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Research suggests that men who drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages have as much as a 3 to 6 times lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease, a neurological disorder with symptoms such as tremor, loss of facial expression, and difficulties with balance and walking.

The study looked at the coffee and caffeine intake in 8,004 Japanese-American men, just over 100 of which developed Parkinson's, over nearly 30 years. The risk of fell progressively as daily coffee consumption rose from 4 ounces to more than 24 ounces. Additionally, researchers found the same relationship regardless of the source of caffeine. Those who took in less than 2.8 milligrams of caffeine a day were nearly three times as likely to develop Parkinson's as those who took in more than 107 milligrams from non-coffee sources.

Other substances found in coffee were analyzed, but no association was found. Researchers have not identified the exact cause of this effect, and say that it is too early to recommend coffee drinking to prevent Parkinson's disease. There are several theories that may explain caffeine's apparent benefit in preventing Parkinson's disease. The apparent benefit may result because of the caffeine itself, which may protect the brain and nervous system. Or it may be a factor of the coffee drinker, since previous studies have shown that people with "thrill-seeking" personalities have lower rates of the disease, and they may also coincidentally be the ones who drink more coffee

JAMA ;283:2674-2679

Coffee drinkers increase their likelihood of having to start drug treatment to control high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to a Finnish study.

Interestingly, although the research indicated that drinking coffee in and of itself increased the risk of hypertension, it found no relationship between how much coffee you drink and increased risk of hypertension, whether you drink one or eight cups or more per day.

According to the National Public Health Institute of Helsinki, Finland, the “relationship between coffee consumption and cardiovascular disease risk is complicated, and further studies are needed.”

In a related study, performed by the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care in the Netherlands, coffee abstainers were also found to have a lower risk of hypertension than did those who drank up to three cups per day.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ; 85(3):718-23, American Journal of Clinical, Nutrition ; 86(2):457-64, Reuters

Drinking coffee has potentially harmful effects on blood vessels, according to new research. Australian researchers presented data linking caffeine consumption with alterations in the aorta, the main artery supplying blood to the body.

• In the study, 18 middle-aged healthy volunteers consumed 250 mg of caffeine (equivalent to 2 or 3 cups of coffee).
• The results showed that caffeine led to a loss of aortic elasticity, and raised blood pressure.

In another study of fifteen healthy volunteers, Swiss researchers measured blood pressure, heart rate and other parameters before and after drinking coffee (triple espresso), decaffeinated triple espresso, getting an intravenous infusion of caffeine, or panacea.

The results showed, for the first time, that coffee drinking results in a pronounced blood pressure increase, although this effect was only apparent in non-habitual coffee drinkers, but not in regular coffee drinkers.

Coffee and Pregnant Women

Pregnant women should NEVER drink coffee. Caffeine is a stimulant drug that easily passes through the placenta to the developing fetus and is also transferred through breast milk.

During pregnancy and in infants the half-life of caffeine is increased, which means that it will stay in your body, and your infant's body, longer. Moreover, fetuses have no ability to detoxify caffeine.

Research suggests that drinking more than 300 mg of coffee daily, or the equivalent of two to three 8-ounce cups, may increase the risk of miscarriage, birth defects such as cleft palate and low birth weight, although as I mentioned above I don't believe that ANY amount coffee is safe for pregnant women.

Even with moderate caffeine intake, when the woman experiences no effects, studies have found changes in both the mother's and the fetal heart rate and blood pressure. Preliminary studies also suggest that drinking four cups of coffee or more per day may put the infant at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Caffeine may also make it more difficult for women to maintain necessary levels of iron and calcium, which are especially important during pregnancy.

It also appears that coffee consumption is associated with increased estrogen levels, which means an increased risk of breast and endometrial cancer.

Coffee also has the issue of pesticide contamination, which is particularly harmful during pregnancy. You can read more about this issue below.

Avoid Coffee if You Have High Blood Pressure, Insomnia or Anxiety

Since coffee is a stimulant it will only worsen the symptoms of insomnia and anxiety and should definitely be avoided. People with panic or anxiety disorders may find that they are especially sensitive to caffeine and may find that even a small amount of the stimulant exacerbates their symptoms. Similarly, the caffeine will linger in your body for hours after you drink it, so it may keep you up at night even if you drink it long before bedtime.

For those with high blood pressure, a general rule is that the more caffeine you drink in a day, the higher your blood pressure will be. So if you are already at the higher end of the scales, drinking coffee will only increase your blood pressure further.

Studies have shown that caffeine elevates both blood pressure (BP) and heart rate, which may come as no surprise to coffee drinkers familiar with the lift that the beverage delivers. The investigators found that caffeine raised average blood pressure by about 4 points, and pushed average heart rate up by about 3 beats per minute.

The researchers caution that, if sustained by regular coffee-drinking over a lifetime, these increases in blood pressure and heart rate will elevate the risk of stroke and heart disease. Many other studies, some including tens of thousands of subjects followed over decades, have failed to establish a conclusive link between even heavy coffee consumption and cardiovascular disease. The investigators explained that those epidemiologic studies have not focused specifically on coffee consumption, and often rely on subjective measurements of caffeine intake.

Psychosomatic Medicine

Caffeine Linked to Children's Tics

Tics affect 4% to 24% of children and are not always clearly related to a specific condition. In a case study of two related children, caffeine intake was associated with facial and neck muscle tics. Investigators noticed a correlation between children's tics and their consumption of 2 to 4 daily servings of caffeine beverages and multiple servings of chocolate. When the children eliminated caffeine from their diet for 6 months, their tics stopped. When they tried caffeine again, the tics returned. The children avoided caffeine for 2 years, and when they tried it again his tics returned again.

Coffee and Pesticides

Coffee is usually not grown in the United States and we therefore have no control over how many pesticides are sprayed on coffee crops. As such, coffee is a heavily sprayed crop, so drinking coffee is likely to expose you to a dose of pesticides with each cup.

Pesticides have been associated with a number of health problems such as:

• Prostate cancer and other cancers
• Parkinson's Disease
• Miscarriages

If you choose to drink coffee, drinking organic coffee might reduce or eliminate the exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers. The only drawback is that the countries where coffee is produced probably have less control and monitoring for compliance to organic practices along with pesticide use. Another plus of organic coffee is that you will also be helping to protect the health of the people working in the coffee fields, as you will be helping to reduce their exposure to toxins as well.

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