Coffee

Drinking coffee daily is a normal routine for more than 108 million Americans consumers, including the majority of US adults and a growing number of children. Is this habit good for our health or is it harmful?

Coffee has been the subject of research for decades and the results consistently show that coffee is more healthful than harmful. Research takes place daily on coffee, caffeine and health around the world. Hundreds, if not more, of new studies are published every month by scientists and research institutes worldwide.

Coffee has two main ways of improving the health of your body: antioxidants and caffeine. Both of these substances have health and anti aging benefits. Antioxidants help your body repair damage to cells caused by free radicals. These free radicals are produced as a by-product of cells through normal daily activities.

The health benefits of coffee are many and the research supports them. For example,

ASTHMA RELIEF: caffeine can help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is not available. Did you know that a single dose of pain reliever such as Anacin or Excedrin contains up to 120 milligrams of caffeine? This is the equivalent of a hefty cup of coffee.

CAVITY PROTECTION: caffeine can prevent cavities because of a compound called trigonelline which gives coffee its aroma and bitter taste. Trigonelline has both anti-bacterial and anti-adhesive properties that help prevent dental cavities from forming.

CHOLESTEROL: a paper filter is worth a “pound of cure” or so. There are two substances in coffee, kahweol and cafestol, that raise cholesterol levels. During the brewing process, paper filters capture these substances. Paper filters, in this case, help in the prevention of harmful cholesterol levels. Coffee drinkers who drink non-filtered coffees such as “lattes,” which do not use paper filters, may want to reconsider their choice and frequency of beverage for their own health benefit.

COLON CANCER: drinking at least two cups of coffee daily can translate into a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer. Coffee drinkers, as compared to non coffee drinkers, appear to be 50% less likely to get liver cancer. They also have lower rates of colon, breast and rectal cancers. There is a powerful antioxidant found almost exclusively in coffee, methylpyridinium, that boosts blood enzymes widely believed to protect against colon cancer. Methylpyridinium is formed in the roasting process from a chemical found naturally in coffee beans. Dark roasted coffees contain two to three times more of this antioxidant than medium roasts.

CIRRHOSIS: coffee drinkers have up to 80% reduced risk to suffer from cirrhosis than non coffee drinkers. People who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less liver damage as compared to those who do not. The reduced risk of alcohol cirrhosis may be associated with the phenolics and related substances in coffee.

DEMENTIA: drinking coffee during middle age may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and the risk of dementia in the elderly. Coffee drinkers at midlife have a lower risk for dementia or Alzheimer’s later in life than people who drank little or no coffee at midlife. Moderate coffee drinkers had up to a 65% decrease risk of contracting these conditions as compared with low coffee drinkers.

GALLSTONES: certain compounds in coffee may help prevent liquid stored in the gallbladder (“bile”) from crystallizing or hardening. This is what causes gallstones and obstructs the bile duct, a narrow tube which leads from the gallbladder to the intestine. Gallstones are painful and patients can experience fever and jaundice. Coffee drinkers have almost a 50% reduced risk of suffering from gallstone disease as compared to non coffee drinkers.

HEART DISEASE: People who smoke and are heavy coffee drinkers have less heart disease as compared to those who do not. Drinking coffee as part of a healthy and balanced diet is not associated with the development of cardiovascular problems, including atherosclerotic disease, myocardial infarction, ventricular arrhythmias and hypertension.

MENTAL ALERTNESS: caffeine enhances concentration, reduces fatigue and heightens alertness. The reason lies in caffeine’s effect on brain receptors, enabling a better energy uptake.

MALE FERTILITY: caffeine in coffee appears to increase sperm “motility.” Motility is the speed at which sperm moves. Since sperm hyperactivity is critical to fertilization, heightened motility increases the odds of pregnancy.

