Is Coffee Good for You?

VIDEO   

 

Millions of Americans start their day with a cup – or two or three -- of coffee. Some make it at 

home, others stop at fast-food chains or trendy retail stores on their way to work or school. For so 

many, coffee is a part of the daily routine.  

 

That said, every once in a while, it’s a good idea to stop and ask a few questions about your 

daily routine. When you really think about it, how much do you know about your morning pick-me-up? 

Do you ever think about where it comes from or how it’s affecting your body? When it comes to 

coffee, this could be a worthwhile exercise. Let’s get right into it. 

 

The coffee shrub hails from east Africa and was introduced in the Americas in the 1700s. 

Today, coffee is cultivated by some 25 million farmers and coffee workers in more than 50 countries. 

Worldwide annual coffee consumption is more than 12 billion pounds, and the United States accounts 

for 23% of this. The average U.S. coffee drinker, and there are about 130 million of us, gulps down 

3.2 cups a day.1  

 

But just how does coffee get into our cups and mugs? The global commodity chain involves a 

string of producers, middlemen, exporters, importers, roasters, and retailers before coffee reaches 

the consumer. Approximately 27 million acres are devoted to coffee worldwide, with the largest 

producers and exporters being Brazil, Colombia, and Indonesia. Around the world, coffee is produced 

on both large plantations and by small farmers.1 

 

Most small farmers sell their coffee directly to middlemen exporters who pay them below market 

price for their harvests and keep a high percentage for themselves. This forces these farmers into a 

cycle of poverty that keeps working conditions poor, wages low, and often involves child labor. Large 

plantation owners usually process and export their own harvests and sell them at the prices set by the 

New York Coffee Exchange. Either way, coffee workers are usually paid the equivalent to sweatshop 

wages and they toil under harsh conditions. 1 More about that in a moment ... but first, let’s follow the 

coffee. 

 

A lot of coffee makes its way into the United States via importers who purchase green coffee 

beans from established exporters and large plantation owners. The beans arrive in large containers 

and make their way to 1,200 roasters who then sell to retailers like Kraft, the maker of Maxwell 

House.1 Retail chains like Starbucks and Peet’s Coffee and Tea, which oversee their own roasting, 

often send buyers directly to coffee farms to buy beans.2,3 

 

With all of this in mind, we’re left with two major questions about coffee. One, is it good or bad 

for your health? And two, what about the health and well-being of the coffee farmers and workers 

around the world?  

 

 

 On question one, you might be shocked to find out that coffee has the “okay” from many health 

organizations.4,5 It is full of antioxidants that dampen inflammation and are believed to be positive and 

preventive when it comes to chronic diseases. In a recent issue of The American Journal of Clinical 

Nutrition, researcher Rune Blomhoff from the University of Oslo said, “We were surprised to learn that 

coffee quantitatively is the major contributor of antioxidants in the diet both in Norway and in the 

USA.”6   

 

This came as quite a surprise to all those gulping down grape juice, blueberries, raspberries 

and oranges. Who knew, their daily coffee routine had them more than covered with 1,299 

milligrams.7  

 

Now, that doesn’t mean you should guzzle as much as you can or opt for coffee over fruits and 

vegetables. There’s still the issue of caffeine to consider.  Once it’s ingested, caffeine is rapidly 

absorbed into the blood stream in 30 to 45 minutes. It takes 4 to 6 hours for most of it to be 

eliminated. While it’s in the body, it affects brain blood flow, blood pressure, respiratory function, 

stomach and bowel activity, urine volume, and exercise performance. Mentally, low to moderate 

doses have been found to increase well being, happiness, energy, alertness, and sociability.8,9   

 

So what’s the concern? Everyone is different, and all bodies don’t handle caffeine the same 

way. Too much can noticeably affect your health. Higher doses, like five or six cups of coffee versus 

two or three, are associated with anxiety, jitteriness and upset stomach. Pregnant women and women 

wanting to become pregnant are discouraged from drinking too much coffee because it could cause 

early delivery or have adverse effects on fertility.8,9  

 

It’s also not a good idea to drink coffee if you have trouble sleeping. Caffeine can cause or 

exacerbate sleep problems. Sleep loss is cumulative, and even small nightly decreases can add up 

and disturb daytime function.8   

 

And one more thing, caffeine is physically addictive. Within 24 hours of going off coffee, most 

people experience headache, fatigue, decreased alertness, depressed mood, irritability, and difficulty 

concentrating that lasts anywhere from two to nine days. The good news? Symptoms disappear 

rapidly ... with a cup of coffee.9  

 

Now, back to question two about the health of coffee farmers and workers. 

