Coffee Caveats
Filed Under Coffee |
The jury is out on whether there’s an association between coffee consumption and elevated blood cholesterol. But there’s less doubt, say experts, that caffeine can affect your nerves-and your bones. “I consider caffeine to be a mind-altering drug, in the same category as nicotine and alcohol,” says Dr. Nicolosi. “Some people are super-sensitive to caffeine and become hyperactive when drinking coffee.” These individuals should consider limiting their consumption of caffeine, he says. Caffeine may also encourage the development of osteoporosis, the bone-thinning disease that affects many women (and men) later in life, says Isadore Rosenfeld, M.D., author of Doctor, What Should 1 Eat? “Caffeine steals calcium from the body by causing more of it to be excreted in the urine,” says Dr. Rosenfeld. He notes, though, that “there’s some research to show that drinking a glass of skim milk a day can offset the losses caused by coffee. So make sure you’re getting plenty of calcium from milk and other sources.” Two health conditions in which some experts advise reducing or completely eliminating caffeine are heart disease and pregnancy. They recommend that people at high risk for heart attack consider drinking less coffee-under four cups a day, according to some research. And while it’s not certain whether caffeine can harm a developing fetus, cautious mothers-to-be may choose to avoid caffeine during their entire pregnancies, recommends Evelyn Tribole, R.D., a dietitian in Beverly Hills, California, and author of Healthy Homestyle Cooking.