PARKINSON’S DISEASE: antioxidants and caffeine have health and anti-aging benefits. Antioxidants repair the damage to cells caused by free radicals. People who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. Caffeine’s adenosine-blocking power may be one mechanism through which the brain cells in Parkinson’s disease are protected. Based on this and other evidence, Parkinson’s drugs are being developed that contain a derivative of caffeine. However, it seems that coffee protects men better than women against Parkinson’s disease. This is because estrogen and caffeine need the same enzymes to be metabolized and estrogen captures those enzymes.

TYPE 2 DIABETES: drinking one to three cups of coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. Drinking six cups or more each day can reduce men’s risk up to 60% and women’s’ up to 30% as compared to non coffee drinkers. Coffee has large amounts of antioxidants such as Chlorogenic acid and tocopherols. Coffee also has minerals such as magnesium. All these components improve insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism and lower blood sugar.

The good news about coffee and health keeps getting better. Coffee and caffeine are recognized for their positive health benefits and potential functional food attributes. Obviously, check with your own physician regarding any medical conditions, treatments, diagnostics, pregnancy or special dietary plans for you.

Go ahead and drink coffee. In the process, you will derive some health benefits. Enjoy a cup of Panama Boquete specialty coffee!

Timothy (“Tim”) S. Collins, the author, is called by those who know him “Gourmet Coffee Guy.”
He is an expert in article writing who has done extensive research online and offline in his area of expertise, coffee marketing, as well as in other areas of personal and professional interest.

Come visit the author’s website: http://www.ourgourmetcoffee.com

Copyright – Timothy S. Collins. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

Author: Timothy S. Collins
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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For years, the news about coffee vacillated between positive and negative. At the same time, study after study extolled the health virtues of tea. But a flurry of new research suggests that coffee offers nearly as many health perks while protecting against a number of diseases.

All this is not to suggest you should start gulping endless cups of java if you’re not already a coffee lover. After all, excessive coffee intake may have a downside for some people. But if you like your daily “cuppa joe,” you can take some pleasure in knowing your coffee habit has finally been vindicated.

Antioxidants and More

A few years back, headlines trumpeted the news that coffee was the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet. It earned that claim not because it’s richer in antioxidants than fruits or vegetables, but because we drink so much of the stuff.

One of the prime antioxidants in coffee is methylpyridinium, which may help protect against colon cancer. This may explain the findings from a recent study that found women who drank three or more cups of coffee a day had half the risk of colon cancer as that of nondrinkers.

Another coffee antioxidant, chlorogenic acid, has been shown to inhibit liver cancer. In one study, for every two cups of coffee the participants drank, there was a 43 percent reduced risk of liver cancer. This same substance slows the intestines’ absorption of glucose and might help explain coffee’s protective effect against type 2 diabetes

Here’s something else you probably didn’t know: Coffee is the main dietary source of the trace element boron. Biologist Curtiss Hunt at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center found that an eight ounce cup of instant coffee contains about 57 mcg. of boron. An essential nutrient for plants, one study found that dietary boron reduced the amount of insulin in the blood required to maintain proper glucose levels. Plus it’s one of the minerals necessary for strong bones.

Coffee is also a surprising source of more familiar minerals and nutrients, including chromium, magnesium and niacin. What’s more, a cup of coffee contains about one-third as much potassium as found in a small banana.

Coffee and Heart Health

Additional antioxidant compounds in coffee – caffeic, p-coumaric, and ferulic acids – may curb cardiovascular disease by protecting low-density lipoproteins (LDLs, the “bad” cholesterol) from oxidation, fending off inflammation and improving blood vessel function.

In 2006, Norwegian researchers found that older women drinking one to three cups of coffee daily were 24 percent less likely to die of cardiovascular disease than non-drinkers. Another study in 2007 found that people age 65 and over who consume four or more servings of caffeine daily had a lower risk of death from heart disease.

But curb your enthusiasm. Because the caffeine in coffee has a short-term elevating effect on blood pressure, people who drink one cup after another may keep their blood pressure high for periods long enough to risk heart trouble.

