IF YOU’RE LOOKING for a reason to drink more coffee, look no further. A new report released last week by the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) states that there is strong evidence that drinking three to five cups of coffee per day, or up to 400 mg of caffeine, is not associated with long-term health risks among healthy individuals, and that it may even have some health benefits.
The report shows there is consistent evidence that coffee consumption is associated with decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in healthy adults, and there is moderate evidence that coffee/caffeine intake can reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. For runners, research on caffeine during the past few years has shown it boosts your reaction time, keeps you hydrated, and even rebuilds glycogen stores.
“Therefore, moderate coffee consumption can be incorporated into a healthy dietary pattern, along with other healthful behaviors,” the report concludes.
The DGAC had remained silent on the topic of coffee consumption in the past, but Tom Brenna, a nutritionist and member of the panel, told Bloomberg that since the committee last met in 2010 there has been a lot of research on the topic.
“Coffee’s good stuff,” Brenna told Bloomberg. “I don’t want to get into implying coffee cures cancer–nobody thinks that. But there is no evidence for increased risk, if anything, the other way around.”
In addition to potentially warding off disease, coffee and caffeine consumption have been shown to have performance benefits among athletes.
The most dangerous thing about coffee may be the milk and added sugars many people consume with their coffee, the DGAC report notes, suggesting you should minimize the amount of kilojoules from added sugars and high-fat dairy products or dairy substitutes.
The report also warned that there’s limited evidence about the safety of high-caffeine beverages, specifically energy drinks and other products. They suggest that children and adolescents avoid or minimize consumption of high caffeine drinks and other products.
