coffee

Coffee appears to decrease the risk of diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and cancer. There are some compounds in coffee that can raise cholesterol levels, but they can be removed by a regular paper coffee filter. Unlike exposing foods like chicken to high temperatures, roasting coffee does not seem to produce carcinogens, nor does it appear to build up benzene (unlike certain soft drinks). Although coffee has been shown to be beneficial to our health, tea is probably healthier (see for example here, here, and here). What about the caffeine? It actually can have some health-promoting properties, but pregnant women should limit their caffeine consumption. Coffee does not seem to speed up the aging process, unlike fish and bacon.

See also the related blog post: Coffee Caveats

Topic summary contributed by Stephanie Woldeit.
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