That Cuppa? Both Good and Bad for You

As rituals go, drinking that morning cup of joe just isn't negotiable for some people. Usually those are the "don't-talk-to-me-until-I've-had-my-first-cup-of-coffee" kind of people.

Then there's another faction (tea drinkers?) who wrinkle their noses at the very thought of the murky brown liquid.

It's been this way for centuries: prized and hoarded, on the one hand and maligned for its questionable health effects on the other.

The latest reports indicate that the caffeinated quaff is both good and bad: for some conditions (diabetes, cancer, heart disease, hypertension) coffee can be beneficial. For others (pregnancy, anxiety, insomnia) there can be ill effects associated with its consumption.

A Wall Street Journal piece reflecting on coffee's protective qualities notes a 25 percent decrease in Type 2 diabetes in people who drink three to four cups a day, and a 60 percent reduced risk of developing advanced prostate cancer in men who drink six cups of the stuff every day.

Caffeine can also aggravate anxiety, while studies show that the mere aroma of coffee can have a calming effect. In studies, the negative effects of coffee are often mixed up with other negative habits, like cigarette smoking, which has led to confusing reports on coffee's risks and benefits.

The bottom line of the coffee habit is similar to that of the red wine paradox: don't start drinking it in an effort to improve or benefit your health, but if you do drink it, it's most likely OK for you (barring pregnancy or major illness like high blood pressure).

And, we're guessing, probably the people around you.

Photo courtesy Flavio Takemoto@sxc.hu.