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The debate over coffee has gone on for years.  Some people insist that coffee is good for you while others are adamant that coffee is slowly destroying your health.  So who’s right?  The truth is that there are pros and cons to drinking coffee every day.

The Pros

There are many positive aspects of drinking coffee on a daily basis.  First and foremost, coffee is packed with antioxidants.  Antioxidants fight cell damage caused by free radicals.

Free radicals come from processed foods, your environment, and from your body itself.  By neutralizing free radicals, the antioxidants in coffee protect your cells.  This can slow the aging process and lower your chances of contracting a number of diseases.

Drinking coffee every day can decrease your chances of getting diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.  It may also slow or prevent the onset of the natural memory loss that can come with age or the memory loss that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.  It can lower your chances of experiencing cirrhosis of the liver, gallstones, and kidney stones.  Amazingly enough, daily coffee consumption may also make you less prone to heart disease and to early onset multiple sclerosis.

More common and observable benefits that you obtain from coffee consumption are increased alertness and focus.  Your overall mental performance may be improved and you will have heightened physical endurance and stamina.  Coffee can also expedite the recovery of muscles from fatigue.

The Cons

Of course, coffee does have its downsides.  All that caffeine is bound to do some damage.  This begins with increased blood pressure from daily coffee consumption.  While increased blood pressure is not good in anyone, it is especially risky in those who already have chronic hypertension.

Coffee can increase your levels of bad cholesterol too.  With the number of people actively working to reduce cholesterol levels, this fact is one that should not be overlooked.  Daily coffee consumption could work against your other efforts in this area and may adversely affect blood vessel tone and function too.

Drinking coffee on such a regular basis can also make it more difficult for your body to absorb the calcium that it needs from food and supplements.

In this way, drinking coffee daily could contribute to risk factors for osteoporosis and related conditions.

Coffee is also a diuretic, albeit not a very strong one.  This means that coffee can pull water out of your body and possibly lead to dehydration.  If you don’t drink the recommended amounts of pure water each day to begin with then dehydration is a real concern.

Remember how coffee may help to prevent diabetes?  At the same time, it can make it harder for those with type 2 diabetes to manage their blood sugar levels.

There are pros and cons to drinking coffee every day.  Are the cons worth the risk?  You can decide that for yourself based on all that you now know on the subject.  Just realize that whether people say that coffee is good for you or bad for you, they’re right.

T. Rheinecker blogs to obtain an LVN to RN online.

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