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Caffeine long term - good for you, bad for you, neither good nor bad for you?

DA60

DA60

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I almost never drink coffee (1 every 2 years or so).

But recently - for various reasons - I started to consume caffeine in moderate doses.

I have read tons of different opinions of the long term effects...it is good in some ways, bad in some ways, no big deal in some ways.

What do you people think (this is assuming a 'normal<' dosage per day)?
 
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DA60 said:
I almost never drink coffee (1 every 2 years or so).

But recently - for various reasons - I started to consume caffeine in moderate doses.

I have read tons of different opinions of the long term effects...it is good in some ways, bad in some ways, no big deal in some ways.

What do you people think (this is assuming a 'normal<' dosage per day)?
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Could not function without it.

So your question is moot.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
Could not function without it.

So your question is moot.
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Is moot for you...not me.

And, with respect, of course you could function without it. You would not die without caffeine.

You just find the prospect of no caffeine highly undesirable.

But my question is not do you like it or feel you need it - but what are the long term impacts on one's body.
 
DA60 said:
Is moot for you...not me.

And, with respect, of course you could function without it. You would not die without caffeine.

You just find the prospect of no caffeine highly undesirable.

But my question is not do you like it or feel you need it - but what are the long term impacts on one's body.
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I was just trying to help you out in case your thread is a dud, there are very good reasons to not care about your question.

I will say though that it took me 20 years to progress from metabolic disorder to diabetes, which is a very long time, and I think either coffee or my high fat diet or both are the reason, though I cant prove it.

I will never give up coffee.
 
Hawkeye10 said:
I was just trying to help you out in case your thread is a dud, there are very good reasons to not care about your question.

I will say though that it took me 20 years to progress from metabolic disorder to diabetes, which is a very long time, and I think either coffee or my high fat diet or both are the reason, though I cant prove it.

I will never give up coffee.
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No. I am seriously wondering what others think as what I have read is ALL over the place on the long term health effects of caffeine.
 
DA60 said:
What do you people think (this is assuming a 'normal<' dosage per day)?
Click to expand...
For an adult in reasonable health with typical consumption, I doubt any positive or negative effects would be significant enough to have any great concern about. There’ll be some medical conditions which could make it more relevant, some practical impacts (like drinking it late at night leading to difficulty sleeping) and examples of excessive consumption which could cause minor issues (those noticing physical or psychological withdrawal symptoms for example) but in general terms it’s not worth worrying about.

I’ve long felt that all the stress and effort some people put in to avoiding “unhealthy” foods and consuming “healthy” ones causes them more harm than any benefits they gain. I find a more relaxed approach with just a bit of balance, moderation and common sense much more relaxing (which means I don’t feel the need to drink lots of coffee :) ).
 
I usually dont drink anything except milk or water (and booze, but that's another story). I've never felt the need to drink coffee, ever.
 
DA60 said:
No. I am seriously wondering what others think as what I have read is ALL over the place on the long term health effects of caffeine.
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Well, what did you read? Probably both good and bad? I heard it helps your liver not quiver after a few good drinks the night before.
 
PoS said:
I usually dont drink anything except milk or water (and booze, but that's another story). I've never felt the need to drink coffee, ever.
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Yeah, neither did I before the last month or so...but things have changed and I kind of need the pick-me-up more then ever before.
 
DA60 said:
I almost never drink coffee (1 every 2 years or so).

But recently - for various reasons - I started to consume caffeine in moderate doses.

I have read tons of different opinions of the long term effects...it is good in some ways, bad in some ways, no big deal in some ways.

What do you people think (this is assuming a 'normal<' dosage per day)?
Click to expand...

I cant imagine we could say that its 'good' for you in general terms. perhaps in specific situations but in general, particularly at the levels many consume it ( me included ) I would say bad. Though I wouldn't say seriously bad but mildly bad.
 
