An occasional cup of coffee can have numerous health benefits – but there are one or two things that coffee drinkers should watch out for too
Although we’ve historically been a nation of tea-drinkers, in recent years coffee has definitely gained the upper hand. But, with coffee shops popping up all over the place, are we drinking too much of the stuff?
A note of caution comes from Professor Sarah Berry, who warns that while drinking coffee can have some health benefits, it’s best not to drink it too late in the day.
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“People do become tolerant to coffee over time, but caffeine can still disrupt your sleep if you drink it in the evening,” she told the Daily Telegraph.
“As a rule of thumb, I’d suggest that everyone stops drinking caffeinated coffee at 5pm and either switches to decaf coffee or something else that’s caffeine free.”
As well as helping with alertness and – at least for most of us – tasting delicious, coffee is also associated with reduced cardiovascular disease risk. Decaf will also do the trick, with Professor Berry saying: “Apart from the caffeine, the chemical make-up of decaffeinated coffee is very similar to caffeinated coffee and it is still packed with those beneficial polyphenols,”
She adds that, for regular caffeinated coffee, the average person can afford to drink up to about four or five cups a day. She went on: “You’ll see the greatest benefits and the least side effects at two to three a day. After five, I’d be slightly cautious.”
Thomas Sanders, a Professor of Nutrition & Dietetics at Kings College London, added that we should also be mindful of coffee’s other effects. “People who have bladder or prostate problems might want to be more careful when they have a cup of coffee, as the diuretic effect could be more potent,” he said.
But with that warning comes another health benefit from coffee. “Coffee drinking has been associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer, and one view is because of its effect on gut motility,” Professor Sanders suggested.
Coffee’s effects on gut health are, like most of its other properties, very dependent on each individual’s genetic makeup – as well as how they drink it. He continued: “For some people, black coffee can increase gastric secretion of acid; but not always. The evidence is equivocal, although some people do say if you’ve got an acidic stomach, avoid black coffee.”
Generally, though, taken in moderation a coffee is unlikely to do you any harm, even if its ability to enhance your alertness is only temporary, kikcing in about 20 minutes after you’ve imbibed and only lasting for an hour or two at most.
But even if you’re no longer feeling the effects of coffee in your system, it can still keep you awake. One study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, found that caffeine consumed six hours before bed could still result in disturbed sleep – even if the initial jitters had worn off.
Coffee’s effects on gut health are, like most of its other properties, very dependent on each individual’s genetic makeup – as well as how they drink it. He continued: “For some people, black coffee can increase gastric secretion of acid; but not always. The evidence is equivocal, although some people do say if you’ve got an acidic stomach, avoid black coffee.”
Generally, though, taken in moderation a coffee is unlikely to do you any harm, even if its ability to enhance your alertness is only temporary, kikcing in about 20 minutes after you’ve imbibed and only lasting for an hour or two at most.
But even if you’re no longer feeling the effects of coffee in your system, it can still keep you awake. One study, published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, found that caffeine consumed six hours before bed could still result in disturbed sleep – even if the initial jitters had worn off.
