I’m not going to lie…
I used to hate coffee.
In fact, there really wasn’t anything I liked about it.
I disliked the taste…
I disliked the fact (which I was wrongly led to believe) that it was nothing more than a stimulant people depended on just to get through their day…
I too was once brainwashed into believing that coffee was bad for my health.
And I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Yet, I completely understand why so many live in fear of it today.
Can’t tolerate Coffee?
If you’re not properly regulating your blood sugar, then you probably can’t…
…which means you’re missing out on the many health benefits it has to offer.
Like most things, it’s always easier to place the blame on coffee if you don’t do well with it.
But that’s like blaming your car for breaking down because YOU forgot to fill up the gas tank.
You wouldn’t blame your car for your own mistake, right?
Then you shouldn’t blame coffee either.
So why do I talk about coffee so much these days?
Maybe it’s my way of atoning for the years of false allegations.
Maybe it’s because of all the false allegations and misinformation that continue to circulate around the web today.
The truth is that coffee is far more protective than you probably realize.
(Note: Some of these thyroid protective effects of caffeine are covered in detail here.)
But it wasn’t until I was inspired by the work of Dr. Raymond Peat that I ever gave coffee another thought.
And I’m sure glad I did.
Years ago when I first started using coffee therapeutically with myself and then with my clients, I began to see some fairly impressive results.
The sheer fact that coffee alone has been shown to decrease mortality rates and increase longevity should be more than enough to convince most skeptics that there’s much more to coffee than meets the eye.
Aside from the mere fact that coffee will help you live longer, there have been a number of other studies showing the truly wide range of health benefits that coffee has to offer.
One such study was on caffeine and it’s effects on the most common type of cancer today.
Coffee’s Effects on The Most Common Cancer
The most common cancer found today is a form of skin cancer called basal-cell carcinoma, affecting as many as 30% of people in their lifetime.
A study was published on the effects of caffeine on skin cancer where 112,897 people were followed over a 20 year period.
Over this period of time, 22,786 people were diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma.
Increased Caffeine Intake Is Associated with Reduced Risk of Basal Cell Carcinoma of the Skin
http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/72/13/3282
“Our findings argue that caffeine intake in men and women is inversely associated with risk of BCC [Basal Cell Carcinoma].”
Caffeine intake was analyzed throughout this study with respect to diet including tea, cola, and chocolate which are also sources of dietary caffeine aside from coffee.
While these other sources of caffeine did help protect against this cancer, coffee proved to provide the most significant protection, likely because of the higher caffeine content as well as the additional nutrients and thyroid protective effects that coffee provides.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for all of the decaf drinkers out there, but decaf coffee did not provide the same protective benefits.
The results of this study were also backed by the results of mice studies which have demonstrated the same effects on skin cancer.
Coffee’s Effects on Deadly Skin Cancer
A recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute showed that coffee is also protective against malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer.
Coffee drinking and cutaneous melanoma risk in the NIH-AARP diet and health study.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25604135
“RESULTS: The highest category of coffee intake was inversely associated with malignant melanoma (≥4 cups/day: HR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.68 to 0.93, P trend = .01). This association was statistically significant for caffeinated (≥4 cups/day: HR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.64 to 0.89, P trend = .01) but not for decaffeinated coffee (P trend = .55).”
Similarly to the Basal Cell Carcinoma study… decaf coffee did not provide the same protective benefits.
More Coffee = More Protection
If you still aren’t convinced and prefer to limit yourself to just one cup of coffee a day…
…then you might be out of luck.
When looking at coffee and cancer research, it’s worth noting that with most studies the more coffee or caffeine consumed provided the most benefit.
For example…
In the Basal Cell Carcinoma study, more than 3 cups of coffee per day provided the most protection.
In the Melanoma study, more than 4 cups of coffee per day were needed.
Want to stay healthy and live longer?
Even mortality studies have shown that your risk of death from all causes is reduced by 5% to 6% for every cup of coffee you drink daily… that’s every single cup without limit.
The Truth: Coffee is More Than Just a Food
If you believe that skin cancer is the only form of cancer that coffee helps to protect you against, then you would be greatly mistaken.
In the research world, caffeine is well known for it’s ability to kill cancer cells…
…which is why researchers continue to study it as a potential new cancer therapy.
