It is safe to say that in the recent decades, the topic of health has become a subject for heated discussions around the world. As the ecological situation on our planet gets worse, people start looking for different sources of health. One of such sources is proper nutrition also known as a healthy diet. There are different approaches to defining what kind of diet is actually healthy, and different experts provide their own ideas on ideal food pyramids. As a result, people get confused about what types of food are safe to it and what types of products should be avoided at all cost. Within a framework of this research, I am going to consider one of the most controversial products known as coffee.
Statistics states that over 54 percent of Americans drink coffee at least once per day, which makes it one of the most popular products in the whole retail industry. People drink coffee while being at home, on the way to work, or while sitting in the nearby café. It is a matter of habit for the most of the adults to take coffee in order to feel refreshed, active and energized. However, this beverage appears to be very controversial in terms of its effect on human health. While some studies prove that caffeine is a great antioxidant and can help healing chronic decease, other studies claim that this ingredient has a negative impact on our nervous and cardio-vascular systems. Some research findings consider coffee a potential cause of many illnesses and chronic disease, while others prove coffee’s ability to prevent the same health conditions. As a result, people remain lost and frustrated about the effects of coffee. The major goal of this research is to critically assess both benefits and drawbacks of a regular coffee consumption and provide a reasonable advice for those who are used to drink coffee on a regular basis. Proceeding from the goal of the research, the following aims are to be achieved:
• To evaluate potential risks and negative effects of coffee on human body
• To define a safe level of coffee consumption
• To provide a conclusion based on the advice to either drink or avoid this beverage.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned aims and fulfill the major goal of this research, a number of different research methods are to be used. However, the first and most important one is literature review and analysis of statistical data. A number of reliable sources including studies of Harvard School, statistical bureaus, medical journals, and some other credible sources are to be used in order to achieve the major goal of this research. Hence, the following part of this research proposal is to be dedicated to the annotated bibliography of sources most likely to be useful for this research study.
Annotated Bibliography
Peterson, Alan. ‘Health Benefits of Coffee’. The Journal of Lancaster General Hospital, Vol. 2, No. 4. 2008: 146-147. Web.
The article written by Alan. S. Peterson is predominantly focused on the detailed analysis of all potential benefits of a regular coffee consumption. The major goal of this article is to consider all beneficial effects caffeine might have on human body. Within a framework of this article, the author considers how a regular consumption of coffee might help prevent Type II Diabetes, which is currently considered one of the most popular health problems of the modern society. The author goes deeper and finds out that this possible positive effect of coffee might not even be linked to caffeine but rather to some other components of this popular beverage. Alan S. Peterson also claims that although the positive association between a regular coffee consumption and prevention of Type II Diabetes has already been proved by a number of research studies, the exact mechanism still needs to be clarified. Yet another topic considered in this article is a relationship between coffee consumption and chronic liver disease. The article provides statistics regarding this positive dependency. Obviously, this article can be of a great usage for this research study since it provides results of a number of evidence-based studies focused on identification of a positive dynamics of some chronic disease and coffee consumption.
N.A. ‘Statistic and Facts on the Coffee Market in the U.S.’ Statista 2015. Web.
This particular source contains a lot of statistical data and facts that can be used as a proof of the benefits and drawbacks of a regular coffee consumption. Among the most useful data are such as a share of coffee consumption by location, a percentage of people drinking coffee on a regular basis, an amount of coffee sold and consumed by people on a yearly basis, and so forth. It is obvious that such data might be useful in terms of finding associations and dependencies between a regular coffee consumption and an overall state of health in a particular region. Proceeding from this, it becomes clear that this source can be extremely useful and important for the study whose major goal is to define the benefits and risks of a regular coffee consumption.
Freedman, Neal, Abnet, Christian, et al. ‘Association of Coffee Drinking with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality’. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2012: 1891-1904. Web.
In a contrast to some previous sources considered, this particular article is determined to find all possible links between coffee consumption and mortality rates. The major topic discussed in this article is about the long-term study that took place between 1995 and 2008 and involved as much as thousands of men and women considered as telling examples of classic coffee drinkers. The study’s major goal was to determine the effect of coffee on an overall state of human health and to find out possible links between an increased level of mortality and an excessive consumption of coffee. There are reasonable grounds to assume that this study is reliable and credible since it involved people with good to excellent health condition at baseline and also those who do not smoke at all. As a result of the study described in the article, an inverse association between a regular coffee consumption and life-threatening disease such as strokes, diabetes, chronic infections, and liver disease has been identified. This article can be in a great usage for the study since it contains a lot of statistic and scientific conclusions resulting from professional surveys and studies on coffee consumption and its effect on human health.
