That’s right, like Superman and Batman, coffee and caffeine swoop in and save your ass from many things on a daily basis. That’s what this round-up of caffeine and coffee info from The New York Times relates.
Among the bits:
- No added risk of heart disease and can actually benefit women in regards to cardiovascular disease, depending on the quantity consumed
- Coffee drinking doesn’t cause hypertension, but watch your ass with the colas
- No real effect on your chance of getting cancer but can actually help with stuff like avoiding liver cancer (this does not mean mixing coffee and alcohol will protect you, of course)
- No added risk of bone loss (but I always put mine next to my keys so I can find them in the morning)
- No long term help with weight loss
- Some studies show that caffeinated coffee can reduce your risk of Parkinson’s
- Any coffee can apparently reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes
[ad#longpost]The normal caveats apply here: any of these studies are guaranteed to be disputed by some other study within the next twenty-four hours. And any study will be blown out of proportion by the media, which makes their bread and butter by scaring the shit out of us. (“Petrol! We’re running out!”) But also I think the main thing I take away from this story is that even scientists can leap to conclusions without factoring everything in. A 1981 study that linked coffee to pancreatic cancer apparently had more to do with smoking than coffee. Of course, that counts towards studies where we like the results just as much as where we don’t.
As always, we’re not doctors, so please check with your physician before taking seriously anything that a guy who sits for fourteen hours a day typing says about health-related subjects.
If I recall correctly, the link between pancreatic cancer and coffee was with Decaffeinated coffee, and the residue of the chemicals used to remove the caffeine. Not that I ever drank that stuff.
Louis: You appear to be correct, sir. Just poking around, I found this. Don’t know if it’s the exact same study the NY Times was referring to, but there you have it. Thanks for the comment.