Coffee is Good; Omega -3 might be

Some Recent Findings about Coffee and other Foods

There are many studies about the risks and benefits of the foods and supplements we eat and drink. Some are good, some not. In general moderation is best. Here are some of the recent reports. be aware that the risks and benefits are often very small.

Coffee and Colon Cancer

Moderation in coffee has not been shown to have any adverse effects, and it definitely improves awareness and can prevent drowsiness. Now, researchers have found that any coffee consumption was tied to a 26% reduced risk for incident colon cancer, compared with no coffee intake. The risk was lowest in the highest consumption group (more than 2.5 cups a day). Benefits were seen with both regular and decaf coffee. They studies about 10,000 patients, half of whom had cancer, and asked about their prior coffee intake. They theorize that coffee acts as a laxative similar to a high fiber diet.

And in another study :(http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/early/2015/11/10/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.017341.full.pdf+html)

researchers found that in an analysis of responses of over 200,000 individuals, participants who drank one to five cups of coffee (decaf or regular) daily had slightly lower risk for all-cause mortality than nondrinkers by about 10%. For heavier coffee drinkers, there was no association. When the analysis was limited to people who never smoked, there was an inverse linear relationship between coffee consumption and all-cause mortality, with those drinking over five cups daily having the lowest risk by about 12%. Among never smokers, coffee appeared protective against mortality related to cardiovascular and neurological diseases and suicide.

Omega-3 Good for the Brain; not the Heart

Are Omega-3 supplements (or diets high on these) useful? They seem to have an anti-inflammatory effect. But a recent review of the 1968–73 Minnesota Coronary Experiment, a cohort of adults in mental institutions or a nursing home were randomized to one of two diets: one that replaced saturated fats with vegetable oil rich in omega-6 linoleic acid or a control diet high in saturated fat. Researchers have now reanalyzed the data, including unpublished material, of 2400 participants who followed the diets for at least 1 year. Although the Omega-3 group had lower cholesterol levels, there was no benefit in mortality; in fact this group had a slightly higher mortality! BMJ 2016;353:i1246

On the other hand, in Amminger GP et al. Nat Commun 2015 Aug 11., researchers found that Omega-3 supplementation in a group of 81 teenagers and young adults at high risk for psychosis (such as schizophrenia) had the risk reduced by a factor of 4.

So Omega-3 supplements probably have some beneficial effects; especially in the pre-senior age group.

So continue to drink your coffee, and I would eat foods high in Omega-3; but probably limit supplements to higher risk patients for psychiatric disease.