So what is the basis for coffee’s less than stellar health reputation? First, a number of people do see poor health effects from the beverage’s consumption. However, a large number of these effects do not actually come from the drink itself, but actually the cream and sugar that they poor into the drink. I have seen more than a few people who really consume morning creamer with a hint of coffee. This can obviously lead to an increase in calories and fat calories consumed and the negative effects that are correlated with such. For people who use artificial sweeteners, there may also be increased risks in cancers. Cancer has been linked to artificial sweeteners (and the substance saccharine) in a number of lab studies. Second, there are some negative effects to drinking coffee. Large levels of consumption can lead to higher cholesterol. This increases the risk of heart disease or stroke. There are risks associated with large levels of caffeine consumption (also associated with heart disease). Obviously, coffee is one of the most caffeine filled of all beverages.