Thanks to some of the latest knowledge about coffee reported in April at the Experimental Biology 2007 symposium in Washington, D.C., negative myths about coffee are evaporating."The good news is it seems an extremely popular beverage can be safely consumed by most people in moderation," said Joan Salge Blake, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and nutrition professor at Boston University.
"It doesn't look like there is any downside to coffee in any disease process," said Dr. Craig McClain, professor of medicine, pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Louisville, who attended the spring meeting.
The story about coffee grew dark and negative a decade or more ago when a study linked pancreatic cancer to caffeine, a link that has since been debunked, McClain explained.
"That got everybody down on coffee, but more recently in diverse areas research is suggesting that coffee -- at least in moderate consumption -- can be beneficial," he said.
Studies of large populations of real coffee drinkers are pointing in a positive direction.
New research suggests coffee can reduce the risk of such major diseases as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes.
"Animal studies suggest it might even be good for weight control through thermogenesis (the process by which the body generates heat, or energy, by increasing the metabolic rate above normal)," McClain said. "Drink six cups of coffee a day and you may have an energy expenditure of 100 calories."
In studies of mortality, it appears that moderate coffee drinkers have a slightly reduced risk of death, McClain also reported.
Excerpt courtesy Linda Stahl, The Courier-Journal and GJ Coffee Companion. For the complete read of this article, click here.
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