A great number of people start their day with a cup of aromatic sugar-free coffee. This beverage is loved in all continents and has been widely used for centuries as a source of energy, positive thoughts, and good health. There are plenty benefits of consuming coffee in moderate amounts on a daily basis. Rich in caffeine, coffee plays a role of excellent stimulant and can assist in stimulating blood circulation and metabolism, support our brain function, and prevent psychological disorders like a chronic depression and others. Finally, as one of the recent studies by the experts at the University of Athens Medical School has shown, a regular Greek coffee consumption is linked to longevity. See more information about this interesting research and the findings in this article.
Most of the studies have found out excellent properties and health benefits of moderate coffee consumption. It means that consuming 2-3 cups of organic and sweetener free coffee a day can add health and longevity to every modern person. However, as the recently published findings of an expert team from the WA Institute for Medical Research and the University of Western Australia have shown, increased coffee consumption can be linked to quite serious health risks. The researchers studied the effects of increased coffee consumption, namely five and more cups of strong coffee a day, on lab mice, and it turned out that consuming this high doses of coffee (including even decaffeinated coffee) is linked to increased risk of developing extra fat layers and becoming obese, thus being exposed to all serious health risks linked to obesity.
It is interesting that the scientists did not expect to come to the conclusions with the negative sign. They were convinced that increased doses of coffee will lead to increased cardiovascular benefits and can assist people in warding off heart disease, heart attack, a stroke, and other serious disease. However, to their surprise, when they treated lab mice with caffeine doses equivalent to five and more cups of strong coffee taken by a human, they could observe that the mice developed increased amounts of visceral fat, 
or the type of fat that gets built up around the important body organs and is considered the most dangerous. According to the study leader, professor Kevin Croft, this was the first study to discover negative effects of increased coffee consumption. But, at the same time, this was one of the first studies operating with such high caffeine doses.
Professor Kevin Croft underlined that previous studies have shown positive effects of coffee consumption for type 2 diabetes prevention and these benefits of coffee were attributed to its rich content of chlorogenic acid, a natural compound. This vary compound was previously found out to be able to increase insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, and slow down body fat formation. “With this in mind, we studied the effects of CGAs, which are very rich in coffee but also found in tea and some fruits including plums,” the study leader said. Unfortunately, the researchers discovered that increased coffee consumption and increased doses of chlorogenic acid lead to reverse effects and should be linked to increased visceral fat formation. Therefore, with increased amounts of visceral fat, diabetes and other health risks are increasing.
“When you have lower doses of CGA there is promotion of beneficial pathways that can break down fat, but with high levels you actually have pathways that are disregulated and you start seeing bad effects,”an expert commented on the study findings. He underlined that in order to maximize health benefits of coffee and take most of this miraculous beverage, we all should limit our daily coffee consumption to 3-4 cups. It is also a known fact that some people who look lean and fit actually have increased amounts of visceral fat, thus are exposed to increased diabetes risks. In such cases, increased coffee consumption can bring to really negative consequences. That is why it is essential for everyone of us to control our daily coffee consumption.
Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.