 

 Let’s first acknowledge that coffee is an extremely powerful financial commodity. It is, in fact, 

the world’s second most valuable traded commodity – behind oil. It is traded by speculators in New 

York, and the price fluctuates widely around critical market issues like the weather in Brazil.1  

 

When you combine power, size, money, and speculation, it’s easy to predict who may come out 

short. In this case, it’s the smaller coffee farmers. They grow about half of the world’s coffee. Because 

global competition and over supply have driven world coffee prices down, these farmers often have to 

sell their coffee for less than the costs of production. On average, these small farmers receive $500 to 

$1000 a year for their coffee. They can’t buy proper clothes, shoes, shelter, food, education or health 

care for their families. 1 

 

 

 

Enter into this arena the Fair Trade coffee movement. The idea here is one of partnership 

between consumers and coffee growers to ensure that the growers receive a fair price for their coffee 

in order to make a living wage. If a farmer gets Fair Trade Certification, he can sell his coffee as a 

member of the Fair Trade Register and earn much more than selling in the traditional manner. 

Licensed Fair Trade importers pay $1.26 per pound to Fair Trade certified farmers for regular coffee 

and $1.41 per pound for organic coffee. The current world market price of coffee hovers at about 

$0.85 a pound. Consumers can figure out if their coffee is Fair Trade by the presence of a black and 

white “Fair Trade Certified” label.10 

 

In addition to a fair price, Fair Trade coffee farmers are guaranteed two more things – access to 

credit when they request it and long-term contracts to support stable business relationships.1,10 

 

Americans are showing gradual signs of support for this Fair Trade movement. U.S. retail sales 

of Fair Trade Certified coffee grew from less than $50 million in 2000 to nearly $500 million in 2005.11 

Even though this is still a very small portion of the overall U.S. coffee consumption, it means that bit 

by bit, Fair Trade coffee is making a difference in farmers’ lives. They’re able to provide for their 

families, gain access to education and medical care for their children, and make progress toward 

overcoming poverty.  

 

If you’re a coffee drinker, your daily routine automatically connects you with coffee farmers. Buy 

Fair Trade coffee, and you’re bound to drink a little easier knowing that you’ve helped those farmers 

get the funding and healthier lives they deserve. 

 

For Health Politics, I’m Mike Magee. 

 

 

 

 

 

References 

 

1. Global Exchange. Frequently Asked Questions About Fair Trade Coffee. Available at: 

http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/coffee/faq.html. 

2. Starbucks. Buying Coffee for Starbucks. Available at: 

http://www.starbucks.com/ourcoffees/coffee_edu7.asp?category%5fname=buying+coffee+for+ 

starbucks. 

3. Peet’s Coffee and Tea. Meet the Roasters. Available at: 

http://www.peets.com/who_we_are/people_roasters.asp. 

4. American Heart Association. Caffeine. Available at: 

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4445. 

5. CNN.com. Dietitians look at health effects of coffee. October 21, 1999. 

6. Andersen LF, Jacobs DR, Carlsen MH, Blomhoff R. Consumption of coffee is associated with 

reduced risk of death attributed to inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases in the Iowa 

Women's Health Study. Am J Clinical Nutrition. 2006;83:1039-1046. 

7. Associated Press. Coffee a top source of healthy antioxidants. September 12, 2005. Available 

at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9105892/. 

8. Mayo Clinic. Caffeine: How Much Is Too Much? Available at: 

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeine/NU00600. 

9. Juliano LM, Griffiths RR. A critical review of caffeine withdrawal: empirical validation of 

symptoms and signs, incidence, severity, and associated features. Psychopharmacology. 

2004;176:1-29. 

10. TransFairUSA. Fair Trade Certified – Coffee Program. Available at: 

http://www.transfairusa.org/content/certification/coffee_program.php. 

11. TransFairUSA. Fast Facts. Available at: http://www.transfairusa.org/pdfs/fastfacts_coffee.pdf.