coffee may spell heart trouble for some
Many Americans today rely on caffeine - mostly coffee - to keep them going. Coffee shops are springing up left and right to accommodate these people and their willingness to pay for a quick pick-me up. When people are willing to spend $3-$5 on one drink that costs 50 cents to make, there is a lot of profit to be made.
But what if there are negative side effects affecting the health of these coffee consumers? According to an article in USA Today, a new study based on people in Costa Rica revealed that there is a specific gene that will decide whether caffeine is good or bad for each individual. If you have that gene, it will supposedly lower your risk of heart attacks. But on the other hand, if you don't have that gene, you become 36% more likely to suffer from a non-fatal heart attack. Despite the results of this study, at this time the general public cannot have themselves tested for this gene.
What are the consequences of this study for those in the United States? What does this research do to the market for regular coffee? Decaf coffee? In the long term, if this research holds up, will coffee shops continue to be successful?
1 comment:
I think that an article such as this one will not affect the demand for coffee at this time. As caffeine is a drink several people can't go a day with out, I would guess that coffee has a very inelastic demand curve. There are several items today that people still consume and buy even though they are not good for their health. Some are Cigarettes, Beer, Wine, even deodorant is said to cause breast cancer. In the Long run the demand for coffee could shift, but in my opinion it will take a long more research, and a lot more time
Post a Comment