Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

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TopHatFox
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Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by TopHatFox »

This seems to be the drug of choice for Americans, next to productivity (I imagine they're related).

So, is it good for our health, bad for our health, or somewhere in between?

Dragline
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by Dragline »

Yes to all three, except for sugary coffee drinks, which are just bad.

YMMV -- coffee has very different effects on different people.

thrifty++
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by thrifty++ »

I vote good. It is absolutely packed with vitamins and antioxidants. It can cause anxiety if you are sensitive to it which I am not. Can cause sleep problems if you have it too late in the day which I don't. Previously it was thought coffee caused dehydration but the scientific view at the present time as far as I am aware is that there is no evidence that coffee is a diuretic. Therefore it could be that you are actually increasing your hydration and water intake with each cup!

I mean it is a bean after all so how bad can it really be

steveo73
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by steveo73 »

It's good for you. The less additives to your coffee the healthier it is though. So added sugar and milk are probably not healthy but this needs to be taken in some context. Sugar in moderation isn't bad for you. Milk is probably in the same category as sugar.

Personally I like espresso with no sugar.

OTCW
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by OTCW »

The last study I saw said it was good for preventing the onset of dementia, but only at a 'dosage' of one or two cups a day. More than that had the same non affect as no cups a day.

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jennypenny
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by jennypenny »

I've read of all the benefits of coffee (without sweeteners) and I love coffee, but it can be pretty addictive. I wonder if anything that's addictive can be categorized as "good for you"?

vexed87
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by vexed87 »

Lately I have been drinking double espresso's after my evening meal with no negative effects on my sleeping patterns. :shock:

BRUTE
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by BRUTE »

define "good" and "health" (and maybe "you").

brute likes to drink coffee. tea, too, but less so. tea seems like weak coffee, doesn't taste quite as good, doesn't have quite as much caffeine.

brute also uses tea and coffee as excuses to consume copious amounts of cream and butter. zalo can look up "bulletproof coffee", or just put heavy cream into his coffee.

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GandK
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by GandK »

It depends.

A mug or two is good for me when I'm not drinking it habitually. It can give me energy and help me focus. It can even get rid of a mild headache. More than that and I get jittery, I sweat, my appetite drops, I make silly reflexive mistakes (become a horrible driver), and I have trouble sleeping that night.

Taken habitually, though, it definitely loses its punch. I got up to 4-5 mugs a day at one point and was experiencing almost none of the above symptoms. Then I gave up coffee for Lent that year. The withdrawal was horrible, and so was I for a week or so. There's a reason so many people on Facebook circulate those memes about what people are like before and after their morning brew. Quitting cold turkey turned me into the Kraken.

Dragline
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by Dragline »

GandK wrote: Then I gave up coffee for Lent that year. The withdrawal was horrible, and so was I for a week or so. There's a reason so many people on Facebook circulate those memes about what people are like before and after their morning brew. Quitting cold turkey turned me into the Kraken.
Yes, I did this one year and DW won't let me ever try it again! :lol:

Tyler9000
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by Tyler9000 »

GandK wrote:Taken habitually, though, it definitely loses its punch. I got up to 4-5 mugs a day at one point and was experiencing almost none of the above symptoms. Then I gave up coffee for Lent that year. The withdrawal was horrible, and so was I for a week or so. There's a reason so many people on Facebook circulate those memes about what people are like before and after their morning brew. Quitting cold turkey turned me into the Kraken.
After being a very heavy soda drinker my entire life and a big coffee drinker the last year, I recently had to temporarily give up pretty much every beverage except for water and chamomile tea (acid reflux was killing me). The caffeine withdrawal sucked for a week or so, but was fine after that. After a few months I'm astounded how my tastes have changed. Soda hardly even tastes good at all any more, and coffee has similarly lost much of its appeal (I still enjoy a cup in the mornings, but sorta prefer decaf now). I can also really tell when I have too much caffiene, as the jitters are now palpable. It's not until you quit that you realize how much of the appeal really is addiction.

