As you already know I’m 9 weeks pregnant, so I read allot about what can harm my body and my baby. As I dropped the smoking habit for some while, I didn’t stopped drinking coffee completely just because it slows my digestion very much. I’ve limited my intake to half regular cup each morning.Studies show that drinking coffee while you are pregnant may harm you baby. It is associated with low birth weight baby. I personally think if drinking a coffee (just) one zip daily makes a difference for you, it’s gonna harm your baby.
But, for our body generally, with so many studies out there about coffee, it’s hard to remember whether our morning cup of Joe does the body any good — or harm.
On The Early Show Monday, Dr. Holly Phillips of CBS station WCBS-TV in New York went through some commonly-circulated beliefs about the health effects of one of the nation’s most popular beverages.
IS COFFEE GOOD FOR YOU?
Well, I would have to say, all things in moderation. There do definitely seem to be some health benefits. The more we’re learning, research is leaning on the side of it being good for you. It lowers the risk of Parkinson’s disease and Type 2 diabetes. It mediates depression. But the benefits are dose-related.
SHOULD CHILDREN BE DRINKING COFFEE?
It’s better to limit their caffeine intake. They’ll get caffeine in other things : chocolate, sodas, but particularly in kids, it’s linked to attention problems and hyperactivity, so it’s better to avoid it.
COFFEE IS DEHYDRATING. TRUE OR FALSE?
It depends on the dose. We think of coffee as a diuretic. But recent studies have shown it’s only a diuretic at high doses - above 575 milligrams. Have some water if you exceed that amount.
HOW MUCH IS THAT?
575 milligrams is a little less than three cups of coffee, but that’s three regular size cups. But we have to remember the cups we have nowadays are big cups. So, it’s easy to have more than 575 milligrams.
COFFEE INCREASES HYPERTENSION. TRUE OR FALSE?
Coffee does increase your blood pressure, but only for a few minutes. What’s interesting is that recent studies show it doesn’t increase your likelihood of getting hypertension. I would caution that anyone who has high blood pressure that’s not under control should avoid caffeine.
COFFEE HELPS WEIGHT LOSS
Unfortunately, this doesn’t work. Caffeine does speed up your metabolism for awhile but, in long-term studies, people who drank coffee had no better weight control than people who didn’t.
DOES COFFEE ACCELERATE BONE LOSS?
This one is a little controversial. It doesn’t make our body lose more calcium or lose calcium from the bones, but some studies have shown coffee drinkers do have more brittle bones. I suggest all of my patients, especially women, supplement with a calcium supplement or, if you’re going to have a great deal of coffee, make sure you put some milk in your coffee.
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October 22nd, 2008 at 12:56 am
I am pretty lucky, i guess, because I dont like the taste of coffee at all. I can only drink it if mixed with lots of sugar and half and half:)
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:19 am
I drink very little coffee — surely it can’t be bad!
October 23rd, 2008 at 10:36 am
I love coffee, but I try to limit my intake. I probably have a cup or two about every other day. I know that’s still quite a lot, but I just love it so much
October 25th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
I think like anything, coffee is fine in moderation.
October 30th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
try turkish coffee… It is the only kind i like to drink (once in a while)- and it’s probably not as bad as regular coffee.