

Ask HN: Is coffee healthy? - mcartyem


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cjbprime
We don't know. My understanding of the current meta-studies is that there is a
slight positive effect on general health and life expectancy associated with
drinking reasonable amounts of coffee.

But think about that more -- what else could be associated with drinking
coffee? People who drink coffee every day might be more likely to have a job,
which means (in the US) that they're more likely to have health insurance and
higher socioeconomic status, which can cause increases in life expectancy too.

Which suggests that it could be the case that if you're _thinking about_
drinking coffee every day, you've probably already benefited from the positive
effects regardless of whether you actually go ahead and drink it.

While I don't think we're going to be able to isolate the measurement of
positive effects, we can say one thing: while we can't measure causal positive
effects on health, we're at least not seeing strong _negative_ effects on
health from moderate coffee drinking.

The argument's just over whether coffee is causing the slightly-better health
that people who drink it experience, or merely correlating with it.

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lazyjones
If you're asking for scientifically proven statements: I don't know, I doubt
anyone does.

If you're asking for opinions: after having been a regular (sometimes extreme)
coffee drinker for more than 20 years (until about 3 months ago), I'd say no.
Whatever disputed positive effects it might have (mildly stimulating,
supposedly preventing depression, for me personally it seemed to prevent
distraction mostly, but so does suitable music... ), we know for sure that it
screws up your sleep and, in many cases, digestive system. I sleep better and
am more productive now (I think) than before and on top of that I also got rid
of an annoying routine (making coffee N times/day) and a resource I depended
on (and might miss during zombie apocalypse, for example). But for people who
smoke for example, it's probably negligible either way.

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stonewhite
If you have a healthy habit of drinking fresh water, drinking moderate amounts
of coffee is mostly beneficial, since coffee is a diuretic.

Otherwise you may fuzz up your concentration along with your gastrointestinal
system.

~~~
maxerickson
Recent nutritional advice is that moderate amounts of coffee can be counted as
hydration.

For instance:

<http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661>

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debacle
In moderate amounts (1-2 cups a day, or a bit more), it has beneficial
effects.

For people who drink 1-2 pots a day, I've seen it cause gastrointestinal
issues, ulcers, reflux, and other issues.

~~~
digitalWestie
this, everything in moderation son.

~~~
mcartyem
Could one say the same if coffee was replaced with cigarettes?

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jokermatt999
According to this article, yes:
[http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/the-
case-f...](http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/the-case-for-
drinking-as-much-coffee-as-you-like/265693/)

Seems to cover a lot of studies, but it could be a "submarine" post.
<http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html>

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ttc
Brendan Brazier (former professional Ironman triathlete) talks about coffee in
his book "Thrive" and explains that you're basically "borrowing energy" that
you eventually have to pay off at some point. Coffee in itself is not bad but
one should use it wisely.

~~~
jyu
Are there any other substances that he mentions that are not "borrowing
energy"? For instance, maybe there are substances like vitamin B1 that has a
general population deficiency.

~~~
ttc
From Brazier's book, natural stimulants that can be used to enhance
performance are e.g. matcha and yerba mate. You can find them at WholeFoods.

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treskot
You will find many articles which suggest that coffee is healthy and cures
xyz.. and the very next article which will suggest that it will kill you.

You be the judge. The safest way to do it, is not to overdo it.

~~~
tluyben2
Indeed, just moderate with everything you do and you should be safe. But if
you read your daily favorite mag or newspaper you can make an easy case that
almost everything causes and prevents cancer and causes and prevents coronary
issues. All depends on the year it is published; it flips every few years for
a lot of things like coffee, milk and so on. I don't think we know too much
(yet) and moderation will probably be the safest thing.

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senthadev
Anything excess is not healthy.

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dotborg
why would you care wether it is healthy or not? it will not shorten your life
by half

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Mz
I have an incurable medical problem, genetic in nature. I have gotten off a
lot of prescription medication. How I eat is a big part of how I manage my
condition. Caffeine is a stimulant similar to some of the prescription drugs I
have gotten off of. I consume plenty of diet coke but I am not a big coffee
drinker. I do occassionally drink it for medicinal purposes, usually something
mocha since I really am not crazy about coffee. As I resolve underlying
issues, my general consumption of coffee, chocolate and diet coke has gone
down. I just no longer need so many stimulants, so I just don't crave it.

Thus I suspect coffee is "healthy" for some people in much the way that an
albuterol inhaler is good for some people: If you have some mild health issue
which is treatable with stimulants, having moderate treatment as part of your
diet is better than having no treatment. If coffee is something you seem to
need, you might do well to look into things like allergies, respiratory
problems, etc.