And there are many other studies to date on caffeine, coffee and cancer.
Many of these studies have shown that coffee and caffeine can help protect against other very common forms of cancer including breast cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and, colon cancer.
It’s time that we stop looking at coffee as a problem…
It’s time that we stop looking at coffee as just some food or stimulant…
And it’s time we start seeing it for its true potential as an important nutrient that can help restore dysfunction and maintain the healthy function of the human body.
But here’s what I want you to take away from all of this…
While coffee has numerous health benefits, it’s also important to use it correctly which most people do not.
Instead of just depending on coffee to help get you through your day, treat it like a therapeutic supplement.
(Note: Want to learn more about how to use coffee therapeutically, then download our FREE 3 Food Triple-Thyroid-Boosting Daily Protocol.)
A supplement is not designed to replace your diet.
A supplement is designed to “supplement” an already healthy diet.
As I’ve seen myself and with numerous clients, with the right diet coffee can provide some very impressive results including improvements in thyroid function.
So, what’s you’re favorite way to drink coffee? Let me know in the comment section below.
I go back and forth between drinking coffee and stopping for weeks. After a week or two of not drinking coffee, I feel much better with more energy throughout the day but I love coffee so end up drinking it again… the cycle continues so from my experience coffee can’t possibly be healthy for your overall health.
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Just because the sun provides D which is required doesn’t mean it’s not hurting our eye health. There’s more to ones overall health than skin cancer. So many variables makes it impossible to say…
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Thanks
I used to always drink the stuff black, but lately, I’ve been adding heavy cream to it. No sugar. I also like it on ice — with cream (and, again, no sugar).
How does one get the benefits of coffee if they cannot tolerate the smell or taste of the stuff?
I find information about coffee confusing! One week it is a health supplement. The next week its “bad” for your health! I have read other information about coffee that suggests it is bad for those with thyroid issues or adrenal depletion…Personally I like the taste and aroma of coffee!!!
It’s actually very beneficial for people with thyroid issues. That’s why we included the part at the beginning. If dietary needs are not being met then it can cause problems. But the problem is not the coffee. It’s not meeting your dietary needs.
I enjoy my first cup in the morning on the front porch. 1 tbl spoon of honey with a tad of coco nut oil.
I have a type of atrial tachycardia that prohibits that much intake of coffee/caffeine. Plus, I would NEVER sleep again!! This does explain possibly, though, why my mother lived to be 82 in spite of spending countless hours working in the sun with out the benefit of sunscreen. Didn’t exist in her childhood nor most of her life. She did love her coffee, though – all day long!!
Does the flavored K cups count?
I don’t care for black coffee but sure enjoy the K cups every day.
I can’t stand coffee, so what if I just swallow the coffee beans whole instead? Is this harmful? Will it have the same effect?
OMG! Now I know why my husband has no problem with his thyroid. He was on thyroid medicine through the VA. But he hasn’t had his medicine for several months now. That’s because everytime he has an appt with the doctor at the VA,, they seem to cancel the appt and says the doctor is sick. I told my husband, once you’re on the meds for thyroid, your thyroid shuts down and depends on the meds. But he hasn’t had any and for some reason when he calls the VA to renew his subscription,, they don’t. BUT !! He drinks a lot of coffee. ,,3-5 cups everyday. And if this is protecting his thyroid,, then glory be! I’ve got to tell him about his coffee drinking. Here I thought he was overdoing it, but I guess not , now that I hear coffee is good.
I absolutely love coffee. I drink it black at home but will sometimes have a shot of syrup when out. My favorite coffee is Arabica from Costa Rica. Of course, my absolute favorite is drinking that while IN Costa Rica, on a mission trip.
Thanks for the article!
Being Swedish I like coffee a lot – and there have been years as a little child I had coffee but I used to get stomuc aches so I stopped but nevertheless when visiting my grandparents I would always have that afternoon coffe which we call “fika” in swedish and take the pain that came along. Many years later as an adult drinking coffe again really feels great and taste great too, specially knowing the good bacteria coming along the heavy cream I add to my coffe but also because of other health aspects. I.e coffee anemas are a good way of helping out the liver on functioning better but I figure why corporate coffee from “that end” when its so much easier to drink it but never ever on empty stomuch or without some foods upfront – loving it ❤️