I really don't know what to make of coffee. Twenty years ago there was a big stink about it and "experts" said it was unconditionally bad to drink it in any quantity. Then we started to see a change to "experts" saying that in moderate doses it is very good for us. The internet seems rife with contradictions about its effects and doctors' opinions are as varied as everybody else's. The latest thing is that somebody thinks a substance in coffee, in some types and preparations more than others, promotes LDL cholesterol generation.
Over the years I have listened to all these opinions, sometimes stopping altogether for long periods, which process I never found difficult, then starting again. My consumption is very moderate, never more than around three cups a day at the most, so it could be that whatever I do doesn't matter all that much.
So at sixty I consume it in moderation, only for enjoyment and certainly not as a compulsion. There are many days when I do not drink it at all. If I felt the cholesterol argument had any real substance to it for the quantity I drink then of course I would stop at my age, in the same way I have drastically cut fat and sugar intake. But the bad effects of these latter are now beyond contention. The argument against moderate coffee drinking, it seems to me, has not been established with enough certainty to force me to abandon an enjoyable drink.
Most of my friends, much heavier coffee drinkers, who have stopped suddenly, report that it takes about two weeks of feeling grotty and then they don't miss it.
Topic: Caffeine Withdrawal Diary