What drinking 3 cups of coffee daily did to a study group of more than 170,000 people

Drinking too much coffee has a reputation of being harmful, but a new study says having three cups a day can lower the risk of developing more than one cardiometabolic disease.

Moderate consumption of caffeine can “offer a protective effect against developing multiple cardiometabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke,” said a news release by the scientific organization Endocrine Society.

The study was published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism on Sept. 17.

The study gathered data from 172,315 people to analyze their caffeine intake, and a further 188,091 people to analyze their tea and coffee intake. Participants filled out a survey based on their diets and health history. At the outset of the study, none of the participants had any cardiometabolic diseases. After nearly 12 years, 1,311 people from the caffeine intake group and 1,385 people from the tea and coffee group had developed them.

Those who drank three cups of coffee daily had a nearly 50 per cent reduced risk for developing multiple cardiometabolic diseases, compared to those who didn’t have any caffeine or had less than 100 milligrams per day. Those who still consumed 200 to 300 miligrams of caffeine from a mix of tea and coffee, or just tea, also saw a reduced risk, at around 40 per cent.

While the benefits of coffee are still being discovered, there have been some misconceptions surrounding the drink that have been proven or debunked over the years. Here are a few.

Coffee has long been linked to having the jitters, but it’s more about the amount of caffeine than it is about the actual drink. A study published in science journal Frontiers in February this year sheds light on the relationship between anxiety and caffeine, analyzing data from various reports and articles on the topic.

“Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant … influencing attention, alertness, and producing anxiogenic (anxiety-inducing) effects, which may cause anxiety disorders,” the study said.

Its results showed that caffeine intake is “associated with an elevated risk of anxiety in healthy individuals without psychiatric disorders, especially when the intake dose is greater than 400 mg.”

“Most people have safely under 400 milligrams a day, which is what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers safe,” neurologist Dr. Nicole Clark told the American Medical Association.

“Of course, if you’re getting jittery, it’s too much caffeine.”

Health Canada also says 400 milligrams a day is the recommended maximum caffeine intake for adults 18 and over.

This common misconception may have been spread by parents trying to deter their children from drinking the hot beverage, as many anecdotal accounts imply. But it’s not based in fact.

“There is no scientifically valid evidence to suggest that coffee can stunt a person’s growth,” according to an article published by Harvard Medical School in 2020.

This belief may have been due to studies that linked coffee intake to osteoporosis, a disease that results in low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue. Osteoporosis with compression fractures can reduce an adult’s height, per Harvard’s article.

“It was suggested that caffeine can increase the body’s elimination of calcium. Lack of calcium can contribute to osteoporosis,” Harvard Medical School wrote, adding that “the effect of caffeine on calcium excretion is small.”

Analysis of the studies revealed that people who consumed more coffee also consumed less milk and other drinks that contained calcium, the medical publication said. It’s more likely that the lack of calcium led to the increased osteoporosis risk, rather than the coffee.

This was echoed by the Royal Osteoporosis Society in the United Kingdom: “The effect of caffeine causes only a slight imbalance between your calcium intake and calcium loss.” The organization recommends no more than four cups of coffee a day if a person with the disease has a low calcium intake.

As for coffee stunting growth? Height is “largely determined by the height of your parents and the quality of your diet and overall health while growing,” Harvard Medical School said — not by coffee.

Those who wish to avoid consuming caffeine altogether should steer clear of a decaffeinated cup of joe.

“It is almost impossible to remove all the caffeine from a coffee bean,” FDA spokesperson Nathan Arnold told Self Magazine. There are no regulations for the maximum amount of caffeine permitted in coffee labelled decaf in the United States, he said.

However, in Canada, decaffeinated roast and ground coffee cannot contain more than 0.1 per cent caffeine, and decaffeinated instant coffee cannot contain more than 0.3 per cent caffeine, according to Food and Drug Regulations.

In the U.S., one study from 2006 published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology showed that caffeine content in decaffeinated coffee varied based on where the beverage was purchased.

The small amount of caffeine in decaf could be problematic for someone with underlying health issues, sleep medicine specialist and neurologist Dr. Ajay Sampat told Self. Some people with a sleep disorder or different kinds of liver diseases may not want to consume caffeine, he said. However, for the average person, reaching for a decaf option will likely have little effect.

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