Coffee... a love letter
Why I love coffee
First, I love coffee because I love how it tastes.
I love the ritual of waking up in the morning and having the familiar smell waft through my kitchen. In addition to the taste, I love how it makes me feel. Perhaps that makes me less of a purist, but I appreciate the kick that I get of caffeine when I have an espresso to push through an afternoon slump. I like knowing that it's available to me if I need it.
One thing that coffee is not, is bad for you (in moderation, of course, and if you are in generally good health; must give the nutrition caveat of choice...). It sometimes feels as each week a new study comes out either vilifying or upholding coffee and caffeine as healthy as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle. Most recently, a publication in August by Grosso, Godos, Galvano, and GIovannucci titled "Coffee, Caffeine, and Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review" was published in the Annual Review of Nutrition. The group examined 112 observational studies (not randomized controlled trials), and found that coffee consumption was associated with decreased risk of a myriad type of cancers and chronic diseases. Caffeine was also associated with decreased risk of Parkinson's disease and type 2 diabetes. Of note, it was also associated with increased risk of pregnancy loss- but pregnancy and normal, every day consumption are different topics. There were also 9 randomized controlled trials that were analysed. In these, coffee was associated with an increase in serum lipids (bad), and caffeine was associated with a rise in blood pressure (also bad). It is worth noting, for the scientific-minded out there, that there are limitations to meta-analyses like was used in this study, but it is one of the best options that exists for pooling data. There also, however, are good studies that show coffee and caffeine are associated with increased memory and attention outcomes. One such study found that caffeinated coffee had positive effect on mood and attention, and decaf coffee also showed some mood improvements (Copyley et al. Psychopharmacology 2012). The authors of this study posited that compounds in coffee, like chlorogenic acids, may be contributing to the positive effects on behavior, not just the caffeine.
The purpose of this post is not to show a comprehensive review of all published scientific evidence supporting or refuting coffee consumption and caffeine and their health effects. Rather, it is to give a little overview as to why I, after reading numerous peer-reviewed publications over the years, think that coffee is just fine. In fact, I think I love it.
(Note that the photo is from one of my favorite coffee chains, Better Buzzed, in San Diego. I highly recommend checking them out if you are in the area!)
