Coffee: Raise a cup (or mug) to your health!

11 years ago | Nutrition

By pH health care professionals

The majority of Americans start the day with their morning cup of coffee and many enjoy it throughout the day. And this is not just an American phenomenon – worldwide, people drink more than 2.25 billion cups of coffee a day and over 7 million tons of coffee beans are harvested each year to satisfy their demand.

Over the years, there has been a lot of debate about coffee’s role, if any, in leading a healthy life. At times, coffee got a bad rap and was blamed for everything from high blood pressure to stunted growth and from increased anxiety to dehydration. But new research is consistently showing that coffee, while not necessarily a “health drink,” does offer some health benefits.

What are some of the benefits?

Coffee may help protect against Parkinson’s disease and diabetes, and it has been associated with lower instances of heart attacks and strokes. It also may decrease your risk for depression, as well as improve your cognitive function. And if that’s not enough, coffee drinkers have also been found to have lower mortality rates compared with those who don’t drink coffee.

It also has some impressive benefits for the liver. Coffee may help reduce your risk for chronic liver disease. In fact, one in ten Americans has liver disease – that’s over 30 million people. A recent study found that people who drink more than two cups of coffee a day had almost half the incidence of chronic liver disease as those who drink one cup a day or less. Coffee has also been associated with the reduction of cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver. And caffeine, specifically, is associated with a lower risk for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

What does this mean for your health?

If you drink coffee, remember what your mother always told you, “everything in moderation.” More importantly, it might be a good time to start the conversation with your doctor regarding whether coffee might be healthy for you. If you don’t drink coffee, don’t worry – there are many other ways to get the health benefits that coffee provides. For some of these, check out our Proactive Health blog library for tips and information by clicking here.

Enjoy Your Healthy Life!

The pH professional health care team includes recognized experts from a variety of health care and related disciplines, including physicians, attorneys, nutritionists, nurses and certified fitness instructors. This team also includes the members of the pH Medical Advisory Board, which constantly monitors all pH programs, products and services. To learn more about the pH Medical Advisory Board, click here.