We’ve spoken at length about our Italian coffee and its health benefits, but it’s pretty rare for us to have to defend our vaunted beverage. However, if you live in the UK, then you know that food scares are to the national press what supporting walls are to architecture. So, then, it’s no surprise that the UK’s most popular tabloid (useful for papier-mâché, lining litter trays, and putting chips in, but no good for actually reading) has decided that coffee is bad for you.
The article, which can be found here (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3099201/Drink-no-four-coffees-day-warn-guidelines-caffeine-consumption-health.html), states in bold text that having four or more coffees a day can cause anxiety, sleeplessness and irregular heart rhythm.
Scary stuff, right? Of course it is, until you read on and find out that actually this ‘scare’ is aimed at pregnant women.
The article then decides to take liberties by stating that ‘health-conscious men and women may be unwittingly putting their health at risk, just by having a coffee or two during the working day.’
Hang on. Wasn’t it four cups a day? Now it’s two? Maybe the people behind this article work in banking:
“Hello, I would like a small business loan of £10,000 please.”
“£8,000? What do you want a loan of £6,000 for?”
“For my business, and actually it was £10,0—”
“We can’t do a loan of £4,000, I don’t even think we have a spare £2,000 to give you.”
We’re rightfully skeptical about facts from the same newspaper that reported the following:
Sold Out! Flight and Buses Full as Romanians Head for the UK
A story about the incoming horde of Romanian immigrants coming to the UK
The Chicken IN the Egg: Amazing Image in a Frying Pan
A story about a man whose fried egg looked a little bit like a chicken. Photo: http://41.media.tumblr.com/356e3025b1f6fed519cfc408421d85be/tumblr_niy7xypp5M1s1kwy3o1_400.png
Is There No One Left in Britain Who Can Make a Sandwich?
A story about a shortage of sandwich makers at Marks & Spencers
Oops! Kate Spills Orange Juice Over Pippa’s Pink Top After Quick Gym Session (as imagined by Alison Jackson)
A story about an imaginary event. What would happen if Pippa Middleton spilt orange juice over the Duchess of Cambridge after a gym session? Who cares, right? This newspaper does, do they wrote a fan-fiction about it.
**Please note that all of these are stories that were featured in the newspaper in question.
The point of this misguided anti-coffee article is that caffeine is bad for you in large doses, and that is true, in the same way that other things are bad for you in excess, like water, oxygen, or fun. However, if enjoyed as part of a healthy diet in sensible moderation, our Italian coffee is incredibly good for you. Even this questionable newspaper includes a sub-article that suggests men who don’t drink coffee are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction. Is that a risk you want to take?
We didn’t think so.
