Introduction

If you’ve heard any of the statements about coffee increasing cancer risk, causing sickness, high blood pressure, flushing out magnesium from the body, causing dehydration, and stunting growth, then you’re in the right place. In this article, we will address the myths surrounding coffee.

Specifically, he addresses a comment suggesting that coffee increases cancer risk. However, research has shown that coffee actually reduces the risk of developing most cancers, including bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, liver, pancreas, and prostate cancers.

In fact, drinking an additional cup of coffee per day is associated with a 3% reduction in cancer risk.

The belief that coffee flushes out magnesium is a myth. Although coffee can cause chronic fatigue, it is not due to magnesium deficiency but rather iron deficiency. Coffee should be consumed an hour before or after a meal to avoid reducing iron absorption.

While drinking coffee can remove about 5 milligrams of magnesium and 20 milligrams of calcium from the body, the amounts are negligible compared to the daily intake of these minerals through diet. In fact, coffee actually provides more magnesium than the amount it removes.

Today’s article will begin with a discussion of the relationship between regular coffee consumption and the risk of developing cancer. Coffee drinkers were initially alarmed when a scientific study linked coffee consumption to an increased risk of lung cancer. However, the study was poorly designed, and it was found that the confounding factor responsible for the skewed results was smoking.

It was discovered that people who regularly drink coffee are more likely to smoke cigarettes, a known carcinogen, and not coffee, causing the distortion of the study’s final results. Therefore, if smokers were excluded from this particular study, the results would likely be completely different. In fact, research conducted on non-smokers indicates that coffee consumption reduces the risk of developing most cancers, which is the opposite of what was initially suggested.

In a small but significant way, drinking coffee is associated with a reduced risk of developing certain diseases, according to a 2011 meta-analysis.

The study found that increasing coffee consumption by one cup per day was linked to a 3% decrease in cancer risk, including bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, liver, pancreas, prostate, and throat cancers.

While the reduction is not substantial, the direction of the relationship is opposite to what many believe. One common myth is that coffee can wash out magnesium and calcium from the body, leading to chronic fatigue and frequent urination. However, this belief is not entirely accurate…

Feeling tired is often accompanied by magnesium deficiency. However, the increased frequency of urination that can come with drinking coffee can create an incorrect belief in the mind of the coffee drinker that fatigue is the result of magnesium being lost in the urine.

It is correct that coffee, when consumed with a poor diet, can cause chronic fatigue.

However, this is not due to magnesium deficiency, but rather due to iron deficiency, primarily caused by ferritin proteins responsible for storing iron in our body.

Firstly, coffee disrupts the absorption of iron in our intestines, particularly when consumed during a meal. Secondly, it reduces ferritin concentration in our body.

According to scientific research, in order to prevent the negative impact of coffee on iron absorption, it is advisable to consume coffee one hour before or after a meal, as the effect on iron absorption is marginal at this time.

However, to balance the level of ferritin, one should diversify their diet and take vitamin C as it helps to increase the production of ferritin.

Additionally, those who take magnesium supplements after drinking coffee should not worry about the loss of magnesium along with the urine because it is almost negligible, as only five milligrams are excreted as a result of drinking coffee.

To add a touch of humor, it’s worth noting that coffee actually contains more magnesium than what we lose from drinking it.

Therefore, coffee provides more magnesium than the amount lost through its consumption.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that we consume around 350 milligrams of magnesium daily through our diet.

Even if coffee didn’t contain any magnesium, losing 5 milligrams from a 350 milligram intake is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Hypertension

The situation is similar with calcium. One cup of coffee removes around 20 milligrams of calcium from our body.

Therefore, drinking two to four cups of coffee a day would cause the loss of approximately 20 milligrams of calcium.

However, considering that we consume between 600 and 900 milligrams of calcium per day through our diet, we can see that this amount is marginal.

This relationship was nicely summarized in a 2002 study titled “Effects of caffeine on bones and calcium metabolism.” The study found that the negative effects of caffeine on calcium absorption are small and can be fully compensated for by adding one or two tablespoons of milk to the coffee.

Another myth that needs to be debunked is the idea that drinking coffee can have a negative impact on our blood pressure.

Many people believe that coffee consumption can lead to an increase in blood pressure, which in turn can contribute to the development of hypertension.

However, the scientific evidence does not support this claim.

In fact, the available research suggests that the acute increase in blood pressure that can occur after consuming coffee is relatively small and typically only lasts for a short period of time.

Furthermore, regular coffee consumption does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of hypertension, even in people who are sensitive to caffeine.

That being said, it’s important to note that individual responses to caffeine can vary, and some people may be more sensitive to its effects on blood pressure than others.

Additionally, some coffee drinks can contain a significant amount of added sugar, which can contribute to high blood pressure if consumed in excess.

Therefore, it’s always a good idea to be mindful of the type and amount of coffee you’re consuming, and to ensure that you’re also following a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle to promote overall cardiovascular health.

When it comes to the idea that drinking coffee might be bad for our blood pressure, there is some truth to it, but also some things that are not entirely accurate.

It turns out that having a cup of coffee every now and then can indeed cause a temporary increase in blood pressure, but the situation is quite different when it comes to regular coffee consumption. In fact, drinking coffee regularly can actually reduce the risk of developing hypertension.

