the lower their risk of depression.
“These are pathways that are being elucidated and we need more work to define them, but the interactions are there and there are good solid reasons to understand why this drink is OK for your health,” says Rozanski, who wasn’t part of the study.
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Drink with caution
Still, Wee notes, doctors remain somewhat concerned about the caffeine in coffee, which can increase your heart rate and alter your metabolism in other worrying ways.
“But we have studies that show if you’re a regular caffeinated coffee drinker, your body sort of develops a tolerance to it,” she says. “When you first start to drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages, you may have a more pronounced physiologic response. But after a while, like with all things your body sort of acclimates, so it doesn’t seem like the harm of moderate amounts of coffee drinking persists.”
At the same time, a study like this shouldn’t prompt people who don’t like coffee to start drinking the stuff, Wee adds.
“We can cautiously conclude there doesn’t seem to be harm, and so if you’re already a coffee drinker, no need to change,” Wee says. “Now whether or not you should start drinking coffee to get its benefits, that’s less certain.”
If you do plan to add coffee to your daily routine, remember to not go overboard. According to experts, you should stick to less than 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which amounts to about four 8 oz cups of coffee a day. While it is safe to drink coffee if you are expecting, you should cut back, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. They recommend pregnant women drink no more than 200 mg of caffeine per day (about two cups). You should also avoid coffee late in the day or stick to decaf to avoid tossing and turning at night and be mindful of unhealthy add-ins.
“Coffee may be healthy, but what you add to it often isn’t,” says registered dietitian Andrea Dunn, RD.