Coffee Effects on Human Health

Abstract

The last two decades have witnessed an increasing number of publications on Coffee and its effects on human health. I myself was honored to be asked to write a chapter of a book dedicated to a new academic area in the biomedical sciences, entitled Translational Toxicology (Molecular and Integrative Toxicology series, Springer Publisher). This field of science reflects the increasing interest in the research of possible beneficial/toxic effects of drugs/food during child development from fetus to adolescence. It was while gathering the material to write this chapter that I realized that so much that is criticized by researchers/scientists, is actually a series of myths. I just read a paper, for example, on the antibacterial properties of coffee against microorganisms involved in dental caries and periodontal disease.1 This is one of the many examples of wrong ideas about coffee, that it could cause caries. Another myth that prevents children and teenagers of drinking coffee is that coffee can cause health problems when administered to children. After going through hundreds of peer review articles, my conclusion in the chapter that I wrote is that coffee, as almost everything that is a good nutrient, when used with moderation, is good for human health. Children in countries where coffee is an important product in their internal/external market, such as Brazil and Colombia, have coffee given to children as part of their breakfast at school, as a mix of coffee and milk.2 There are surveys showing that children that drink coffee in the morning and also during the break in the afternoon, show a better performance at school and are more alert and prepared to absorb the material taught in class