title: Coffee: brew or bane?
abstract: Coffee is the most commonly used drug in the United States. The medical literature is conflicted regarding the harmful effects of coffee and caffeine. Because the articles that have appeared are so different, a formal meta-analysis is not the ideal way to summarize the data. However, this literature review suggests that coffee does not have an appreciable effect on hyperlipidemia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, or cancer. The effects of decaffeinated coffee are much less well-defined, and there is little rationale for recommending that patients switch to decaffeinated coffee. A less appreciated problem with caffeine is that it may increase the risk of osteoporosis and hip fracture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Knoxville 37920.
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D002110:Caffeine / Q000009:adverse effects; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D003069:Coffee / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006620:Hip Fractures / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced; D012307:Risk Factors; D013662:Tea / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D003069:Coffee; D008055:Lipids; D013662:Tea; D002110:Caffeine