Well, it can’t all be sunshine and roses. The overwhelming majority of health research on coffee comes back with positive associations. But not all. So to prove we are an unbiased conduit of coffee academia who doesn’t cherry pick stories to fit a narrative, we bring you this: morning coffee may lead to chronic pain, particularly in older individuals.
As reported by the Independent, a new study by researchers at Poland’s Nicholas Copernicus University sought to uncover a link between coffee consumption and pain levels in older adults. For it, they followed over 200 participants between the ages of 60 and 88 for two years as part of the Cognition of Older People, Education, Recreational Activities, Nutrition, Comorbidities, and Functional Capacity Studies (or COPERNICUS despite that not being how acronyms work). Participants were asked to track not only their coffee intake but their fish intake as well as their pain levels on a scale from one to 10. Over the course of the study, each week they would record the frequencies for the three variables and categorize them as decreased, no change, or increased.
They found that participants who increases their coffee intake were linked with a 6.56 point rise in pain intensity when compared to those who decreased the amount of coffee consumed. It was also associated with a 2.83 point rise when compared to no change in coffee consumed.
Meanwhile, an increase in fish oil was associated with a 4.45 point reduction in pain intensity. Researchers posit it may be due to the anti-inflammatory properties in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish. Though coffee has regularly been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties due to the high levels of polyphenols.
The researchers note that no hard conclusions can be drawn from the study and the more research will need to be undertaken to establish any further connections. But still, the findings are worth considering if you are an older individual with chronic pain. Maybe coffee in the morning isn’t the best idea. Have some breakfast first. See how it goes.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