Coffee’s long-term effect on blood pressure has long been debated, and should be weighed against any possible benefits. A 2007 Finnish study of 24,710 healthy men and women, ages 25 to 64, found that over an average 13.2-year follow-up period, those drinking two to three cups of coffee daily were 29 percent more likely to start drug treatment for high blood pressure. The lesson here? Moderation is key when it comes to coffee, if you suffer from hypertension.

Brain Benefits

Anybody who’s experienced coffee’s morning wake-up call to the brain knows that it can temporarily help sharpen thinking. But coffee may also boost brain function in more lasting ways. A European study of 676 healthy men found that those consuming three cups of coffee daily suffered significantly less cognitive decline over 10 years than non-drinkers. And in 2007, a French study concluded that older women who drank at least three cups of coffee daily were 18 percent less likely to develop problems with verbal recall and 33 percent less prone to memory problems. And new evidence shows that middle-aged coffee drinkers slash their risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease later in life compared with those drinking no coffee or only a little. In fact, those who drank three to five cups a day cut their risk by an impressive 65 percent!

Other research shows that coffee may defend against Parkinson’s disease. A notable Finnish study found that drinking 10 cups of coffee a day slashed the risk of developing Parkinson’s by as much as 84 percent. Researchers suggested that the caffeine in coffee might stimulate dopamine, the brain chemical lacking in the disease.

From Gallstones to Gout

Coffee also seems to protect against both gallstones and kidney stones. In two large studies, people who drank two to three cups a day of caffeinated coffee were less likely to develop gallstones than nondrinkers. Decaf coffee didn’t protect against gallstones, but it did keep kidney stones at bay, perhaps simply by boosting total liquids.

And then there’s gout, a painful inflammatory condition that first attacks the big toe and then spreads to other joints. In the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, Harvard researchers found that coffee consumption was linked to a lower blood level of uric acid – the substance linked to this type of arthritic disease. People who drank six or more cups a day were 40 percent less likely to develop gout. Decaf was also linked to a modest reduction in gout, suggesting that something other than caffeine could be credited.

One Last Thing …

Despite coffee’s growing list of benefits, the caffeinated version still may not be ideal for some people. If you’re concerned that coffee is keeping you up at night, try decaf or drink it earlier in the day. However, if you suffer from gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), be aware that decaf coffee has been shown to aggravate reflux as much as the caffeinated kind.

Caffeine is also often mentioned as a trigger for migraines, so sufferers should moderate their intake. Less clear is whether caffeine can aggravate arrhythmias or raise the risk of breast cancer in women with benign breast disease. The latest findings from Harvard’s Women’s Health Study suggest an increased risk for women who drink four or more cups of coffee daily. However, in the Iowa Women’s Health Study, no link was found.

While the jury is still out on these few potential problems, the news is generally good for people who enjoy coffee. The news is so positive, in fact, that coffee may be the new milk with the ability to claim that it “does a body good!”

Research Brief …

It’s common knowledge that most people tend to gain weight and lose bone as they age – neither of which is particularly healthy. But here’s the problem: If you try to lose unwanted weight, it only promotes more bone loss – increasing the risk of fractures and the dangerous complications that accompany them. The dilemma then is how to lose those extra pounds without doing damage to your bones. A study designed to answer that exact question provides some answers.

The research, from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Pennsylvania State University, studied 130 men and women, aged 30 to 65. The people in the one-year study ate one of two low-calorie diets: A reduced-calorie diet that provided either the currently recommended intake of 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight, plus two servings of low-fat dairy a day, or 0.64 grams of protein per pound of body weight with three daily servings of low-fat dairy.

The researchers found that the weight-loss diet with nearly twice the recommended amount of protein and three servings a day of low-fat dairy not only improved calcium intake, but was much more effective at preserving bone mass during weight loss -  especially when compared to the lower protein (and higher carbohydrate) weight-loss diet. These findings add to the growing amount of evidence that high-protein diets do not leach calcium from bones, as long as calcium intake is adequate. So, when you cut back on calories, be sure to get plenty of high-quality protein, including three servings of low-fat dairy a day, to protect your bones while you’re paring pounds.

