Coffee & Your Health

The main health concern about coffee deals not with the coffee itself, but the caffeine content in each cup. Generally, caffeine from one cup of coffee can affect the body for about 1/2 hour. In fact, the affect of a large cup of coffee drunk at one time is no greater than a small cup, other than making one excessively jittery during the half hour after drinking.  

Fortunately for coffee drinkers, one cup a day is usually not enough to form a caffeine "habit," although caffeine can eventually form a psychological and physical dependence. For serious caffeine addicts (you know who you are!), withdrawal symptoms include headache, irritability, and sleepiness. The headache, an aftereffect of too much blood in the head, can usually be alleviated by exercise.

It is widely accepted that pregnant women should limit coffee/caffeine intake. Studies have also shown a link between caffeine and osteoporosis, but calcium supplements or milk counteracts any adverse affects.