The secret of the rumor: does drinking coffee help you stay healthy?

Some people like coffee, some people like iced coffee, and others don't like coffee at all. Until recently, some people said that if you want to stay healthy, you'd better quit coffee.

You don't have to quit coffee anymore. Because the systematic summary of the results of the study-the most powerful way to measure scientific evidence-suggests that most of the data currently support the use of coffee. The rate of premature death, the incidence of Ⅱ diabetes and the decline in the incidence of some cancers are all associated with coffee drinking.

However, some people need to pay attention to the amount of coffee. High intake of coffee is associated with an increased incidence of gastric cancer and aggravates heart diseases.

The systematic summary of the relevant research results shows that most of the data support the use of coffee at present.

Coffee and suicide

People who drink coffee live longer. A total of 20 studies of 97 subjects found that coffee drinkers were 14% less likely to die early (for any reason) than those who drank little coffee. Even using 1-2 cups of coffee a day can reduce your diet by 8%. People who consumed two to four cups of caffeinated coffee a day were 14 percent less likely to die early than those who did not drink coffee.

Coffee and liver cancer

Coffee users, especially men, are less likely to suffer from liver cancer. This is important because liver cancer is one of the six most common cancers in the world and has a high incidence in men. The results of six studies showed that, based on the number of cups of coffee consumed per day, the relative risk of liver cancer decreased by 14% for each extra cup of coffee.

Studies have shown that the natural ingredients in coffee, including caffeinol and caffeinol, have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. Coffee can help protect the body from toxic substances such as aflatoxins and other carcinogens by anti-toxic biochemical processes in the liver.

Ⅱ diabetes mellitus

Coffee coffee users had a lower prevalence of Ⅱ diabetes. According to 28 studies involving more than 1 million adults, people who consumed three or more cups of coffee a day had a 21% lower risk of developing Ⅱ diabetes than those who drank little or no coffee. For those who consumed six or more cups a day, the consumption rate was reduced by 33%.

Interestingly, the consumption of regular coffee or decaffeinated coffee was reduced. If you consume one cup of regular coffee a day, the relative risk of diabetes will be reduced by 9%, and the consumption of caffeinated coffee will be reduced by 6%.

Many organizations have a problem with decaffeinated coffee. Source: Stuart Colville/Flickr, CC BY-NC

The active ingredients in coffee can help to relieve oxidative stress, that is, the imbalance between free radicals and antioxidant compounds. Coffee contains tryptic acid, which has been shown to promote glucose substitution and improve the sensitivity of trypsin, as well as caffeic acid, which increases the use of blood sugar by muscles, in addition to ingredients that promote the immune system and anti-inflammation.

Coffee and prostate cancer

Coffee users have a low risk of prostate cancer. Thirteen studies of more than 530,000 men showed that men who drank the most coffee had a 10% lower risk of prostate cancer than those who drank the least. Men who drank an extra 2 cups of coffee a day were 2.5% less likely to suffer from the disease.

However, after taking into account different grades of prostate cancer, it was found that coffee did not show a protective effect on high-grade or advanced prostate cancer.

Next, let's explain why we need to pay attention to the amount of coffee.

Coffee and lung cancer

You need to pay attention to the total amount of coffee to reduce the risk of lung cancer. Studies of more than 10,000 adults found that those with the highest coffee intake had a 27% higher risk of lung cancer. Each extra cup of coffee a day leads to an 11% increase in lung cancer risk. There are only several studies on caffeinated coffee, but the findings are contrary to the above: the risk of high consumption of caffeinated coffee is 34% lower.

The related research on coffee comes from the inspection and research projects of the population, and the focus of these projects is to develop diseases, not to find out the causes.

Coffee and pregnancy

If you consume more than one or two cups of coffee a day during pregnancy, the coffee intake is not as high as previously thought, but it is also worth noting.

Previous studies have shown a link between coffee and abortion and other adverse pregnancy consequences, most likely because those studies are not well designed, especially in cases such as low birth weight and congenital malformations. Some miscarriages may also have something to do with women's violent morning sickness. Morning sickness itself is a sign of successful embryo implantation, but pregnant women may be less likely to get coffee because of anxiety.

In previous studies, smoking is often associated with coffee intake, but this adjustment does not necessarily occur, so some of them may also be caused by smoking. The daily coffee intake of pregnant women established by the American Academy of Polytechnic Sciences should be less than 200 mg. This is equivalent to 1-2 cups of coffee a day. (a cup of instant coffee contains 50-100 mg of caffeine; currently brewed coffee contains 100-150 mg of caffeine per cup)

Coffee and blood

The last point to pay attention to has something to do with your heart. A large amount of caffeine increases blood pressure and homocysteine levels in a short time, which is another risk factor for heart disease. But coffee has nothing to do with the long-term relationship between heart disease and heart disease.

People with high blood pressure or heart disease, the elderly, teenagers, children, and those who do not regularly use coffee are more sensitive to "energy" ingredients, cocoa and caffeine in coffee. Decaffeinated coffee can help these people.

It should be noted that most of the studies on coffee are based on population inspection studies, and their purpose is to find the cause, not to find the cause. Part of the reason is that it is very difficult to buy a restaurant that consumes more coffee and measure the health consequences over the years. However, this is a really good idea-do you want to take part in this kind of research? (author: Clare Collins, Professor of Medicine and Food; Fan Jun)

Source: environmental science