First, coffee was bad for you. Now it’s good for you.
At least, that’s the finding from a new meta-review of scientific literature on the topic in the British Medical Journal. The review shows that drinking three to four cups of black coffee a day can reduce a variety of health risks and can decrease your risk of death by 17 percent.
“Coffee consumption seems generally safe within usual levels of intake, with summary estimates indicating largest risk reduction for various health outcomes at three to four cups a day, and more likely to benefit health than harm,” the report says.
The review linked coffee consumption to a lower risk of heart problems, diabetes, liver disease, dementia and some cancers. The study also found a 17 percent lower risk of death among subjects from all causes during the time they were studied, anywhere from 1 to 44 years in some studies.
There are a few caveats, however. Drinking more than four cups a day during pregnancy increases risks of low birth weight, pre-term birth and stillbirth, the review says. Women who drink more than four cups daily also are at greater risk for bone fractures, but not men.