Science High coffee consumption can be healthy

Of course, daily coffee drinking is part of it for most people. Many even drink a cup several times a day - but there is often uncertainty as to whether this may have a negative impact on their health. British scientists give the all-clear. According to this, coffee drinkers who drink three to four cups of the hot beverage a day are even healthier. But there are also exceptions where larger quantities should be avoided at all costs.

Most people drink coffee every day

A day without coffee, many people can not imagine. Almost every German citizen consumes the hot drink according to the German Coffee Association - 80 percent of it daily, three out of five coffee drinkers even several times a day. But are several cups of coffee healthy at all? That may well be the case, according to a study by British scientists. Thus, three to four cups of coffee a day have many beneficial effects on health and may even lower the risk of death. The study has now been published in the journal British Medical Journal.

Coffee was considered harmful for a long time. British researchers have now shown that several cups a day, among other things, reduce the risk of stroke and various cancers. (Image: fabiomax / fotolia.com)

Danger of death lower than with Abstinentlern

The research team around Dr. Robin Poole of the University of Southampton, together with colleagues from the University of Edinburgh, reviewed more than 200 studies to better understand the impact of coffee consumption on health.

The experts came to an interesting conclusion - especially for those who like to go through the day several times a coffee break. According to the hot drink is anything but unhealthy, but drinking three to four cups of coffee a day a generally lower risk of death and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, as if you drink no or very little coffee.

Greatest advantage in liver diseases

It also reduces the risk of some cancers (for example, prostate, endometrial, skin and liver cancers), type 2 diabetes, gallstones and gout.

Beneficial associations have also been observed between coffee consumption and Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and depression. The biggest advantage was the scientists in liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis.

Benefits do not apply to all people

But the positive effects do not apply to all people alike. The researchers conclude that drinking coffee "is safe within normal consumption patterns, except during pregnancy and in women at increased fracture risk," the University of Southampton reports in a recent release.

Increased coffee consumption increases the risk of premature birth, miscarriage and low birth weight during pregnancy. Similarly, drinking coffee can be associated with a very slightly increased fracture risk in women.

Now the researchers are calling for robust randomized controlled trials "to understand if the observed key associations are causal," the report says.

Do not drink coffee for medical reasons

In a linked editorial, Eliseo Guallar of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says that the popular hot drink should still be consumed wisely. Although we can assume that consumption is generally safe, doctors should not recommend drinking coffee to prevent illness - and people should not start drinking coffee for health reasons, according to the Epidemiology and Medicine Professor Uni-release.

Moderate consumption as part of a healthy diet

As the study shows, some people may be at higher risk for side effects, writes Guallar. And there is "considerable uncertainty" about the impact of higher intake levels. Finally, coffee is often consumed with products that are rich in refined sugars and unhealthy fats (such as cakes, desserts, etc.), "and these can contribute independently to adverse health effects," he adds.

Even with these reservations, however, "moderate coffee consumption seems remarkably safe, and it can be accepted by the majority of the adult population as part of a healthy diet," Eliseo Guallar sums up. (No)