by C de Burlet

Created on: April 14, 2009

Coffee is the favourite drink in many countries. Even in the UK it's on its way to dethrone tea as the country's favourite cuppa. In some Western countries like the Netherlands, it's even served morning, afternoon, and evening. But is drinking coffee healthy or not?
Hardly a day goes by without news of its benefits or risks to a person's health. Sometimes, articles based on contradictory test-results even appear in the news on the same day. The main problem is that coffee contains caffeine, though that's also found in tea, cola, and even a mug of (hot) choc.

The bad news about caffeine is, that it's addictive. People who drink several cups of coffee during the working-week but less or none at all during the weekend, may suffer from withdrawal symptoms from craving a cup to severe headaches. Experts agree that getting off coffee is best done through a gradual diminishing of the intake.
Caffeine is also a stimulant, as anyone who's had a cup of coffee too late at night will testify. The body reacts to it with a short increase in energy. This will usually wear off, to be followed by a greater dip. What many people don't realise is, that the stimulating effect of caffeine can take several hours to totally disappear. This is why it's best not to drink coffee several hours before going to bed.
Other negative effects of caffeine may be an increased chance on developing certain types of diabetes, it's diuretic effects, and that it's actually a poison. However, a person really needs to drink hundreds of cups of coffee before managing to kill himself through caffeine poisoning.
More can be added to the list of negative qualities of caffeine and therefore to drinking coffee, however, lets balance the bad with some good news.
Caffeine has antioxidant properties, so drinking coffee may actually help a person look younger. But before starting to gulp litres, bear in mind that there are other foods and drinks with a higher level of antioxidants.
Caffeine also seems yes, seems to suppress food cravings, while in combination with exercise it seems to trigger the body to burn more fat. Many slimming pills actually contain caffeine, but drinking a cup of coffee before starting a morning walk is far less of a health hazard than resorting to such pills.
According to recent studies, caffeine may also protect against some forms of cancer and reduce the risk of strokes in women.
New test-results on the risks or benefits of drinking coffee continue to be published, but experts all agree that on the whole, drinking coffee does not pose a risk to your health. The advice is to stick to about 2 cups a day in the morning, mind the kind of milk or creamer and amount of sugar you add, and regularly check the internet or read health magazines on the latest news concerning caffeine and your favourite cuppa.
Useful websites:
www.worldwidehealth.com
www.everydayhealth.com

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