4 ms·

I'm getting very confused as to whether coffee (and caffeine, for that matter) is good for you or not. Today I see this article, saying that it'll keep dementia

I'm getting very confused as to whether coffee (and caffeine, for that matter) is good for you or not. Today I see this article, saying that it'll keep dementia away; A week down the road, I'll find an article that says that coffee causes cancer or something similar. It's a never-ending battle.

dmm 18y ago
You should read the whole paper, the abstract is not enough. Observational studies are extremely sensitive to the methods in which the data is collected. For example I heard about a study linking meat consumption and heart disease. To determine if there was a link, the researchers interviewed people every few weeks asking them how much they ate of various foods. Do you remember how many kilograms of chicken you've eaten in the past few weeks? I sure don't. Also I suspect that there could be a bias in people reporting less meat, either out of shame or people overestimating portions. A portion of chicken is eight ounces, that is about the size of a deck of cards. These things made me suspicious of their findings. Science is hard. Stay vigilant :)
truebosko 18y ago
I've become jaded to such articles. The way I see it is, moderate and controlled consumption of most natural food is alright. (Note: The previous statement is not scientifically backed ;) ) I drink about 1-2 cups of coffee a day and I love it. I eat red meat nearly ever week, but I also eat fish, chicken, and pork too. I don't take any form of drugs (e.g Tylenol) and stick to a pretty natural routine of foods and vitamins. The way I see it is, I'll probably live longer because I'm eating natural foods and not food that has been loaded with preservatives, packed into boxes, and sold to me as an healthy alternative. ...And, if I die early because I drank too much coffee or had to much red meat then well, atleast I died with a happy stomach.

dmm 18y ago

You should read the whole paper, the abstract is not enough. Observational studies are extremely sensitive to the methods in which the data is collected. For example I heard about a study linking meat consumption and heart disease. To determine if there was a link, the researchers interviewed people every few weeks asking them how much they ate of various foods. Do you remember how many kilograms of chicken you've eaten in the past few weeks? I sure don't. Also I suspect that there could be a bias in people reporting less meat, either out of shame or people overestimating portions. A portion of chicken is eight ounces, that is about the size of a deck of cards. These things made me suspicious of their findings. Science is hard. Stay vigilant :)

truebosko 18y ago

I've become jaded to such articles. The way I see it is, moderate and controlled consumption of most natural food is alright. (Note: The previous statement is not scientifically backed ;) ) I drink about 1-2 cups of coffee a day and I love it. I eat red meat nearly ever week, but I also eat fish, chicken, and pork too. I don't take any form of drugs (e.g Tylenol) and stick to a pretty natural routine of foods and vitamins. The way I see it is, I'll probably live longer because I'm eating natural foods and not food that has been loaded with preservatives, packed into boxes, and sold to me as an healthy alternative. ...And, if I die early because I drank too much coffee or had to much red meat then well, atleast I died with a happy stomach.