- Last Updated: April 16. 2010 5:56PM UAE / April 16. 2010 1:56PM GMT
The grind of the 21st century throws up obstacles at every turn. Nikolaus Oliver is on hand with advice to guide you through. This week: Baldness, coffee and health
I received good news recently. A perennial worrier about health matters, I read that I could stop fretting about developing prostate cancer – for three reasons:
1. Men who go bald before their 30th birthday are much less likely to fall victim to the disease.
2. Drinking coffee regularly reduces the risk further.
3. The tests are so unreliable that they are pretty likely to diagnose cancer where there isnt any.
I remember my hairdresser telling me when I was in my early twenties that my hair was falling out and that I could only stop it with an absurdly expensive treatment. Im so glad now that I let nature run its course.
Im known as an advocate of drinking espressos and cappuccinos all day long. Ive invested in quality equipment: my grinder would look well in any cafe and my machine is no less than the Izzo Alex, the espresso maker of champions. On the coffee front, Im bulletproof. (Also, Ive just remembered, coffees good for keeping Alzheimers at bay.)
So now all I have to do is stop having tests and my health prospects should improve considerably. Right?
There are many such medical claims about ordinary facts of life. Most appear mad or unverifiable or both. And of course, every benefit is counterbalanced by a deficit. My coffee habits may be a boon to my prostate, but too much caffeine ups the blood pressure, puts pressure on your liver, causes the heart to race, triggers anxiety and – when you stop drinking it – gives you headaches for days on end while you detox. (Baldness has no side-effects, other than people making tasteless jokes at ones expense.)
Health, it is clear, is seldom straightforward.
If youre a hairy tea drinker with a nut allergy, Im sorry. All I can suggest is updating your will. That, or take what you hear in the news with a pinch of salt.