The Truth about Coffee

After reading so much medical hype on everyone’s favorite beverage, coffee, it was time to sit down with a local expert and get to the bottom of the debate: Is coffee good for you or not? We turned to Jesse Baedke, Assistant Director of Nutrition Services at Cox Hospital, to learn what he thinks of this beloved drink.

“Coffee research got started in the ’70s, and about 15 years ago things started to swing the other way for coffee,” Baedke says. “People used to think coffee caused cancer and heart disease, but now research shows  coffee is high in antioxidants, magnesium and potassium, and some studies have even linked regular coffee consumption with a decrease in Type 2 diabetes and liver cancer.” 

But even though coffee is a good energy booster, Baedke isn’t ready to beat the drum for more coffee consumption. “I wouldn’t recommend drinking more than four cups of coffee a day,” he says. And it’s important to point out that when it comes to this caffeinated beverage, one serving size is 6 ounces.