Why do people drink coffee?

Especially women. We already know cafffeine depletes the calcium in your body, and puts you in a cycle of exhaustion and addiction. It irritates your stomach and some studies have even shown it causes heart conditions, high blood pressure, and even cancer. Having a healthy diet and sleeping pattern is so much better for keeping alert.

I have to admit I drink the occasional cafe au lait about twice a month. But why do so many regular coffee drinkers refuse to quit?

Fri. Jul 27, 11:18am

Because it's still better than alcohol, cigarettes, sugar and a lot of prescription drugs too for that matter. As far as vices go, it's relatively harmless to most people. All those problems you list - coffee *might* exacerbate them, but it doesn't actually cause them.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 11:45 AM

Sure, it's better, but its still doesn't mean that it's good.
Why pick the lesser of two evils when you don't have to pick an evil at all?

Friday, July 27, 2007, 12:20 PM

Because some of us don't think perfectionism is all it's cracked up to be?
Duh, it TASTES GOOD and has NO CALORIES in its original state.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 12:39 PM

I personally LOVE my coffee and find it comforting and relaxing to have a cup or two in the morning. I don't drink it to stay alert necessarily-it's part of my daily routine/rituals.

But hold up a second-Please get your story straight. Coffee is not the lone culprit of the conditions/issues you list. It is caffeine that is the problem. Yes too much caffeine is bad for you, but coffee itself is NOT. The excess sugar and cream people use in coffee is bad, but "coffee" is not! Caffeine makes the body lose calcium but not coffee. Drink decaf if you are concerned about that.

Coffee is full of antioxidants much in the same way tea and cocoa are. Coffee can help alleviate some symptoms of asthma, and recently has been shown to lower diabetes and Parkinson's risks in several studies.

Here is a link to an article from the Mayo Clinic that talks about the different studies that have been done on coffee in recent years. For more information google "health benefits of coffee" and you will find a whole bunch of information.

Link

Friday, July 27, 2007, 12:50 PM

Well on a positive note coffee is a diuretic. Everything in moderation. Excess amounts of coffee probably is bad for people however in moderation it isn't necessarily "bad" for most people. Most all studies show that more than one cup may increase the risk of heart disease or cholesterol, etc however doesn't necessary mean that it WILL. I believe being addicted to anything, coffe included, probably isn't a good thing. However, one cup a day, or one cup periodically, most likely won't have any bad affects on ones health.

"Cutting down on coffee is less likely to help people protect their heart health than other measures, such as taking regular exercise and eating a healthy, balanced diet " -Dr Jeremy Pearson, of the British Heart Foundation

Here is an interesting link:
http://www.canadianliving.com/canadianliving/client/en/Health/DetailNews.asp?idNews=232912&pg=1&

Why people have multiple cups of coffee? I would say it an addiction. Why does anyone have an "addiction?" I'm sure for many different reasons.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 12:52 PM

Caffeine/coffee isn't bad for everyone. There's a reason it's an ingredient in Excedrin - it dilates blood vessels, which alleviates or curtails certain kinds of headaches. Like migraines.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 12:53 PM

Actually most studies show having 1 cup of coffee a day is fine for most individuals and will not have any harmful effects. Several recent studies have also discovered that coffee drinkers have reduced chance of getting type 2 diabetes. In their studies they say that it's not the caffeine but some specific compound in coffee.

I personally drink coffee 4 times/week and only have 1 cup with splenda and unsweetened soymilk no later than 9am. I only drink Kona coffee imported from Hawaii as it is mild and doesn't upset my stomach. I truly enjoy and savor that coffee.

Link

Friday, July 27, 2007, 12:54 PM

I'll admit it, I have to have it, I get a huge headache if I don't. I'm the biggest bitch with out it. I've weaned myself off of it for years and then I always go back, I just love it. I only drink 1-2 cups a day just to wake me up, a few cups are actually recommended, I get plenty of calcium elsewhere in my diet.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 12:57 PM

12:53 - And you think Excedrin is good for you???

Friday, July 27, 2007, 2:23 PM

Is Excedrin good for me? As someone who gets mild-but-chronic migraines, I'd find myself unable to function about 30-50 days a year. Try to keep a job with that kind of health issue. So yeah, I'd say Excedrin is *great* for me.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 2:57 PM

to the OP. WHy do you care if other people drink coffee regularly or not? It's none of your business. I would much rather be a coffee drinker than someone who drinks alcohol.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 3:16 PM

...or someone who goes around criticizing the very normal habits of others.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 3:23 PM

I drink coffee and alcohol - very happily I might add, and neither is causing in detriment to my health

Friday, July 27, 2007, 3:34 PM

because its tasty.

Why do I drink- to get drunk.
Why do I roll smoke?
Why do I live out the songs that I wrote?

Friday, July 27, 2007, 4:30 PM

12:53 I completely agree with you!
As someone who unfortunately deals with migraine headaches quite often, excedrin has been a lifesaver.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 4:55 PM

3:34 -
Haha. That's the most ignorant comment I have ever heard. How do you know? Its takes a while, hun.

Anyway,
As long as we are talking about migranes. I used to get severe migranes about 4-10 times a month. It was unbearable and I didnt know why. Then, when I started tracking my food consumption, I noticed that there was a correlation between when I ate onions and got headaches and migranes. I stopped eating raw onions and I don't get headaches or migranes anymore! To think I just had an allergy, and I could have been drugging myself up with strong stuff like Excedrin 4-10 times a month! I urse migraine sufferers to seek help from a doctor and conduct allergy tests - it may halp you.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 7:27 PM

Anything that gives me a terrible headache when I stop the cycle of drinking it can't be good for my body.

