The National Coffee Association (NCA) in the US has issued a statement about new dietary guidelines for Americans, which include coffee for the first time but fail to mention its potential health benefits.
The 2015 US Dietary Guidelines for Americans mention coffee for the first time, acknowledging that moderate coffee consumption ‘can be incorporated into healthy eating patterns.’ At the same time, however, the guidelines fail to acknowledge the potential benefits associated with coffee consumption – benefits recognized by the US government-appointed scientists of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) and recommended for inclusion as part of the 2015 guidelines.
In response, the NCA said research has found “consistent evidence” that coffee is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and ‘moderate evidence’ of a protective association between caffeine and risk of Parkinson’s disease.
The NCA said it “strongly endorses” the scientific recommendations of the DGAC – which remain intact in the committee’s final report – and the place they should hold in the spirit, if not letter, of the Dietary Guidelines and in the minds of the millions of Americans who look to the Guidelines for advice on a healthy diet.
“The DGAC’s recommendations highlight some of the literature’s strongest associations, although there are many others. Numerous studies spanning a dozen years have consistently linked coffee with a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. One recent mega-study, capturing results from 30 independent studies and 1.2 million people, found a risk reduction of 12 per cent for every two cups per day up to a one-third reduction at six cups,” said the NCA.
“Coffee’s association with liver health is a broad as it is deep. Studies have linked coffee with significant protective properties against cirrhosis, cancer, and other liver ailments, including among those with risk factors such as alcohol abuse, fatty liver disease and hepatitis. Study results include a 40 per cent risk reduction for cirrhosis and a 50 per cent risk reduction for liver cancer. Two recent studies also concluded that long-term coffee consumption could reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, as well as other neurodegenerative conditions.
“Researchers have found other protective associations with brain health as well. One study concluded that men who drink coffee had a fourfold lower incidence of cognitive decline. Another study linked coffee consumption with a reduction in the beta-amyloid plaques suspected of causing Alzheimer’s disease. Another review reported that coffee and caffeine enhance short-term memory and cognition and that there is limited research suggesting that long-term use may protect against cognitive decline or dementia.
“Among several large studies associating coffee consumption overall longevity, consumption of three to five cups per day, the levels recommended by the DGAC, led to a peak of 13 per cent reduction in mortality risk, 19 per cent among women and 10 per cent among men, while another study cited a 3 per cent added risk reduction for each additional cup of coffee per day. As the DGAC itself concluded, “moderate coffee consumption can be incorporated into a healthy dietary pattern,” said the NCA.
