Scientific studies have examined the relationship between coffee consumption and an array of medical conditions.

Findings have been contradictory as to whether coffee has any specific health benefits, and results are similarly conflicting regarding the potentially harmful effects of coffee consumption.
[9]

Variations in findings, however, can be at least partially resolved by considering the

method of preparation. Coffee prepared using paper filters removes oily components called diterpenes that are present in unfiltered coffee. Two types of diterpenes are present in coffee: kahweol and cafestol, both of which have been associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease via elevation oflow-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels in blood. not remove the oily components of coffee.
[10] [90]

Metal filters, on the other hand, do

In addition to differences in methods of preparation, conflicting data regarding serving size could partially explain differences between beneficial/harmful effects of coffee consumption.

Overview of effects of moderate consumption of caffeine, [91] a main active component of coffee

Coffee consumption has been shown to have minimal or no impact, positive or negative, on cancer development;
[92]

however, researchers involved in an ongoing 22-year study by theHarvard School of

Public Health state that "the overall balance of risks and benefits [of coffee consumption] are on the side of benefits."
[92]

For example, men who drank six or more cups of coffee per day were found to have a 20%
[93]

reduction in developing prostate cancer.

[94]

Other studies suggest coffee consumption reduces the risk of

being affected by Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, heart disease, diabetes mellitus type 2, cirrhosis of theliver, and gout. A longitudinal study in 2009 showed that those who consumed a

moderate amount of coffee or tea (35 cups per day) at midlife were less likely to develop dementia andAlzheimer's disease in late-life compared with those who drank little coffee or avoided it altogether.
[95] [96]

It increases the risk of acid reflux and associated diseases.

Most of coffee's

beneficial effects against type 2 diabetes are not due to its caffeine content, as the positive effects of

consumption are greater in those who drink decaffeinated coffee.

[97]

The presence of antioxidants in

[98]

coffee has been shown to prevent free radicals from causing cell damage.
[99]

A recent study showed that

roast coffee, high in lipophilic antioxidants and chlorogenic acid lactones, protected primary neuronal cell cultures against hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death.

In a healthy liver, caffeine is mostly broken down by the hepatic microsomal enzymatic system. The resulting metabolites are mostlyparaxanthinestheobromine and theophyllineand a small amount of unchanged caffeine is excreted by urine. Therefore, the metabolism of caffeine depends on the state of this enzymatic system of the liver. Elderly individuals with a depleted enzymatic system do not tolerate coffee with caffeine. They are recommended to take decaffeinated coffee, and this only if their stomach is healthy, because both decaffeinated coffee and coffee with caffeine cause heartburn. Moderate amounts of coffee (50100 mg of caffeine or 510 g of coffee powder a day) are well tolerated by most elderly people. Excessive amounts of coffee, however, can, in many individuals, cause very unpleasant, exceptionally even life-threatening adverse effects.
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