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References:

Eskelinen MH, Ngandu T, Tuomilehto J, et al. “Midlife coffee and tea drinking and the risk of late-life dementia: a population-based CAIDE study.” Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2009;16:85-91.

Je Y, Liu W, Giovannucci E. Coffee consumption and risk of colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.” International Journal of Cancer. 2009;124:1662-1668.

Mukamal KJ, Hallqvist J, Hammar N, et al. “Coffee consumption and mortality after acute myocardial infarction: the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program.” American Heart Journal. 2009;157:495-501.

Thorpe MP, Jacobson EH, Layman DK, et al. “A diet high in protein, dairy, and calcium attenuates bone loss over twelve months of weight loss and maintenance relative to a conventional high-carbohydrate diet in adults.” Journal of Nutrition. 2008;138:1096-1100.

http://advancedalternativenews.com/

Author: Bonnie Jenkins
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Before we get all excited over the recent news about coffee being our new antioxidant, we need to take a look at the entire picture. Is there truly a coffee antioxidant? If there is, how exactly is coffee an antioxidant? Does it become the antioxidant when it’s heated? Does the coffee antioxidant benefit everyone? Are there still dangers to drinking coffee? How much coffee is good for us and when does it become bad for us?

Brewed coffee contains many antioxidants and consumption of antioxidant-rich brewed coffee may inhibit diseases caused by oxidative damages. Antioxidants are said to be an inhibitor of certain types of diseases. However, coffee beans are not all a like. Not all coffee beans are of the same quality or even the same make up. Sort of like comparing tennis shoes to sandals. Both go on your feet, but they are not made up of the same components. You can actually break coffee down into several different water-soluble components. The dietary fiber derived from roasted coffee silverskin. This is one component of the coffee bean that has high antioxidant content. This is how the scientists find out about the antioxidant benfits of coffee in their studies. What they do in fact is the break down the coffee beans into different components. They filter out the components that the coffee antioxidant is found in, and then they test lab rats in a variety of experiments to determine how well they survive with or without the various additives in their diet. When they discover something really swell, like a coffee antioxidant, our culture of coffee drinking addicts suddenly becomes a feverorish mob.

For years and years we’ve heard bad things about coffee. For example: it’s bad for your heart, increases blood pressure, may cause breast cancer, probably keeps you awake at night, and my personal favorite, has a poisonous gas when brewed.When the world of coffee addicts even gets a tiny hint that coffee could have something beneficial, believe me they don’t just drink more coffee, they try to get everyone to join them. So, here we now have scientific studies proving to us that coffee has antioxidants.

Researchers have identified several compounds in coffee that create a coffee antioxidant. Why would this be of interest to us? Because scientific studies are showing that antioxidants may help prevent cancer. You see the connection here. However, until human studies are done, science cannot state exactly how much coffee must be consumed in order gain this protection against colon cancer or any other type of cancer. Before the coffee is roasted the antioxidant benefits are varied. However, once the coffee is roasted and served as a drink things get evened out. They all seem to have the same degrees of antioxidants.

Some studies suggest coffee having other benefits such as added fertility in men and some benefits for those suffering from diabetes. You’ll have to read those studies on your own. The fact that a coffee antioxidant exists may be true, but the reality is that coffee can be just as harmful if your body doesn’t like it, if you consume too much, if you have high blood pressure, and if it keeps you awake at night. Is there truly a coffee antioxidant? Yes, but the actual amount needed to be consumed in order to receive the anti-cancer benefits by humans is unknown. How exactly is coffee an antioxidant?