So, if you enjoy your daily cup of coffee, there’s no need to worry about it harming your blood pressure.

According to a study from 2012, there is no strong evidence to support the myth that drinking coffee can lead to high blood pressure.

In fact, recent research suggests that regular coffee consumption can actually reduce the risk of developing hypertension.

It’s important to note that this research has been around for over a decade and is backed by an increasing amount of evidence. In 2018, scientists even found that the risk of developing hypertension is reduced by 2% with each additional cup of coffee consumed per day.

So, it seems that while occasional coffee drinking may cause a slight increase in blood pressure, regular coffee consumption can actually have a positive effect on our blood pressure and overall health.

Diabetes

What about coffee consumption and diabetes?

Drinking coffee has been associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Studies have found that consuming coffee, particularly caffeinated coffee, can improve insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism, which are both important factors in the development of diabetes. However, it’s important to note that adding sugar or other sweeteners to your coffee can increase the risk of diabetes, so it’s best to consume coffee without added sweeteners. Additionally, it’s important to consider overall diet and lifestyle factors in preventing and managing diabetes.

Let’s bust another myth about coffee!

Dehydration

You may have heard that coffee can dehydrate you, but it’s time to put that rumor to rest.

Hydration is all about maintaining a balance between the water we lose through things like breathing and sweating, and the water we take in through drinking and eating.

And let’s not forget about the water content of vegetables – they’re 90% water, folks!

So unless you’re living in a desert without access to water, you don’t have to worry about coffee dehydrating you.

Dehydration only happens when something seriously messes with your water balance.

Does coffee really upset our body’s balance and cause dehydration? And where did this idea even come from? Is it based on the belief that coffee acts as a diuretic?

As mentioned earlier, drinking large amounts of coffee, i.e., more than four cups a day, can make us visit the restroom more frequently.

However, it’s important to note that when we drink coffee, we are still drinking water. Coffee is made up of water that is dark in color and contains dissolved particles that were previously in the coffee beans.

What do you think, if you drink an extra four or five cups of coffee or even pure water, will it cause you to go to the toilet more often?

Well, the truth is, introducing an extra liter of water in the form of coffee to our body won’t disturb the balance we mentioned before.

Our body tries to maintain this balance, and so the excess water coming in will be removed from the coffee.

This issue has even been the subject of scientific research. In one study from 2014, researchers looked at two groups of people.

The first group only drank coffee, and the second group only drank pure water to determine if drinking coffee dehydrates the body.

They used specific parameters to assess the body’s hydration status, such as comparing the total water content in the body, the amount of urine excreted, and blood parameters.

To sum it up – there were no significant differences in hydration status between subjects who drank coffee and those who drank only water.
The study concluded that coffee consumed in moderation by individuals accustomed to caffeine provides similar hydrating properties as water. Therefore, coffee does not dehydrate the body.

People often believe that drinking coffee can dehydrate them, but this is a misconception that arose from the false assumption that coffee leaches out magnesium.

The main reason we urinate more often when drinking coffee is because it contains caffeine, which acts as a diuretic.

However, studies have shown that coffee provides similar hydration to pure water, and does not cause significant differences in hydration status compared to drinking water alone.

Is coffee actually bad for liver?

Another common myth about coffee is that it’s bad for our liver and may lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

But is this really true?

In 2016, a high-level scientific study known as a meta-analysis looked into this issue.

Let’s take a look at what the researchers discovered…

The title of the 2016 meta-analysis, which included nearly half a million people, was “Coffee consumption and the risk of cirrhosis.” The conclusions state that the meta-analysis indicates that an increase in coffee consumption can significantly reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis, and the content notes that this risk is nearly halved.

But what about the risk of liver cancer? Could drinking coffee reduce the risk of cirrhosis, but increase the risk of cancer?

Well, the scientific data suggests otherwise. Several high-quality meta-analyses have shown that drinking two cups of coffee per day is associated with a 43% lower risk of developing liver cancer.

As for coffee and heart health, some have suggested that it may increase the risk of heart disease or heart attacks.

Still, having doubts if coffee might be bad for the heart? Not according to science!

After analyzing over 200 studies, researchers found that drinking three to four cups of coffee per day can actually reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases by up to 19%.

It can also lower the risk of dying from ischemic heart disease by more than 30%. So, it turns out that coffee lovers can enjoy their drink without worrying about their heart health.

However, it is important to keep in mind that coffee may have some potential side effects.

These can include impairing iron absorption, worsening acid reflux for people who are predisposed, causing insomnia if consumed in the latter half of the day, and increasing anxiety for individuals with poor caffeine tolerance.

Additionally, regular consumption may lead to an increase in blood pressure or a faster heart rate.

So to summarize…

It’s time for a coffee break!

Coffee has many advantages, particularly the ones we discussed in today’s article.

For instance, it can reduce the risk of certain cancers, support our cardiovascular system when consumed in moderation, and protect our liver.

Additionally, even though the effect is small, it can slightly lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

However, it is important to keep in mind that coffee can also have side effects, including impaired iron absorption, worsening of acid reflux, insomnia, anxiety, and an increased heart rate if consumed regularly.

So, grab your mug and let’s raise a toast to our friend coffee, who not only keeps us awake but also helps us stay healthy. Cheers!