Although plenty of areas need more study, and are not likely to get exhaustive study because there's no patentable medicine in play, coffee appears to be somewhere between safe and good for you for the ordinary drinker.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2015/02/23/ask-the-expert-coffee-and-health-2/

Coffee Health Risks: For the moderate drinker, coffee is safe says Harvard Women?s Health Watch - Harvard Health

Coffee and health: What does the research say? - Mayo Clinic'

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1541-4337.12206/pdf
 
DA60 said:
I almost never drink coffee (1 every 2 years or so).

But recently - for various reasons - I started to consume caffeine in moderate doses.

I have read tons of different opinions of the long term effects...it is good in some ways, bad in some ways, no big deal in some ways.

What do you people think (this is assuming a 'normal<' dosage per day)?
Click to expand...

I'm like you, I never picked up coffee. It's one of those drugs that creates the craving you must satisfy. But I did drink alot of soda. And it made obese. Once I quit Soda, my health improved drastically.

Caffeine in and of itself in moderation is a harmless addiction, mixed with loads of sugar its deadly.
 
ThoughtEx. said:
I'm like you, I never picked up coffee. It's one of those drugs that creates the craving you must satisfy. But I did drink alot of soda. And it made obese. Once I quit Soda, my health improved drastically.

Caffeine in and of itself in moderation is a harmless addiction, mixed with loads of sugar its deadly.
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Why do you think the sugar addition makes it 'deadly'?
 
DA60 said:
Why do you think the sugar addition makes it 'deadly'?
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Because, after quitting soda, and changing nothing else about my diet or how I exercise I lost nearly 60 lbs...

Americans are fat, as a nation. And much of that is our love of Sugar. High Fructose Corn Syrup, to name a name, is in just about everything. Whether you realize it is or not. It's not a conspiracy or anything, but cheap food is very unhealthy mainly because of sugar content. In trying to find a way to make food affordable and available for everyone, we kinda shot ourselves in the foot.
 
ThoughtEx. said:
Because, after quitting soda, and changing nothing else about my diet or how I exercise I lost nearly 60 lbs...

Americans are fat, as a nation. And much of that is our love of Sugar. High Fructose Corn Syrup, to name a name, is in just about everything. Whether you realize it is or not. It's not a conspiracy or anything, but cheap food is very unhealthy mainly because of sugar content. In trying to find a way to make food affordable and available for everyone, we kinda shot ourselves in the foot.
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Congrats on the weight loss.

And I agree artificial sugar is unhealthy.

I was wondering if you had a theoretical or documented evidentiary case to support sweetened caffeine being worse than coffee caffeine.
 
DA60 said:
Congrats on the weight loss.

And I agree artificial sugar is unhealthy.

I was wondering if you had a theoretical or documented evidentiary case to support sweetened caffeine being worse than coffee caffeine.
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Oh I could dig up some studies, I have before when I was in the midst of figuring out a way to avoid diabetes.

A quick search produced a Time Article you might enjoy.

How Sugar Affects the Body: New Study Looks Beyond Calories | Time.com

I don't think I have seen anyone do a study specifically on coffee vs soda, but I might be wrong. I'll check it out.

Edit: I found a WebMD article that may be relevant.

Healthier Ways to Get Your Caffeine
 
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From everything I have read, the moderate consumption of coffee is a net plus for your health. I'm sure that excessive consumption, like excessive everything else, could be more harmful than good.

Coffee has lots of anti-oxidants, which is good, and most people have no problem tolerating caffeine, and the caffeine can help with weight control and can help you be more active.

Not so sure about the sugar though. I use artificial sweeteners because I'm diabetic. I do have friends who constantly warm me about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, but I think the jury may still be out on that.
 
My GP doesn't bitch about the fact that I smoke a cigar a week. Nor does she bitch about the fact that I have a fondness for bourbon. She bitches about the 4 cups of coffee (black no sugar) I drink a day mostly for what the caffeine might do to my blood pressure. Since I'm 56 and my blood pressure is 135/75, which isn't bad, I ignore her on that point.
 
Thanks for the input...but I think I will just quit caffeine and go back to the way I have done it most of my life.

Too many side effects for me from the stuff.
 
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