Benefits of drinking coffee outweigh risks, review suggests

Date: June 27, 2016

Source: Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)

Summary:

Coffee is enjoyed by millions of people every day and the 'coffee experience' has become a staple of our modern life and culture. While the current body of research related to the effects of coffee consumption on human health has been contradictory, a new study found that the potential benefits of moderate coffee drinking outweigh the risks in adult consumers for the majority of major health outcomes considered.

A review of studies on the health effects of drinking coffee show that moderate coffee drinking (defined as 3-4 cups per day) essentially has a neutral effect on health, or can be mildly beneficial.

Credit: © Grafvision / Fotolia

Coffee is enjoyed by millions of people every day and the 'coffee experience' has become a staple of our modern life and culture. While the current body of research related to the effects of coffee consumption on human health has been contradictory, a study in the June issue of Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, which is published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), found that the potential benefits of moderate coffee drinking outweigh the risks in adult consumers for the majority of major health outcomes considered.

Researchers at Ulster University systematically reviewed 1,277 studies from 1970 to-date on coffee's effect on human health and found the general scientific consensus is that regular, moderate coffee drinking (defined as 3-4 cups per day) essentially has a neutral effect on health, or can be mildly beneficial.

The review was used to create an exhaustive list of the potential health benefits and risks of coffee consumption on the following health outcomes:

- Total Mortality

- Cardiovascular Disease

- Cancer

- Metabolic Health

- Neurological Disorders

- Gastrointestinal Conditions

- Other Miscellaneous Health Outcomes

The authors noted causality of risks and benefits cannot be established for either with the research currently available as they are largely based on observational data. Further research is needed to quantify the risk-benefit balance for coffee consumption, as well as identify which of coffee's many active ingredients, or indeed the combination of such, that could be inducing these health benefits.

Note: Some financial support of this study was provided by illycafe s.p.a., however the authors declare no conflict of interest regarding the objective search and summary of the literature.

Story Source:

The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Journal Reference:

L. Kirsty Pourshahidi, Luciano Navarini, Marino Petracco, J.J. Strain. A Comprehensive Overview of the Risks and Benefits of Coffee Consumption. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 2016; 15 (4): 671 DOI: 10.1111/1541-4337.12206

Cite This Page:

Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). "Benefits of drinking coffee outweigh risks, review suggests." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 June 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160627125816.htm>.