Chad
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by Chad »

Dragline wrote:
GandK wrote: Then I gave up coffee for Lent that year. The withdrawal was horrible, and so was I for a week or so. There's a reason so many people on Facebook circulate those memes about what people are like before and after their morning brew. Quitting cold turkey turned me into the Kraken.
Yes, I did this one year and DW won't let me ever try it again! :lol:
You people are unbelievably annoying at work. I always got in early and then everyday half the office would walk by and in a paniced tone they would accusingly say, "DID YOU MAKE THE COFFEE?" NO. For the five thousandth time I do not drink coffee. Thus, I don't have to participate in your little cauldron of despair every morning.

slsdly
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by slsdly »

I have the occasional tea (once or twice a year?) but not coffee. Can't say I fear losing out on the health benefits, I imagine I already eat fairly well compared to the average person who desperately needs the nutrients coffee provides :). Also, I love getting up in the morning ready to go, go, go ("Goooooooood MORNING!"). Caffeine is a crutch, and IMO not even a good one. On the very few occasions I have taken caffeine to stay awake, all it does is take away the ability to sleep -- my brain is still tired and not functioning at a 100%.

Dragline
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by Dragline »

Ah, but this is one of the reasons to have children.

"Yo! Java Boy! Where is it! Is it BOILING HOT?"

Mornings are kind of like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A9EBq0Thy4

SallyJo
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by SallyJo »

I have read that it forces your liver to dump some of its stored glycogen into the bloodstream, giving you a boost.
Last edited by SallyJo on Thu Feb 20, 2020 9:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

tylerrr
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by tylerrr »

jennypenny wrote:I've read of all the benefits of coffee (without sweeteners) and I love coffee, but it can be pretty addictive. I wonder if anything that's addictive can be categorized as "good for you"?

agreed, I believe billions of dollars of lobbying have convinced everyone that coffee is completely healthy.

I find it addictive. I LOVE IT/TASTE!! But I don't like the irritability, insomnia and IBS at times.

bryan
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by bryan »

Doesn't seem tooo addictive to me, but then again I am not really prone to giving into addictions or pain and tend to only consume things in moderation. Maybe it's just strong willpower. I often drink multiple servings a day, but other days I get a reading from my body that maybe I should skip a day or two.

Gave it up for a couple months last year and didn't have any physical withdrawal symptoms except the first couple days, which were nullified by a meal, fluids, and exercise. Of course you still crave it, but I don't count cravings as addiction.

Haven't looked into the actual health impact. Wouldn't be surprised if it was slightly bad for you (regular intake of caffeine, not enough water).

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jennypenny
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by jennypenny »

We had a bit of an emergency a couple of weeks ago and I didn't have any coffee for almost 48 hours. When I finally got to the cafeteria, I figured I was probably through the worst of the withdrawal and decided to keep going with the no coffee thing. I'm drinking tea, but I'm down to 1 cup of caffeinated tea per day. I'm not trying to give up the caffeine as much as give up the dairy -- I can drink tea plain but I like cream in my coffee. If I can stick with tea, I can give up another dairy product.

It hasn't been that bad except for really needing my nap in the afternoon (I'm doing the polyphasic sleep thing again). I have to admit that my GERD is much better. So is my breath. :D

EdithKeeler
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by EdithKeeler »

Coffee may not be good for me, but when I drink it, it's really good for the people who are around me early in the morning...

I confess, I'm a total (black, no sugar) addict. But if that's the worst thing I'm addicted to--and it is--then I'm OK. Much better than sugar or heroin.

JamesR
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Re: Coffee: is it good for you, bad, or it depends?

Post by JamesR »

I've never really been much of a coffee drinker. I also can't handle that much caffeine.

Lately however I've been drinking decaf at work. It's 10% of the caffeine, and makes me VERY regular.

If you believe there are health benefits to coffee, then decaf is probably a good choice.

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