Coffee alone isn’t the antioxidant, it’s several different components that are part of the coffee bean. Roasting and heating the coffee changes the total antioxidant output. Does it become the antioxidant when it’s heated? It seems that although some coffee beans like green coffee beans may be higher in antioxidants that other more common beans, once they are roasted and heated for consumption, the results are the same regarding the antioxidantal benefits. Does the coffee antioxidant benefit everyone? Honestly, this is NOT a question easily answered. In fact, the truth is it is still unknown just how beneficial coffee antioxidants are for humans. Are there still dangers to drinking coffee? Yes, of course there is. If you have high blood pressure and you have seen how coffee enhances this problem, you know it’s bad for YOU personally. If you can’t get proper sleep or you drive everyone around you nuts because you can’t sit still or shut-up, you know coffee is bad for you.

Use common sense and listen to your body. Coffee is not good for everyone and unknown just how good for anyone. How much coffee is good for us and when does it become bad for us? Again drink coffee in moderation, pay attention to your own body. Exercise and good eating habits are a far better way to get healthy than drinking 10 cups of cappuccino a day. All things in moderation. After reading everything about this new thing called a coffee antioxidant I have decided that there are better ways of getting antioxidants into my blood.

Coffee may have many benefits, but so does water and it is possible to drown from drinking too much water. Yes, I know, you have to really drink a lot to accomplish this, but it’s the principle of the matter. Too much of anything is not a good thing.

Aaron Matthews-Morgan is the owner of Heavenly Kona Coffee, an e-business that specializes in 100% Gourmet Kona Coffee from Hawaii. HeavenlyKonaCoffee.com [http://heavenlykonacoffee.com/] is also a premier website for free information and resources, providing quality info and articles on everything related to coffee. Go to: [http://www.heavenlykonacoffee.com/]

Author: Aaron Matthews Morgan
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you are looking for a drug that will lower your risk of developing diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and colon cancer, than continue reading this article. If you are looking for a drug that could lift your mood and help headaches, keep reading this article. If you are looking for a drug that could protect against cavities, keep on reading.

The good news is, this drug is easily accessible and is legal! It is coffee! Yes coffee, the much maligned and beloved beverage. Coffee recently made headlines across North America for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. The real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better it is for you!

Reduces Disease Risk Harvard researchers studied 126,000 people for as long as 18 years. The researchers calculate that compared to not drinking coffee, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But if you drink six cups or more each day, the risk for men is slashed by 54% and for women it is cut by 30% over java avoiders.

Although scientists advise that “more research is needed” before they can recommend you do overtime at Starbucks to avoid developing diabetes, the finding are very similar to those in a less- publicized study by Dutch scientists And perhaps more importantly it’s the latest of hundreds of studies suggesting that coffee may be something of a health food- especially in high amounts.

There have been some 19.000 studies in recent decades examining coffee’s impact on heath.

Thomas DePaulis, PHD, a research scientist at Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Coffee Studies says, “Overall, the research shows that coffee is far more healthful than it is harmful.” The institute conducts its own research and tracks coffee studies from around the world. “For most people, very little bad comes from drinking it, but a lot of good.”

Consider this: At least six studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can translate to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones.

Drinking coffee regularly even offsets some of the damage causes by other vices, some research indicates. “People who smoke and are heavy drinkers have less heart disease and liver damage when they regularly consume large amounts of coffee compared to those who don’t,” says DePaulis.

Some evidence also suggests that coffee may help manage asthma and even control attacks when medication if unavailable, stop a headache, boost mood and even help prevent cavities.

What causes the coffee to benefit your health? Is it the caffeine in the coffee? The oodles of antioxidants in coffee beans, some of which become especially potent during the roasting process? Even the mysterious properties that warrant this intensive study?

The answer is yes to all of these.

Some of the health benefits of coffee are a direct result of its higher caffeine content: An eight ounce cup of drip brewed coffee contains about 85 mg–about three and half times more than the same serving of tea or cola or one ounce of chocolate.

DePaulis recently said that the evidence is very strong that regular coffee consumption reduces risk of Parkinson’s disease and for that; it’s directly related to the caffeine in coffee. In fact, Parkinson’s drugs that are now being developed contain a derivative of caffeine based on this evidence.

