What Health Experts Say About Drinking Coffee

Coffee, the much maligned but undoubtedly beloved beverage, just made headlines for possibly cutting the risk of the latest disease epidemic, type 2 diabetes. And the real news seems to be that the more you drink, the better.

Reducing Disease Risk

After analyzing data on 126,000 people for as long as 18 years, Harvard researchers calculate that compared with not partaking in America's favorite morning drink, downing one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce diabetes risk by single digits. But having six cups or more each day slashed men's risk by 54% and women's by 30% over java avoiders.

By Sid Kirchheimer
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD

Vanderbilt University, which is recognized worldwide as a centre of academic excellence, undertakes through the ICS, scientific investigations to identify both the potential health benefits and therapeutic uses of coffee as well as elucidate some of the fundamental mechanisms involved.

Coffee contains hundreds of compounds that may help with research into some of the most prevalent diseases of our time and one of the most exciting discoveries is the significant presence of antioxidants* within coffee beans.

Vanderbilt University

ABC NEWS!

"Antioxidants are your army to protext you from the toxic free radicals, which come from breathing oxygen and eating sugar, that start chronic diseases."

Dr. Joe Vinson
Chemestry professor, University of Scranton

MAYO CLINIC

Regarding other health effects of coffee, some evidence suggests that drinking coffee may protect against type 2 diabetes and colon cancer.

Nutrition: article

THE BENEFITS OF COFFEE
The Perks of Caffeine
Break out the jumbo mug! Turns out that caffeine may actually be good for us
Jean Tang

Anything this good must be bad.

That's the prevailing attitude when it comes to caffeine, isn't it? We crave it. We guzzle it. It makes us feel good — better able to handle an overbearing boss or an unruly pack of toddlers. But then... we feel guilty about it, suspecting that sooner or later, it's going to do us in.

In reality, it's not the guilty pleasure everyone makes it out to be — in fact, a little caffeine can do you good. So feel free to grab a tall breakfast blend while we set the record straight.

Long-term caffeine consumption is just plain bad for me.

False. That myth exists in part because smokers, who metabolize caffeine twice as fast as nonsmokers, drink more coffee. And smokers have more health problems. But nicotine, not caffeine, is the culprit. As long as you don't have high blood pressure, heart arrhythmia, or anxiety, drinking caffeinated beverages for years is no problem, says Harris Lieberman, Ph.D., a research psychologist for the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.

Caffeine alters my body chemistry.

True. Caffeine is a natural stimulant, and 250 milligrams of it — about the amount in two cups of strong coffee — will triple the amount of adrenaline in your bloodstream, increasing your respiratory rate. In your brain, caffeine intercepts adenosine, the chemical that slows down our nerves and signals the need to sleep. It also increases dopamine levels, stimulating pleasure centers. Caffeine, therefore, has the magical ability to make you feel both alert and relaxed, says Ernesto Illy, Ph.D., an Italian biochemist and founder of high-end coffee producer Illy Caffe.

Caffeine makes me smarter.

True. A cup of coffee before you write your performance review isn't a bad idea. "It improves cognitive functions" by blocking that brain-slowing adenosine, says Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a food chemist at the University of Scranton. When given caffeine equal to two cups of coffee, severely sleep-deprived Navy Seal trainees improved their alertness, vigilance, learning, and memory by as much as 60 percent, according to Dr. Lieberman, who administered the test.

tomas@cloudforestmexico.org

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