Coffee as a Medication

Kashmira Gander reports in Newsweek on UK research indicating that moderate coffee drinking can have both positive and negative effects on the human body.

Gander notes that:

Past studies have indicated an inverse association between drinking coffee and the risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s and cancers of the liver, bowel, colon and endometrium. But evidence also suggests caffeine could cause high blood pressure or heart attacks in those who find it tough to metabolize.

Gander says that safe consumption is typically defined as less than six cups a day, though there are genetic differences in humans which make some people more or less sensitive to caffeine. Those drinking more coffee still seem to live longer than their peers who abstain.

Coffee drinking may correlate with health without causing health. My thought is that those whose lifestyle includes daily drinking many cups of coffee may have other significant lifestyle factors which tend to be present among those they are not about to die. For example, it can be inferred that heavy coffee consumption means that an individual has significant disposable income. Or coffee consumption may be a by-product of an active social life, or consumed to "power through" tasks that provides a sense of purpose.

-DD