodic scares have given the public a very distorted view,” said Dr. Walter C. Willett, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Overall, despite various concerns that have cropped up over the years, coffee is remarkably safe and has a number of important potential benefits.”“
These fears that are regularly spread have created a very distorted view of the public," said Dr. Walter C. Willett, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. ”
Caffeine crosses the placenta（胎盘） into the fetus（胎儿）, and coffee drinking during pregnancy can increase the risk of . Pregnancy alters how the body metabolizes（代谢变化） caffeine, and women who are pregnant or nursing are advised to abstain（戒） entirely, stick to decaf or at the very least limit their caffeine intake to less than 200 milligrams a day, the amount in about two standard cups of American coffee.
This is not to say that coffee is guaranteed to be free of any health problems. Caffeine crosses the placenta into the fetus, and drinking coffee during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight, and premature birth. Pregnancy changes the way the body metabolizes caffeine, and it is recommended that pregnant or nursing women quit caffeine completely, stick to caffeine-free, or at least limit their daily caffeine intake to less than 200 mg, which is roughly equivalent to two cups of Caffeine intake in the American Standard Cup.
The most common ill effect associated with caffeinated coffee is sleep disturbance. Caffeine locks into the same receptor in the brain as the neurotransmitter adenosine, a natural sedative（自然镇定剂）. Dr. Willett, a co-author of the Harvard report, told me, “I really do love coffee, but I have it only occasionally because otherwise I don’t sleep very well. Lots of people with sleep problems don’t recognize the connection to coffee.”
The most common adverse reaction associated with caffeinated coffee is sleep disturbances. Caffeine is locked into the same receptors in the brain as the neurotransmitter adenosine, a natural sedative. Dr. Willitt, co-author of the Harvard Report, told me, "I really like coffee, but I only drink it occasionally, otherwise I wouldn't get a good night's sleep." A lot of people with sleep problems don't realize it's related to coffee. ”
In discussing his audiobook on caffeine with Terry Gross on NPR last winter, Michael Pollan called caffeine “” because it interferes with deep sleep. He confessed that after the challenging task of weaning himself from coffee, he “was sleeping like a teenager again.”
Last winter, michael Pollan discussed his audiobook on caffeine with Terry Gross on NPR, calling caffeine the "enemy of good sleep" because it interferes with deep sleep. He admits that after completing the daunting task of getting himself to quit coffee, he was able to fall asleep like a teenager again.
Dr. Willett, now 75, said, “You don’t have to get to zero consumption to minimize the impact on sleep,” but he acknowledged that a person’s sensitivity to caffeine “probably increases with age.” People how rapidly they metabolize caffeine, enabling some to sleep soundly after drinking caffeinated coffee at dinner while others if they have coffee at lunch. But even if you can fall asleep readily after an evening coffee, it may get adequate deep sleep, Mr. Pollan states in his forthcoming book, “This Is Your Mind on Plants.”
Dr. Willett, 75, said: "You don't have to reach zero intake in order to minimize the impact on sleep," but acknowledges that a person's sensitivity to caffeine "may increase with age." People also vary greatly in how quickly they metabolize caffeine, with some people sleeping soundly after drinking caffeinated coffee at dinner, while others can't sleep after drinking coffee at lunch. But even if you can fall asleep easily after a coffee drink at night, it can undermine your ability to get enough deep sleep, Mr. Pollan points out in his forthcoming book, "Here's Your View of Plants."
Dr. Willett said it’s possible to tolerance to caffeine’s effect on sleep. My 75-year-old brother, an inveterate imbiber of caffeinated coffee, claims it has no effect on him. However, acquiring a tolerance to caffeine could blunt（减弱；变钝） its benefit if, say, you wanted it to help you stay alert and focused while driving or taking a test.
Dr. Willett says it's possible that caffeine has some tolerance to the effects of sleep. My 75-year-old brother, a long-term caffeinated coffee drinker, claims that coffee has no effect on his sleep. However, if you want caffeine to help you stay alert and focused while driving or taking tests, gaining tolerance to caffeine may diminish its benefits.
Caffeine is one of more than a thousand chemicals in coffee, not all of which are beneficial. polyphenols and antioxidants. Polyphenols can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes; antioxidants, which have anti-inflammatory effects, can counter both heart disease and cancer, the nation’s leading killers.
Caffeine is one of more than a thousand chemicals in coffee, and not all of them are beneficial. Among those with positive effects are polyphenols and antioxidants. Polyphenols can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes; antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects can fight heart disease and cancer (heart disease and cancer are the number one killers in the United States).
None of this means coffee is beneficial regardless of how it’s prepared. When brewed without a paper filter, as in French press, Norwegian boiled coffee, espresso or Turkish coffee, oily chemicals called diterpenes come through that can raise artery-damaging LDL cholesterol. However, these chemicals are virtually absent in both filtered and instant coffee. Whew!
This does not mean that coffee is beneficial no matter how it is prepared. When brewed without filter paper, such as a French filter press, Norwegian brewed coffee, espresso or Turkish coffee, an oily chemical called diterpenoids passes through and increases LDL cholesterol that destroys arteries. However, these chemicals are virtually absent in filtered coffee and instant coffee. Knowing I had a cholesterol problem, I took apart a coffee bag and found a paper filter lined inside the plastic cup. Wow, that's amazing!
Also countering the potential health benefits of coffee are popular additions some people use, like cream and sweet syrups, that can convert this calorie-free beverage into a calorie-rich dessert. “All the things people put into coffee can as many as 500 to 600 calories,” Dr. Willett said. A 16-ounce Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino, for example, has 51 grams of sugar, 15 grams of fat (10 of them saturated) and 370 calories.
Also counteracting the potential health benefits of coffee are some people using popular new elements such as cream and sweet syrup that can turn this calorie-free drink into a calorie-rich dessert. "Everything people put in coffee causes junk food to have up to 500 to 600 calories," Dr. Willett said. For example, a 16-ounce glass of Starbucks Mochacin Ice Cream contains 51 grams of sugar, 15 grams of fat (of which 10 grams are saturated fats), and 370 calories.
With iced coffee season approaching, cold-brew coffee. Now rising in popularity, cold brew counters coffee’s natural acidity and the bitterness that results when boiling water is poured over the grounds. Cold brew is made by steeping the grounds in cold water for several hours, then straining the liquid through a paper filter to remove the grounds and harmful diterpenes and keep the flavor and caffeine for you to enjoy. Cold brew can also be made with decaffeinated coffee.
As iced coffee season approaches, more people may turn to cold brew coffee. Now more and more popular, cold brewing can counteract the natural acidity of coffee and the bitterness produced when boiling water is poured over ground coffee. Cold brewing is the soaking of coffee grounds in cold water for several hours, followed by filter paper filtering the liquid to remove coffee grounds and harmful diterpenes, and retaining flavor and caffeine for you to enjoy. Cold brew coffee can also be made with decaffeinated coffee.
Decaf is not totally without health benefits. As with caffeinated coffee, the polyphenols it contains have anti-inflammatory properties that may lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Caffeine-free is not entirely without health benefits. Like caffeinated coffee, it contains polyphenols with anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and cancer.