Benefits and pitfalls of coffee?

Question

I'm an avid coffee drinker who has probably 3 cups per day. I'm curious, what are the benefits of drinking coffee? On that same line of thinking, what are some negatives for consuming it daily? I'd like to hear some honest, informed opinions on the biggest benefits/pitfalls.

Also, I remember reading an article somewhere that drinking coffee may increase your sexual arousal whereas drinking green tea may contribute to impotency, any validity to this at all?

Don't waste your time simply posting a link to some website or copying wikipedia or something. Thanks!

Answer 1

One of the pitfalls of drinking too much coffee throughout the day that you may be unaware of is that the caffeine depletes your Vitamin C (among other valuable nutrients). This, obviously, lowers your immune system. If you combine that with not sleeping very well (due to the stimulating effect of the caffeine, it can lead to frequent colds, flu's, viruses, etc., and also feeling groggy, tired, and just not as sharp as you would want to be throughout the day.
I drink coffee in the morning and diet sodas or ice tea at lunch, so I'm not completely anti-caffeine......just re-inforcing that moderation is the key, my friend!!

Answer 2

may i just say that there are some benefits to coffee. as it is a stimulant it wakes you up in the morning . dont have more than about 3 cups a day as you can become jittery caused by the caffeine.
additionally i was told (by doctor) that in an emergency to drink strong black coffee if i have a mild asthma attack as the stimulant effect would help the asthma
however ive given up on coffee generally for all the usual health benefits and so hoping that if i ever need the caffeine for asthma purposes it will have a better effect

Answer 3

benefits pitfalls coffee

Answer 4

If you are concerned about your longterm sexual health then you need to start using a penis health creme every day. It will deliver the vitamins and nutrients your penis needs to both look good and function at a high level. It is as simple as that. But obviously... like anything else... moderate your coffee/ caffeine intake. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

There are no benefits to drinking coffee or consuming caffeine.

Some of the negatives are decreased energy, psychological and/or physical dependency and permanent changes to brain chemistry.

Answer 6

Medical researchers have long suspected that coffee consumption contributes to diseases affecting the heart or the blood vessels attached to the heart. Obtaining conclusive data, though, has been difficult. Many studies measured coffee drinking at a time remote from reported heart problems. Other studies did not adequately consider important variables such as cigarette smoking, age, and cholesterol level in the blood. They could not establish whether the heart disease primarily resulted from drinking coffee.

Since 1980, however, several research teams have published significant medical reports demonstrating that the chronic use (abuse) of caffeine is very risky. Researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics and Johns Hopkins Medical School, for example, published their findings from a thirty-year study that confirmed a close relationship between coffee intake and coronary heart disease.

Caroline Bedell Thomas, M.D., designed the study in 1946. She and other doctors tracked a group of 1,040 physicians for thirty years, following changes in coffee intake, blood pressure, cholesterol level, and cigarette smoking. At the thirty-year follow-up, 10.7 percent of the participants who drank five or more cups of coffee per day reported incidence of coronary heart disease, compared with 1.6 percent among the group who drank no coffee. When the data were adjusted to account for changes in coffee intake and for other variables, the risk of heart disease among heavy coffee drinkers was still two or three times as great as the risk among abstainers. It was found, though, that those who quit drinking coffee heavily faced no greater risk of heart disease ten years later than those who never drank it at all.

Another group of investigators also presented their findings from a twenty-year study of the effects of coffee consumption on coronary heart disease. They studied 1,910 middle-aged patients, taking into account such factors as the number of cigarettes smoked daily, age, cholesterol level, and diastolic blood pressure.

They found a remarkable connection between heavy coffee drinking and death due to heart disease. They wrote, “These results support the hypothesis that those who drink more than five cups of coffee per day are at an increased risk of coronary heart disease death, particularly acute [short but severe], non-sudden, myocardial infarction.” The term myocardial infarction is the name for the death of small areas of heart muscle tissue, resulting from interruption of the blood supply.

Some people avoid caffeine by switching to decaffeinated coffee. However, several medical investigations over the last decade have shown that between 40 and 50 percent of decaffeinated coffee drinkers have gastrointestinal difficulties, such as ulcers, colitis, or diarrhea. Decaffeinated coffee stimulates the production of stomach acid because the roasting of coffee beans releases harsh acids and oils that irritate stomach linings. One study of 13,000 patients in Boston area hospitals also showed that the risk of developing myocardial infarction was the same for decaffeinated coffee drinkers as it was for regular coffee drinkers.

Several studies have proposed reasons why drinking coffee might be related to coronary heart disease. First, because coffee contains a moderate amount of caffeine, a stimulant, it may promote arrhythmias—variations in the normal heartbeat—leading to acute heart problems. Second, coffee intake and elevation of the cholesterol level in the blood may be linked.

Apparently, the potency of caffeine is related to body weight. To a 150-pound adult, “a cup of instant coffee or a can of cola beverage could give about 1 mg caffeine per kilogram of body weight. In a very young child, a cup of chocolate or a candy bar would give the same proportion of stimulant to body weight. When this child drinks a can of cola, … caffeine intake is comparable to an adult drinking four cups of instant coffee. … Restlessness, irritability, sleeplessness, and nervousness are some of the symptoms.”

Answer 7

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/how-to-drink-coffee