«Coffee is drunk in such significant quantities that there is also a lot of good to be gained from it. For example, potassium, polyphenols and even some fibre.»
Laatikainen says the California judge’s decision is a good example of how the debate about individual foods can easily go off the rails.
«You can’t say that a food is just good or bad, for example that vegetables are unhealthy because they contain nitrate, which has been linked, at least in theory, to some cancers. It’s quite the opposite.»
«Drinking coffee clearly does more good than harm.»
According to Laatikainen, three comprehensive literature reviews on the health benefits of coffee have been published in the last three years. They show a wide range of health benefits from drinking coffee:
Coffee provides some protection against liver cancer, oral cancer, pancreatic cancer and possibly even skin cancer. It also has some effects against colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer.
Drinking coffee can improve performance in endurance sports.
It can also prevent fatty liver disease and reduce the risk of gout, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and gallstones.
Adversely, coffee can affect stomach cancers and some myeloid leukaemias.
«In fact, no other adverse health effects of coffee have been found in large studies. There are clearly more benefits than harms from drinking coffee,» says Reijo Laatikainen.
«But the benefits are not so great that someone who has never had coffee should start drinking it. Tea also has these kinds of good effects.»
