SUSS PSY108 TMA02: Article Analysis on Coffee Consumption

This report analyzes an article from BMJ (2017) that discusses the health benefits of coffee consumption. The article highlights the association of coffee with reduced risks of death and heart disease, citing meta-analyses and umbrella reviews supporting its role in conditions like cancer, type 2 diabetes, and liver diseases. It also explores the potential of coffee in reducing mental-related diseases like depression and Parkinson's. The analysis acknowledges the article's reliance on observational studies and confounding factors such as age, BMI, and drug use that could reduce the benefits of coffee. The report also mentions the negative effects of coffee on other health issues and the lack of clear medical recommendations for its use, concluding that coffee should be incorporated as part of a healthy diet but not used purely as a preventive measure.

Student’s Name: ARTICLE ANALYSIS 1
Article Analysis
Student’s Name
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Article Analysis
BMJ (2017) article suggests that drinking coffee has several health benefits to people
when taken daily. For this article, coffee consumption is associated with lower risks of death
from all causes and even heart disease. The article suggests that those who take three cups of
coffee daily reduce the fatal effects of several diseases and the risks associated with them. There
are umbrella reviews and meta-analysis that have justified the use of coffee and its relevance in
cancer, type 2 diabetes, gout, and gallstones. Other benefits have also been reported in liver
conditions like cirrhosis of the liver. Other beneficial assumptions have been reported in the role
of coffee in the reduction of mental related diseases like depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and
Parkinson's disease. The article is based on several studies that have been done on the topic to
determine the health benefits of coffee when consumed within the required limits. However, the
article suggests that the consumption of coffee should not be taken with the sole reason for
preventing disease since there are adverse effects related to excessive intake of coffee, especially
when taken with other rich refined sugars and unhealthy fats that can increase the risk of other
diseases. Thus coffee needs to be incorporated as part of a healthy diet for adult populations and
not purely as a disease prevention effort.
The assumptions of the article are based on Poole, et al. (2017) metanalysis that analyzed
different studies that have been done on the topic. From the several studies that were used in the
review, it was concluded that coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of generic
outcomes. This study was developed on 201 meta-analyses of observational and interventional
research on the topic. The findings of these studies were based on data collected from different
randomized controlled trials which reported that there was a positive health outcome in the use
of coffee in different areas. This article offers the best evidence for coffee since it is based on the

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use of the highest level of evidence. These type of studies use statistical approaches to combine
the results from different research articles which have been done on the topic. Thus the meta-
analysis offers the highest level of evidence that is reliable and forms the implications for
practice.
The overall effect of coffee on mental and psychological related diseases has been
reported to be high. Postuma, et al. (2012) Study reported that the effect of coffee against
Parkinson’s disease due to its effect on the cognitive function and reducing the risk of
depression. Studies have shown that the use of four cups of coffee daily has a fivefold risk in
preventing the disease. The caffeine in the coffee is effective in controlling the movement of
people with the disease. The effects of coffee have even been reported to be high for people who
smoke since it assists in reducing depression and other cognitive conditions. In another study,
Nehlig (2010) reported that the effect of coffee is seen to reduce cognitive decline by acting as a
mild stimulant which helps improve the mental performance of people with cognitive challenges
which are reported in alertness, concentration and increases attention. Coffee works in almost a
similar way in the treatment of other listed conditions since it is linked to the soothing effect that
it offers to patients with different conditions.
Despite the related health benefits of the use of coffee, the effectiveness is confounded by
other residual confounding factors like age, BMI, and use of other drugs which lead to different
health outcomes. These factors can reduce the benefits of coffee use even if the individual takes
the required amount. Further, most of the studies used to form the basis of the conclusion for the
study were observational studies rather than randomized controlled trials. Observational studies
do not offer the best evidence for the study since it offers little control over the effectiveness of
the effects of coffee. This is because there is no measure of confounding factors that can be

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difficult to observe. Randomized controlled trials have been regarded as the best since they allow
the use of control groups to test the effectiveness of the intervention (Burns, Rohrich, & Chung,
2012). This means that although the use of coffee has been attributed to offering the best medical
outcomes, the findings of the study were majorly based on the use of observational studies which
failed to offer more strength on findings.
Despite the benefits of coffee in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s
disease, uterine and liver cancer, cirrhosis and gout other studies have indicated that coffee has
negative effects on bladder and pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, cardiovascular disease and
even the bothersome effects that can also affect the cognitive ability of the patient. This means
that the use of coffee can be a balance between the benefits and the risks associated with the
problem. Although WHO reported the benefits of coffee use in the uterus and cervical cancer,
there is no medical recommendation that has been put forward advising patients to use coffee for
the benefits stated in the article (Loomis, et al., 2016).
In conclusion, the use of coffee has been supported by many studies but there is no
reported recommendation that has been put forward on the use of coffee. Despite the article
suggesting that a few cups can be taken, there are no clear guidelines on the use of coffee as seen
in the article rather only recommendations for people to include coffee in their diet since it has
been removed from carcinogenic foods and is thus good for use. In this case, coffee users should
associate with some of the benefits but not fully use it as a preventive measure since no
recommendation has been put forward on how coffee can be used to prevent deferent diseases.
This means that the content of this article can be used by patients but not as scientific
recommendations for the use of coffee to treat and even prevent certain types of diseases.

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References
BMJ. (2017, November 22). Three to four cups of coffee a day linked to longer life: Three or 4
cups a day confers greatest benefit, except in pregnancy and for women at risk of
fracture. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171122190659.htm
Burns, P., Rohrich, R., & Chung, K. (2012). The Levels of Evidence and their role in Evidence-
Based Medicine. Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 128(1), 305–310.
Loomis, D., Guyton, K. Z., Grosse, Y., Lauby-Secretan, B., Ghissassi, F. E., Bouvard, V., . . .
Straif, K. (2016). Carcinogenicity of drinking coffee, mate, and very hot beverages. The
Lancet, 17(7), 877-878.
Nehlig, A. (2010). Is caffeine a cognitive enhancer? Journal of Alzheimers Disease, 20(1), 85-
94.
Poole, R., Kennedy, O. J., Roderick, P., Fallowfield, J. A., Hayes, P. C., & Parkes, J. (2017).
Coffee consumption and health: umbrella review of meta-analyses of multiple health
outcomes. BMJ, 359(5024 ).
Postuma, R. B., Lang, A. E., Munhoz, R. P., Charland, K., Pelletier, A., Moscovich, M., . . .
Shah, B. (2012). Caffeine for treatment of Parkinson disease: A randomized controlled
trial. Neurology, 79(16), 651-658.