After water, tea in the most consumed drink on the planet. However, the consumption of coffee has been increasing slowly since about 1998. Coffee contain a number of compounds that have been isolated, and these compounds have been investigated for their health effects. Caffeine, chlorogenic acid are perhaps the most studied, but cafestol and kahweol are also present in coffee and may have particular health benefits. It has been suggested that the polyphenolic compounds in coffee, as with tea, play a large role in its effects, despite the presence of many other classes of compounds. The Japanese are best known for their tea drinking, but they also consume large amounts of coffee. Around 47 % of the population drink coffee regularly, and there are therefore large number of Japanese individuals exposed to the health effects of the compounds in coffee. As a result researchers have investigated the associations between coffee consumption and disease amongst the Japanese population.
For example, in one study1, researchers investigated the association between coffee consumption and mortality in over 90,000 Japanese individuals aged between 40 and 60 by following them for nearly 19 years. The consumption of coffee was obtained through questionnaires and categorised as consuming coffee never, 1 to 2 times per week, 3 to 4 times per week, 1 to 2 times per day, 3 to 4 times per day or more than 5 times per day. The results showed an inverse association between coffee intake and mortality in both men and women. Coffee consumption was also inversely associated with cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and respiratory disease. These results suggest that coffee consumers are healthier than non-coffee consumers. Whether this relates directly to the coffee of some other factor is not clear. However, evidence does suggest that polyphenols in coffee may confer significant health benefits to consumers. Both tea and coffee therefore seem to be efficient ways to modify mortality risk.
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