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Drinking Moderate Amounts of Coffee Has Health Benefits

Recently there have been studies finding health benefits from daily coffee consumption, and some finding possible harm. Overall, it seems like moderate intake is OK and beneficial for adults, but too much (over 6 cups daily) may cause harm. And avoid drinking caffeinated coffee if pregnant.

Coffee has anti-inflammatory effects, and contains more than a thousand chemical compounds.

Many studies do not separate out the different preparation methods (drip, percolated, French press), but just look at the amount consumed daily, and whether it was regular or decaffeinated. When the preparation methods are looked at, some studies find health benefits when a filter is used in the brewing process, but not with French press or other methods that don't filter the coffee.

The following are three recent studies finding that coffee consumption is associated with a surprising variety of health benefits.

Researchers looked at UK Biobank data on 495,585 participants. Coffee consumption was associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic liver disease and related liver conditions. From (June 21, 2021) Medical Xpress: Drinking any type of coffee associated with reduced risk of chronic liver disease

Drinking coffee that is caffeinated (ground or instant) or decaffeinated is associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic liver disease and related liver conditions, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.

Researchers at the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh, UK, found that drinking any type of coffee was associated with a reduced risk of developing and dying from chronic liver disease compared to not drinking coffee, with the benefit peaking at three to four cups per day.

Compared to non-coffee drinkers, coffee-drinkers had a 21% reduced risk of chronic liver disease, a 20% reduced risk of chronic or fatty liver disease, and a 49% reduced risk of death from chronic liver disease. The maximum benefit was seen in the group who drank ground coffee, which contains high levels of the ingredients Kahweol and cafestol, which have been shown to be beneficial against chronic liver disease in animals.

This study found that contrary to popular belief, moderate coffee consumption appears to be protective and associated with a 3 percent lower risk of any arrhythmia. From (July 20, 2021) Science Daily: No link between moderate coffee consumption and increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia, researchers find

In the largest study of its kind [more than 386,000 coffee drinkers], an investigation by UC San Francisco has found no evidence that moderate coffee consumption leads to a greater risk of cardiac arrhythmia.

In fact, each additional daily cup of coffee consumed among several hundred thousand individuals was associated with a 3 percent lower risk of any arrhythmia occurring, including atrial fibrillation, premature ventricular contractions, or other common heart conditions, the researchers report. The study included a four-year follow up.

Researchers studied dietary factors and susceptibility to COVID-19, and found that consuming vegetables, drinking 2 to 3 cups coffee daily, and having been breastfed as a baby appeared to be somewhat protective. But eating processed meat was associated with increased susceptibility to COVID-19. From July 20, 2021) Medical Xpress: Coffee and veggies may protect against COVID-19

 A new Northwestern Medicine study shows coffee consumption and eating lots of vegetables may offer some protection against COVID-19. ... "A person's nutrition impacts immunity," said senior author Marilyn Cornelis, associate professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "And the immune system plays a key role in an individual's susceptibility and response to infectious diseases, including COVID-19."

One or more cups of coffee per day was associated with about a 10% decrease in risk of COVID-19 compared to less than one cup per day. Consumption of at least 0.67 servings per day of vegetables (cooked or raw, excluding potatoes) was associated with a lower risk of COVID-19 infection. Processed meat consumption of as little as 0.43 servings per day was associated with a higher risk of COVID-19. Having been breastfed as a baby reduced the risk 10% compared to not having been breastfed.

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