Coffee is a Performance Enhancer It’s also caffeine–and not coffee, per se–that makes java a powerful aid in enhancing athletic endurance and performance, says physiologist and longtime coffee researcher Terry Graham, PhD, of the University of Guelph in Canada. So powerful, that until recently, caffeine in coffee or other forms was deemed a “controlled” substance by the Olympic Games Committee, meaning that I could only in small, designated amounts by competing athletes.

“What caffeine likely does is stimulate the brain and nervous system to do things differently,” he says. “That may include signaling you to ignore fatigue or recruit extra units of muscle themselves, causing them to produce a stronger contraction. But what’s amazing about it is that unlike some performance enhancing manipulation some athletes do that are specific for strength or sprinting or endurance, studies show that caffeine positively enhances all of these things.”

Simply put, if you consume enough caffeine- whether from coffee or another source- and you will likely run faster, last longer and be stronger. What is enough? As little as one cup can offer some benefit, but the real impact comes from at lease two mugs, says Graham. By comparison, it would take at least eight glasses of cola to get the same effect, which would not be good if running say a marathon.

The harder you work the more benefit you would receive from the caffeine. “Unfortunately, where you see the enhancing effects from caffeine is in hard-working athletes, who are able to work longer and somewhat harder,” says Graham, who has studied the effects of caffeine and coffee for nearly two decades. “I you are a recreational athlete who is working out to reduce weight or just feel better, you are not pushing yourself hard enough to get an athletic benefit from coffee or other caffeinated products.

That may explain why in that new study at Harvard, those drinking decaf coffee but not tea beverages also showed a reduced diabetes risk, though it was half as much as those drinking coffee.

Chris Weaver is the president of C.C.W. Enterprises of Brantford Ontario Canada. His company also owns My Coffee Gourmet (http://www.mycoffeegourmet.com) whick offers its customers gourmet coffee beans, flavored coffee and Pickwick Tea.

Author: Chris Weaver
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Everyone knows coffee is evil, right? Drinking coffee is associated with groggy smokers, stained teeth and short life spans spent commuting to miserable jobs that require a dose of caffeine to get through. Well, perhaps. There has been a lot of interesting research about how coffee or caffeine (and they are not the same thing) affects our health. Despite concerns for certain people and conditions, the news is not all that bad. Since coffee remains the single most popular beverage in the world, that is good news.

Reviewing the evidence, a cautionary tale develops about how difficult it can be to construct a good study and interpret the results. Readers also need to remember that the information provided depends in part on who is delivering it, who is paying for it and what they want you to hear. Here are a few points to keep in mind:

* A study of caffeine is not the same as a study of coffee. This is a common problem with dietary studies: in an attempt to make the study more accurate, researchers might decide to isolate a single component from a food or beverage. The food itself, after all, will have variable quantities of that component. However, there can be very different results when consuming the whole food vs. an extracted part.

* A “cup” of coffee is typically assumed to be 6 oz. – not your 16 oz. travel mug!

* Caffeine levels are usually assumed to be about 100 mg per cup, but in fact vary significantly with the type of bean, brewing method, and even from batch to batch. Brewed coffee is estimated to range from 100-150 mg per cup, a similar volume of espresso having about 90 mg. Arabica beans have less caffeine than robusta beans.

Two health topics are commonly associated with coffee consumption – its effect on blood sugar and insulin resistance, and its effect on the adrenal glands. But there has also been considerable research on the consumption of coffee and the incidence of cancer,

Coffee and Diabetes Mellitus

When coffee drinkers over-indulge in sweets, many notice an immediate craving for coffee. The combination of coffee and dessert is common and traditional in many regions, as is the taking of bitter herbs (often in an alcoholic beverage) as a digestive aid. The desire to consume coffee together with sweet flavors could be due to coffee’s bitterness, but there may also be some beneficial effect on blood sugar levels that elicits a craving for coffee when blood sugar levels surge.

Some dieticians and researchers consider coffee detrimental to blood sugar levels because it (or the caffeine in it) stimulates the adrenal glands. This stimulation increases the production of hormones (adrenaline and glucagon) that cause the release of stored sugars into the blood. It is one of the ways a stimulant prepares the body for increased physical activity and higher energy demands.

