Three cups of coffee a day 'may have health benefits'
Moderate coffee drinking is safe, and three to four cups a day may have some health benefits, according to a large review of studies, in the BMJ. It found a lower risk of liver disease and some cancers in coffeedrinkers, and a lower risk of dying from stroke - but researchers could not prove coffee was the cause.
Moderate coffee drinking is safe, and three to four cups a day may have some health benefits, according to a large review of studies, in the BMJ.
It found a lower risk of liver disease and some cancers in coffee drinkers, and a lower risk of dying from stroke - but researchers could not prove coffee was the cause.
Too much coffee during pregnancy could be harmful, the review confirmed. Experts said people should not start drinking coffee for health reasons.
The University of Southampton researchers collected data on the impact of coffee on all aspects of the human body, taking into account more than 200 studies - most of which were observational.
Compared with non-coffee drinkers, those who drank about three cups of coffee a day appeared to reduce their risk of getting heart problems or dying from them.
The strongest benefits of coffee consumption were seen in reduced risks of liver disease, including cancer.
But Prof Paul Roderick, co-author of the study, from the faculty of medicine at University of Southampton, said the review could not say if coffee intake had made the difference.
"Factors such as age, whether people smoked or not and how much exercise they took could all have had an effect," he said.