"Uncle Davey" <noway@jose.com> writes:
> So my question is: Is there even any evidence that caffeine is necessarily
> harmful? Can it be that it only harms some people and not others? What is
> the negative effect on the environment if one person drinks and others
> don't - is there something like 'passive coffee drinking' analogous to
> passive smoking?
>
> Having scourged all the smokers in our company, he now wants to start on the
> coffee drinkers as well. I asked him when he was going to start banning
> masturbation on business trips, but he didn't quite get my sarcasm.
>
> Any data that is peer reviewed and authoritative that I can use to educate
> myself and maybe him in this matter are greatly appreciated.
>
> Uncle Davey
There's a fair bit of stuff in the literature, most of which I haven't
looked at. Unfortunately, this kind of question tends to generate
lots of crappy studies, and telling them apart from the good ones
takes some work. For example, coffee consumption either increases or
decreases the risk of ovarian cancer, depending on which study you
feel like believing.
There does seem to be recurring evidence that caffeine and coffee
consumption transiently increase blood pressure and increases the risk
of heart attack. Plus it can exacerbate tremor and may contribute to
headaches. Or you can believe the Food Directorate of Health Canada,
who find in a review that there are no adverse effects for the general
adult population (with a possible caveat for women of reproductive
age).
On the positive side, coffee and/or caffeine consumption has also been
associated with lower risk for type II diabetes and Parkinson's
Disease, and has been shown to decrease risk of skin cancer in
susceptible mice.
My conclusion would be that the effects are poorly understood. To the
extent that there do seem to be risks and benefits, they sort of
cancel each other out. Me, I'd rather increase my risk of heart
attack if it meant decreasing my risk of cancer and PD. Since I don't
like coffee, however, it's not an issue for me. (Now tea, on the
other hand . . .)
Oh, and I also see that anxiety may be a risk factor for Parkinson's
disease. Now there's a fact that will help me sleep well at night.
--
Steve Schaffner sfs@broad.mit.edu
Immediate assurance is an excellent sign of probable lack of
insight into the topic. Josiah Royce
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