There follows a supposition that sweetened coffee aggravates this effect by putting sugar into the blood, both via the digestive system and by releasing stored sugars through hormonal stimuli. When there is insufficient physical activity to consume the extra energy from the sugar, the pancreas responds by pumping out insulin. Insulin decreases sugar levels in the blood by driving it into the cells of the body – putting it back into storage. Physiologically, it’s like taking an “upper” and a “downer” at the same time, in a convoluted attempt to stay on an even keel.

There are concerns that the increased demand for insulin can lead to decreased sensitivity to it – as happens with Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. And there has been research indicating that caffeine (taken as an isolated drug) inhibits sugar metabolism.

However, a several studies in 2006 and 2004 indicate that coffee consumption is actually associated with a decreased incidence of Type 2 diabetes. Although any study has its weaknesses, these were conducted in different geographic areas, with different participants and different methodologies, and did their best to account for confounding factors such as obesity and smoking.

Coffee, Heart Health and the Adrenal Glands

The adrenal glands produce various hormones that are responsible for coordinating and monitoring a variety of physiological activities. These include cortisol, adrenaline, DHEA, estrogen and testosterone. There is concern that caffeine can cause the body to be flooded with excess adrenaline, resulting in an increased heart rate and higher blood pressure. Some authors even suggest that ongoing stimulation of the adrenal glands will eventually cause them “wear out.” Although there has been research into the stimulation caused by caffeine, an online search produced no study that addressed the “wearing out” theory.

A 2002 study from the Duke University Medical Center investigated the effects of moderate doses of caffeine on blood pressure and heart rate, urinary excretion of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol, and self-reported stress during normal activities. This study found that caffeine raised average blood pressure during the workday and evening by 4/3 mm Hg and increased average heart rate by 2 bpm. Caffeine also caused a 32% increase in the levels of epinephrine (a stimulating hormone). In addition, caffeine amplified the increases in blood pressure and heart rate associated with higher levels of stress from daily activities. These effects were undiminished through the evening until bedtime. An Australian study also found that while most data suggest very little excess risk of coronary heart disease among the general population of habitual coffee drinkers, the better controlled data suggest an excess risk on the order of 60% for people drinking five or more cups per day.

In another area of concern, a 2004 study linked moderate to high levels of coffee consumption to increased inflammatory markers. Inflammatory markers are important as predictors of coronary heart disease. Another study published in 2004 found that the combination of caffeine plus smoking cigarettes reduced the flexibility of the aorta more than either substance alone.

However, other work has suggested that response to coffee vs. isolated caffeine is minimal, particularly for habitual drinkers. In 2006, a study was reported in the April 24th Rapid Access issue of Circulation. The authors concluded that “coffee consumption was not associated with an increased risk of Coronary Heart Disease.” This study found that total cholesterol, low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in men and women coffee drinkers did not differ in those who drank caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee. CHD risk associated with drinking coffee did not differ in people with or without type 2 diabetes.

So are you off the hook? Er… not so fast. A 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that some people have a genetic mutation of the CYP1A2 enzyme that reduces the rate they metabolize caffeine. For those people, drinking four or more cups a day over for a year had a 64% increased risk of heart attack, compared to less than 1% increased risk for people without the gene mutation. Such genetic differences between participants in a study may explain why it has been hard to determine if there is a clear association between coffee consumption and heart attack risk.

Organ damage and cancer

This section will briefly list some research on coffee consumption and how it affects various organs and/or its association with different types of cancer.

* A study of cellular changes in the pancreas in 1986 found no changes due to coffee drinking. Most studies do not support an association between coffee consumption and pancreatic cancer.

* A study of gastric cancer conducted in Spain from 1987-1989 found no association with smoking, or with the consumption of coffee or tea.

