Explore the health benefits of coffee consumption
Explore the health benefits of coffee consumption
The possible health benefits of coffee consumption.
Science in Seconds (www.scienceinseconds.com) (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
Transcript
[Music in]
RHEANNA SAND: Coffee. It can be an essential jump start to the day or a late-night jolt to get things done. An acquaintance for some, but to others known simply as the precious. But what are the health costs of consuming this socially-acceptable stimulant.
Caffeine, a naturally-derived chemical, is broken down easily through your cells' metabolic pathways. As a result, it doesn't stay long in the bloodstream and has a limited ability to cause problems. And studies are showing increasingly more that moderate consumption, about three small cups of coffee per day, has few adverse health effects, if any at all. It may actually benefit regular consumers.
Coffee doesn't increase the risk for heart disease or irregular heartbeat. It doesn't significantly affect fertility, birth weight, infant mortality, or incidence of birth defects. It also doesn't increase the likelihood of any type of cancer. And, it doesn't stunt your growth. Take that, mom.
In fact, one study showed coffee drinkers actually had less incidence of breast cancer. And a massive 18-year study show that people who drank one to three cups of coffee a day were up to nine percent less likely to develop diabetes. Crazy coffee junkies can reduce their risk of diabetes by up to half.
Drinking coffee regularly also decreases risk for colon cancer, gallstones, and could make you 80 percent less likely to get Parkinson's disease. You may also have less problems with asthma, headaches, and even have fewer cavities.
So, zero negative health effects from drinking coffee? As if I needed another reason to drink the precious.
[Music out]
RHEANNA SAND: Coffee. It can be an essential jump start to the day or a late-night jolt to get things done. An acquaintance for some, but to others known simply as the precious. But what are the health costs of consuming this socially-acceptable stimulant.
Caffeine, a naturally-derived chemical, is broken down easily through your cells' metabolic pathways. As a result, it doesn't stay long in the bloodstream and has a limited ability to cause problems. And studies are showing increasingly more that moderate consumption, about three small cups of coffee per day, has few adverse health effects, if any at all. It may actually benefit regular consumers.
Coffee doesn't increase the risk for heart disease or irregular heartbeat. It doesn't significantly affect fertility, birth weight, infant mortality, or incidence of birth defects. It also doesn't increase the likelihood of any type of cancer. And, it doesn't stunt your growth. Take that, mom.
In fact, one study showed coffee drinkers actually had less incidence of breast cancer. And a massive 18-year study show that people who drank one to three cups of coffee a day were up to nine percent less likely to develop diabetes. Crazy coffee junkies can reduce their risk of diabetes by up to half.
Drinking coffee regularly also decreases risk for colon cancer, gallstones, and could make you 80 percent less likely to get Parkinson's disease. You may also have less problems with asthma, headaches, and even have fewer cavities.
So, zero negative health effects from drinking coffee? As if I needed another reason to drink the precious.
[Music out]