Omelet wrote:
>
> Sorry, but coffee is a very unhealthy habit. I gave it up about 17
> years ago after drinking a good 1/2 pot per day.

What's unhealthful about it? It has been linked to
a lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease.

The only unhealthful aspect I am aware of is the
raising of cholesterol levels if you drink a lot
of unfiltered coffee. The two compounds which
cause this effect are absorbed efficiently by
paper filters, so this is only a risk if you
drink espresso or use a French press.


Neurol Res. 2007 Jan;29(1):91-5.
Alzheimer's disease and coffee: a quantitative review.
Barranco Quintana JL, Allam MF, Serrano Del Castillo A,
Fernandez-Crehuet Navajas R.
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Cordoba, Cordoba,
Spain.

PURPOSE: To estimate the pooled risk of coffee
consumption for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We have reviewed all observational
studies that evaluated the association between AD risk
and coffee consumption. Four studies were identified:
two case-control studies and two cohorts. These studies
were carried out between 1990 and 2002.

RESULTS: There was an obvious protective effect of
coffee consumption in the pooled estimate [risk
estimate: 0.73 (95% confidence interval: 0.58-0.92)].
However, the homogeneity test was highly significant
(p<0.01), indicating heterogeneity across the pooled
studies. Pooled analysis applying the random effect model
wasn 0.79 with 95% confidence interval overlapping unity
(95% confidence interval: 0.46-1.36). Three studies
assessed coffee consumption by interview questionnaire.
The risk of AD in coffee consumers versus non-consumers
in studies that used interview questionnaire had a
pooled risk estimate of 0.70 with 95% confidence
interval 0.55-0.90.

CONCLUSION: Although our pooled estimates show that
coffee consumption is inversely associated with the
risk of AD, the four studies had heterogeneous
methodologies and results. Further prospective studies
evaluating the association between coffee consumption
and AD are strongly needed.