The "high" that such high doses of caffeine found in coffee gives me has an equally strong "low" later in the day, which leads to a vicious cycle. When I stopped drinking coffee about 6 months ago and got through the headaches, I had no idea how good of a night's rest I was missing out on, and how good and alert I was capable of feeling all throughout the day. Indulgence every once in a while is one thing - A good cup of coffee on a chilly day can be surreal! But dependence every day was wreaking havoc on my body.

Friday, July 27, 2007, 11:23 PM

I don't drink coffee because it gives me terrible indigestion.

And I used to get migraines too, until I realised it was a food allergy. Now, I pretty much only get headaches when I don't eat properly. I can be incredibly stressed, but I never get headaches- unless I don't eat properly.

Saturday, July 28, 2007, 12:59 AM

Here is a "HEALTHY COFFEE"

You can view the website http://www.prohealthcoffee.com

or there is Social Networking Website for coffee drinkers
called http://www.coffeebreakcommunity.com

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 2:22 PM

I stopped drinking coffee for about 6 months but started again because I've been so tired lately and do not have time to get adequate rest.
One thing I do have to be careful about is that when I'm drinking coffee, I want to have a pastry with it.

Coffee surely isn't health food, but I don't think it's as bad as OP makes it out to be.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 3:42 PM

Bad rap for coffee...

Research shows many benefits to coffee. It has antioxidant compounds that may have a health protecting property; studies show coffee drinkers have lower rates of age related diseases like Parkinson's Alzheimer's, and type 2 Diabetes.

Reseach is also showing that athletes who consume caffeine post exercise rebuild their glycogen stores 66 percent more than those who do not.

It's not all bad.

If you don't like it, don't drink it!

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 3:57 PM

in moderation, eat, drink whatever you want....enjoy.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 6:34 PM

4:30

Me too...it's just tasty....and I drink decaf...

over and over
everybody made my prediction
so if i get stoned
I'm just carryin'
on an old family tradition

Did you attend Clemson University??

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 6:48 PM

what do chai tea studies show?

I drink chai, not coffee, but lots of diets recommend coffee (or maybe any caffeine?)in part to help curtail appetite.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 6:52 PM

I refuse to quit drinking coffee because, quite simply, I wouldn't be able to function without it right now. Don't believe me? Check out my logs for, say, the past month. I'm regularly pulling 19 hour days, and am working for up to 60 hours at a stretch.

If any of you think being a scientist is a cushy, easy job, let me set you straight on that.

~Steampunk

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 7:33 PM

I am a ton more productive when I drink coffee. I have gone months without coffee, feel more relaxed. But coffee helps me get things done!

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 7:43 PM

heh heh, Steampunk -- You know, I never drank coffee at all until the year I finished my dissertation.

- neon

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 10:06 PM

There is just not enough time in the day to get the 8 - 10 hours of sleep my body requires. Coffee tastes good and gives me an extra kick to start my day. I also drink it to curb my sweet cravings. A cup of coffee, even with sugar and cream, has far fewer calories and fat than say candy or cookies.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 10:19 PM

Coffee has antioxidants and is shown to cause the liver to "dump" which is a detoxifying event. Its not coffee we should guard against, its immoderate habits.

As for chai, skip the milk and sugar and the cloves along are 10,000,000 on the ORAC (antioxidant) scale. The average fruit or vegetable is 200 or 300 on the scale. I've been addicted since the early 80's thinking it was a habit and therefore bad and now I come to find that sans sugar or milk its the best habit I've had through the years.

Tuesday, April 07, 2009, 11:00 PM

I love my morning coffee...

I typically drink 1 to 1 1/2 cups at work every day in the am and switch to water. I work full time, have a family, and get up at 5am every morning to work out. Like everything else - in moderation.

My mom is an RN and my dad's a retired chiropractor. Both of them drink 1/2 a can of regular soda or 1/2 cup of coffee when they have a headache to ease the pain. That's their choice and it works for them. Both are healthy for their age.

For migraine sufferers: I don't suffer from migraines, but my sister does - dark chocolate and red wine are the culprits. I feel so bad for the population who have the unfortunate experience of migraines....

Wednesday, April 08, 2009, 2:21 PM

I drink a cup of coffee in the morning b/c I enjoy the taste and because I have given up carbonated sodas. I need a little bit of caffeine to get me moving in the morning and then I drink water the rest of the day. Since I only drink it in the morning it doesn't affect my sleep. I exercise regularly and watch what I eat.
I gave up smoking over a year ago, but can't give up my morning cup o' joe!!

Thursday, April 09, 2009, 11:33 AM

Coffee helps me "move"....if ya get my drift.

Thursday, April 09, 2009, 11:52 AM

I never understood people who don't give up foods that are bad for them (fried foods, cheeseburgers, simple sugars, etc). THEN I gave up coffee. For me coffee was not a pick me up or a drink. I grew up in Miami with a large Cuban community. Coffee is intertwined in the culture. Business deals occur over coffee, meals end with it. As a home health nurse I would go into homes and see two year olds having their morning coffee (a shot of coffee in a cereal bowl with milk and sugar, eaten like soup). I finally realized why it is so difficult for people like my husband (a diabetic) to give up country fired steak and mashed potatoes. It is more than just the food, it is a reminder of home, of comfort, of community. THAT is what I was missing. I've given up coffee and now drink various teas but still have an occasional one (everything in moderation). And since it is now special, I sort of orchestrate it as an event. I'll make it an occasion to have friends over or meet for coffee. It's an event and it is still about comfort, community.

Thursday, April 09, 2009, 1:07 PM

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