Coffee was in the news this week.

A new study published in the Journal of Circulation found that coffee drinkers had a reduced chance of premature death from certain diseases such as heart disease, stroke, liver disease, neurological disease and diabetes.  There was also a reduced risk of dying from suicide.

(YAY! I’m all for prevention AND love my morning cup of java.)

The study followed close to 300,000 health professionals who underwent physical exams and provided information regarding their coffee intake over 30 years.  Now before you get too excited and go brew a cup, the most benefit was observed when consumption was between 3-5 (8 oz) cups per day.  I don’t know about you, but I definitely could not consume that much coffee in a day as it would make me feel: a. nauseous, b. restless c. cranky, or all of the above.

My patients frequently ask me if coffee is “bad”.  Some feel embarrassed to say they have more than a cup a day!  I usually don’t see this as an issue as long as their other health concerns are not connected to caffeine intake.

If someone is experiencing any of the following health issues, I will ask them to cut down on or cut out their coffee for a period of time:

• adrenal fatigue
• anxiety
• trouble sleeping
• high blood pressure
• heartburn
• GI ulcer

I often find I need to ask patients to also wean themselves off the sugar or other sweeteners and sugar substitutes they put into coffee, as this is a worse evil than having a cup of caffeine.

So if having a cup of (sugar-free) coffee makes you happy, then go ahead and enjoy.