My Name Is ___, And I'm A Coffeeholic

Coffee, like anything, is beloved by some and dismissed as disgusting by others. And again, like anything, the latter group may not be aware of exactly why there are people who love coffee so much. There are many health benefits to a good cup of hot black coffee including, but not limited to, the energy boost it provides.

Tea is also recommended for those who do not like the taste. There is a tea with a sweetening level to suit most any tastebud, whether it’s strict green tea or earl grey, or flavored with fruit or cinnamon. (That was merely a side-note, though; the true subject of this piece is coffee.)

There are many lists circulating social media that give some of the health benefits of coffee, and you’ll be reading about some of those in addition to a test that was performed that concerns those who smoke and drink coffee. In addition, there will also be a short narrative about some of the historical significance of coffee.

When considering the health benefits of this beverage, it’s important to take into account how much is consumed and how it’s made. There are multiple ways to make coffee including, but likely not limited to, instant, ground, and iced. While a standard cup of coffee (ground and put in the coffee-maker) is two calories, anything extra will come from the added milk and/or sugar and/or flavorings, etc. In order to take in all of the benefits that coffee has been observed to offer, around 1-3 cups per day (depending on who you ask) is recommended. For college students, especially during finals week, this author understands and will not judge her reader for drinking more than this. For clarification: this author understands, not recommends.

In the 17th-18th centuries, there were small coffeehouses that were named Penny Universities. Anyone with a penny could go in, purchase a cup of coffee, and take in the news with the smell of freshly made coffee all around them. People from all different socioeconomic classes would frequent these houses, students in particular, and it didn’t matter who spoke to whom. Environments like these were places where people could step out of their role and class and simply be individuals. They are brought together by coffee, and they stay together for intellectual stimulation that would even assist the medical community. “They provided doctors with opportunities to meet their patients,” in comforting and calming surroundings, “and apothecaries to obtain advice from the specialists of the day.”

Data gathered in the 2008 established an astounding correlation between those who smoke and those who drink coffee, and it’s unclear whether or not this means that those who smoke are more likely to drink coffee or the other way around. There have been thoughts both ways. Here is how this study was conducted. 86,214 female nurses were tracked for 24 years and 41,736 male veterinarians, pharmacists, etc. were tracked over 18 years. There is no other demographic information or details about how people were chosen or applied to participate. They were required to complete a questionnaire bi-annually about their coffee consumption, their weight, their exercise habits, and general information regarding their health. While there are multiple flaws in how this study was conducted, the results were interesting. It was found that the participants who drank 2-3 cups of caffeinated coffee per day had a 25 percent lower death rate from heart disease and an 18 percent lower risk of death from other causes compared to other participants.

Again, there are multiple flaws concerning this study in particular, more than will be mentioned here. Feel free to associate and rant about that, but this author is going to move on. The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center also performed a study finding a tentative link between heart health and coffee. Two 8oz servings of American coffee per day may decrease risk of heart failure by 11 percent, however they do stress that benefits depend on how much coffee is consumed.

How about diseases of the liver? For those who drink alcohol, actually, there is an ingredient in coffee that is proven to lower the incidence of liver cirrhosis by 22 percent. For those who do obtain liver cirrhosis, coffee can lower the risk of death by 66 percent. Caffeine gives coffee its strong antioxidant property, and it will actually protect the hepatic cells (which are cells in the liver) against damage. “Coffee consumption has been associated with reduced levels of gamma-glutamytransferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspertate aminotransferate (AST), biomarkers of liver cell injury and inflammation.” So, these three substances (biomarkers) that threaten disease are battled by the ingredients found specifically in coffee, so it’s not just the caffeine.

While coffee is most effective in protecting diseases in the liver, it also has a hand in reducing the risk of diabetes mellitus, also known as type II or DM II. Remember the flawed study about those who smoke and drink coffee? In a way, it’s similar to a longitudinal study about coffee intake and DM II. In it, there’s a short explanation about metabolic syndrome caused by significant weight gain, genetic factors, and/or other lifestyle changes like smoking.

While there were fewer subjects in this study, all groups were studied in the same time frame, and the results were similar to those that were found in another study done at UCLA in that there tended to be an inverse relationship between coffee consumption and the risk factors associated with DM II. In the UCLA study, it was found that “coffee increases plasma levels of the protein sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). SHBG controls the biological activity of the body’s sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen) which play a role in the development of [DM II].”

Coffee is one of the world’s most popular beverages. For some, it’s a perfect morning pick-me-up. Others may not like it, and that’s perfectly alright. It is not a requirement to be a coffee-drinker, but it’s not as harmful as its reputation might dictate. In fact, it’s quite good for you. As Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise and Doctor Beverly Crusher agreed in Star Trek: Next Generation (Season 7 Episode 8 “Attached”), they don’t need an extravagant breakfast, merely a coffee and croissant.

Sources:

Armytage, W. H. G. “Coffee-Houses And Science.” The British Medical Journal 2, no. 5193 (1960): 213.

Balk, Lisanne, Hoekstra Trynke, and Twisk Jos. “Relationship between Long-Term Coffee Consumption and Components of the Metabolic Syndrome: The Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study.” European Journal of Epidemiology 24, no. 4 (2009): 203-09.