Every generation has some product/ingredient that they didn’t know was dangerous at the time: tobacco, lead, asbestos, etc. What is that item for this generation?
Coffee (and more specifically caffeine) is one of the most-tested food substances on the planet. Funnily enough, every time they test it, they find some new way that caffeine is actually good for you. It has all sorts of surprising benefits.
Obviously you shouldn't be drinking a galloon of it a day, but in moderation, coffee is a very healthy drink. Served black it's zero-calorie, zero-sugar, fights diabetes, lowers your weight, fights depression, prevents liver disease, and of course tastes good.
Coffee is a prime example of too much of a good thing might not be good anymore.
Coffee might be fine here and there but when people use it to replace good sleep habits or to general energy to a point of reliance it might not longer be fine.
I think the better point here is that a lot of things have the potential to be dangerous if used too much.
A cheeseburger on its own is perfectly fine, five of them a week is a problem. Eight ounces of coffee a day is fine, more than twenty can be a problem. Eight ounces of soda is okay on its own but just because it's served in huge bottles does not mean you're supposed to drink it as your main source of liquid.
In the US, we have nutritional facts on most things but most people ignore them. If you care to, you can choose to limit your intake of substances to one serving.
i like to link coffee to vaping. both are drugs legal to buy, both have side effects. my state is trying to ban flavored vapes and all i can ask is when are we banning flavored coffee
plus the flavor ban is getting discussed because kids are getting into smoking because of the fruity and candy flavors, which just further dumbfounds me as we have made zero effort to ban flavored alcohol either. also kids cant buy vapes you have to be 21, yet with coffee which i'd say is about as addictive as vape (just ask what someone is like without their morning coffee for proof) kids can buy that no problem