Ennis, Danielle. ‘The Effects of Caffeine on Health: The Benefits Outweigh the Risks’. The University of New Hampshire Press. 2014: 1-5. Web.
This academic article is focused on the examination of a correlation between different health conditions and a regular coffee consumption. Apart from assessing the risks and benefits of caffeine, the article also touches the topic of caffeinated products, their advertising, and a psychological dependence of people on these products. However, the most useful and important information for our research is linked to the analysis of risk and benefits linked to coffee consumption. Considering the fact that the goal of this article is to weight the balance that exists between the benefits and risks caffeine can provide, it becomes evident that the material contains a lot of data and facts related to studies on this topic. Hence, it this article can be immensely useful for the research in terms of facts, data, and evidence-based studies.
Butt, Michael and Sultan, Mansur. ‘Coffee and its Consumption: Benefits and Risks’. Critical Review on Food, Science, and Nutrition. Vol. 51, Iss. 4. 2011: 363-373. Web.
This article considers the controversies that exist in regards to risks and benefits of coffee consumption. The article states that in the majority of cases the sources promoting the health benefits of coffee and caffeinated products appear to be sponsored by companies producing those products. However, the author also states that some independent researches have managed to identify the benefits of coffee as well. According to the article, most of the benefits of coffee and caffeinated products occur due to the major characteristics of coffee. One of the greatest benefits of coffee is its richness in phytochemistry that is characterized by caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeine, hydroxyhydroquinone, and so forth. Apart from it, the article considers a number of meta-analyses, research investigations, and epidemiological studies claiming the inverse correlation between coffee products and Parkinsonisnm, Alzheimer’s disease, various cancer lines, diabetes, just to name a few. Proceeding from this, the benefit and potential usefulness of this article appears to be obvious.
Ruxton, Charles. ‘The Impact of Caffeine on Mood, Cognitive Function, Performance, and Hydration: A Review of Benefits and Risks’. The British Nutrition Foundation. 2008: 15-25. Web.
This article is focused on the detailed examination of benefits and drawbacks of moderate caffeine consumption. According to the materials presented in this article, it is safe to say that regular yet moderate consumption of coffee and caffeinated products can be associated with a number of improvements in terms of physical endurance, mental state, cognitive function, a perception of fatigue, and even mood swings. At the same time, however, the article examines the potential risks associated with an excessive consumption of coffee. Among them are such as a possible dehydration, headaches, sleep deprivations, anxiety, and so forth. One of the biggest advantages of this article is that its conclusions and assumptions are based on a placebo-controlled and double-blind survey. It needs to be pointed out that more than 40 studies on the topic were analyzed in order to obtain the most comprehensive and reliable results. The article contains some credible funding and provides recommendations for an optimal consumption of coffee and caffeinated products. Proceeding from all stated above, it is safe to say that this particular article can be of a great importance and usage for the study because it provides a balanced and comprehensive overview of the topic and is based on double-blind surveys.
Workes Cited
Butt, Michael and Sultan, Mansur. ‘Coffee and its Consumption: Benefits and Risks’. Critical Review on Food, Science, and Nutrition. Vol. 51, Iss. 4. 2011: 363-373. Web.
Ennis, Danielle. ‘The Effects of Caffeine on Health: The Benefits Outweigh the Risks’. The University of New Hampshire Press. 2014: 1-5. Web.
Freedman, Neal, Abnet, Christian, et al. ‘Association of Coffee Drinking with Total and Cause-Specific Mortality’. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2012: 1891-1904. Web.
N.A. ‘Statistic and Facts on the Coffee Market in the U.S.’ Statista 2015. Web.
Peterson, Alan. ‘Health Benefits of Coffee’. The Journal of Lancaster General Hospital, Vol. 2, No. 4. 2008: 146-147. Web.
Ruxton, Charles. ‘The Impact of Caffeine on Mood, Cognitive Function, Performance, and Hydration: A Review of Benefits and Risks’. The British Nutrition Foundation. 2008: 15-25. Web.