* In a Polish study of stomach cancer published in 1999, no association was found with drinking regular coffee or herbal tea or using milk/cream in coffee or tea. (The findings did confirm an association with cigarette smoking, which is estimated to account for approximately 20% of stomach cancers.)

* A 2002 study published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention found that coffee is associated only weakly or not at all with bladder cancer risk, inversely with colon cancer risk, and inconsistently with rectal cancer risk. Rectal cancer risk was not associated with either coffee or tea.

* A Harvard Medical School review of existing literature in 2002 found no convincing evidence has been presented to show that caffeine consumption increases the risk of any reproductive adversity in women.

* In 2002, an evaluation was conducted of several lifestyle factors influencing benign prostatic (prostate) enlargement and the severity of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). There was a strong inverse association between alcohol intake and men treated surgically for BPH or in ‘watchful waiting’ for surgical intervention, but a positive correlation with coffee consumption. (That is, coffee seemed to make the conditions worse, alcohol was associated with improvements.) The authors concluded that “Given the opposite effects of coffee and moderate alcohol consumption, together with the increased risk for clinical BPH in men with coronary heart disease, coffee constituents, which increase the serum concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, may be involved in the pathophysiology of BPH.”

* The news is also not good for the urinary tract. A study in The Netherlands in 2002 concluded that, in accordance with earlier reviews, coffee consumption increases the risk of urinary tract cancer by approximately 20%. The consumption of tea seems not to be related to an increased risk of urinary tract cancer. There is also evidence that caffeine intake at a level equivalent to two or more cups of coffee daily produces increased calcium in the urine, which suggests a higher risk of kidney stones (a study that looked at coffee, rather than caffeine, consumption and calcium in the urine could not be found).

Coffee and Bone Mass

A 1991 study of 619 elderly men and women in Sweden concluded that coffee drinking was not a contributory independent risk factor for loss of bone mass and fractures.

Conclusions

There has been enough conflicting information and supposition published that individuals may be tempted to pick and choose data that supports the answer they were hoping for. Overall, it does seem that light to moderate coffee consumption (less than four 6 oz. cups a day) is not particularly bad for you. However, consumption should be limited for those particularly sensitive to caffeine (suggesting a reduced ability to metabolize it) and those concerned about urinary tract and/or prostrate health. As with so many things, moderation is definitely appropriate.

Also, there is little doubt that coffee/caffeine is addictive, and that’s never a good sign. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore found that as little as one cup of coffee a day can produce caffeine addiction. When you then try to do without it, you may suffer a range of withdrawal symptoms, including headache, fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Some may even feel as though they have the flu, with nausea and muscle pain. Simple caffeine withdrawal may explain much of the malaise associated with “cleansing diets.” To help reduce your coffee and/or caffeine intake it can be helpful to begin substituting decaffeinated versions (use products decaffeinated by the “Swiss” water method, which does not add chemicals to beans). Tea also seems to be less aggravating to the body’s systems, and has some benefits of its own; it may be worth switching over, and just saying goodbye to coffee.

Braxton Ponder is a Licensed Acupuncturist whose work has taken him around the world, exposing him to a broad range of healthcare systems and practices. He draws upon this background, as well as his ongoing clinical experience, when he offers news analysis and commentary about health care nutrition and healthy living in his blog: Ponder Natural Health Notes.

Braxton’s focus is on integrative, or so-called Complementary and Alternative Medicine, but he takes a broad view. His articles may mention the risks of biomedicine, but also point out when he thinks it is the best choice. He looks at health care and insurance systems and considers policy decisions that affect our access to different treatment options, comparing the American system to other viable approaches. Not least, Braxton offers tips on daily lifestyle issues, such as self-care, diet, fitness and stress reduction. Braxton is the founder of the Ponder Natural Health clinic in Colorado, and the Yoga Review site YogiReviews.com

Articles on specific subjects and/or with negotiated publication rights are available on request. This blog is a new outlet for our content; current postings are limited, but should give an idea of the author’s style and subject choices.

Author: Braxton Ponder
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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