title: The impact of coffee on health.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Coffee is a beverage used worldwide. It includes a wide array of components that can have potential implication on health. We have reviewed publications on the impact of coffee on a series of health outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Articles published between January 1990 and December 2012 were selected after crossing coffee or caffeine with a list of keywords representative of the most relevant health areas potentially affected by coffee intake.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Caffeine, chlorogenic acids and diterpenes are important components of coffee. Tolerance often acts as a modulator of the biological actions of coffee. There is a significant impact of coffee on the cardiovascular system, and on the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. Contrary to previous beliefs, the various forms of arterial cardiovascular disease, arrhythmia or heart insufficiency seem unaffected by coffee intake. Coffee is associated with a reduction in the incidence of diabetes and liver disease. Protection seems to exist also for Parkinson's disease among the neurological disorders, while its potential as an osteoporosis risk factor is under debate. Its effect on cancer risk depends on the tissue concerned, although it appears to favor risk reduction. Coffee consumption seems to reduce mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The information gathered in recent years has generated a new concept of coffee, one which does not match the common belief that coffee is mostly harmful. This view is further supported by the discovery of a series of phyto-components with a beneficial profile. Reasonable optimism needs to be tempered, however, by the insufficiency of the clinical data, which in most cases stem from observational studies.
authors: Servicio de Radiología, Hospital Universitario General de Castellón, Avda Benicassim s/n, Castellon, Spain. AntonioJCano@hotmail.com
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Cano-Marquina
authors: J J
authors: JJ
authors: Tarín
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Cano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000187:drug effects*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology; D002726:Chlorogenic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D003069:Coffee / Q000737:chemistry; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000032:analysis; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D003069:Coffee; D004224:Diterpenes; D006710:Homocysteine; D002726:Chlorogenic Acid; D002110:Caffeine