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National Science Media Blast Myths about Coffee and Caffeine

September 15, 2008

Think that a cup of java sends you to the bathroom more often than plain water? Think again. In a comprehensive appraisal of recent scientific reports, The Center for Science in the Public Interest reports in its "Nutrition Action Healthletter," that the long-held notion that caffeinated beverages are diuretics is a fuzzy one at best. People who drink up to 550 milligrams of caffeine (slightly more than 18 ounces) produced no more urine than when drinking caffeine-free liquids. Moderation is the caveat, however, and drinking more than 575 milligrams (about 20 ounces) will cause a diuretic affect from caffeinated beverages, the report continued. All liquid beverages are hydrating enough to contribute to the body's daily water needs currently estimated at 64 ounces or 8 eight-ounce glasses per day.

Myths about Caffeine and Heart Disease

Millions of people with heart disease and/or high blood pressure are instructed by medical personnel to avoid caffeine which is a well-known stimulant. An analysis of ten studies involving 400,000 people found little evidence that coffee or other caffeinated beverages in "typical" dosages increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythms, sudden death, or heart attack, said cardiologists at the University of California, San Francisco. In one study of 27,000 women followed for 15 years in the Iowa Women's Health Study, the conclusions were positively upbeat for those who drank one to three cups of coffee per day. The conclusion was coffee consumption reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 24%. Like the caveat above, the benefits diminish when quantities of coffee are increased beyond the one to three cups per day.

Myths about Coffee and Hypertension

Caffeine can certainly induce a small rise in blood pressure, but that is always temporary, and caffeinated coffee is much more healthful than caffeinated sodas because of the naturally occurring antioxidants. 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 non coffee drinkers. However, those who drank caffeinated colas increased their risks notably. Men have been studied, too, including a study with John Hopkins that reported no significant increase in hypertension hat followed more than 1,000 men for 33 years.

Myths about Coffee and Cancer and Bone Loss

Coffee has also been dismissed as a cause of cancer in the kidney or pancreas or liver cancer in primarily men, and breast cancer in women. As for bone loss or similar calcium excretion concerns, adding as little as one or two tablespoons of milk, whole or reduced fat, reduces caffeine's negative effect on calcium, according to Dr. Robert Heaney of Creighton University. Coffee and cigarettes, however, were a combination that drew concern. Medical science is in agreement that smoking is the number one carcinogen that leads to the development of cancer. It should be avoided at all ages, and a whopping 66 studies that examined the relationship between smoking and caffeinated drinks and their impact on cancer reported that it is smoking, not caffeine that causes cancer.

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