Coffee Talk

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New contradicting studies about coffee frequently appear in the news — it's good for you, it's bad for you, it won't cut your life short (great!).

If your local Starbucks closing has you contemplating giving up your daily cup of caffeinated goodness, reconsider. (Especially since one researcher says consumers reported the effects of caffeine included enhanced mood and mental and physical performance.)

The New York Times recently published a story on the myths and truths of coffee, setting the record straight.

Here were the Times's findings:

• Hydration: Coffee is not a diuretic. Studies show that people who drank up to 550 milligrams of caffeine produced no more urine than people who drank the same amount of caffeine-less fluids.
• Heart Disease: An analysis of studies of more than 400,000 people found no increase in heart disease among daily coffee drinkers.
• Hypertension: While caffeine does induce a small, temporary rise in blood pressure, in a study of 155,000 nurses, women who drank coffee with or without caffeine for a decade were no more likely to develop hypertension than noncoffee drinkers.
• Cancer: Scientists found coffee drinking had little if any effect on the risk of developing pancreatic or kidney cancer, and a study of 59,000 women in Sweden found no connection between coffee, tea or caffeine consumption and breast cancer.
• Bone loss: Human physiological studies have found only a slight reduction in calcium absorption and no effect on calcium excretion.
• Weight loss: Caffeine does speed up metabolism, but there haven't been any long-term weight-loss benefits proven.

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