Cup a day keeps doctor away

Cup a day keeps doctor away	Mar. 11, 2012
Written by: Marilyn Linton, QMI Agency
Research shows coffee has grande health benefits
(SHUTTERSTOCK) Coffee and smoking may be the world's biggest addictions, but don't put them in the same category health-wise. Unlike smoking, a growing body of evidence shows coffee, once considered bad for you, has numerous health benefits. That's good news for the 81% of Canadians who drink coffee occasionally and the 63% who drink it daily. And it's great news for the coffee market which, according to Packaged Facts, a U.S. marketing research firm, saw retail sales climb to $7.3 billion in 2011, up 17% over 2010. Coffee got its bad rap from older studies linking java to heart disease and some cancers, writes Robert J. Davis, editor-in-chief of Everwell.com and author of Coffee is Good for You. "But that research failed to account for smoking, which as my grandmother could have told the scientists was once coffee's constant companion." Ad Coffee has come up clean in recent studies on heart disease. These studies, which have followed tens of thousands of people for years, have shown that coffee drinkers have no greater risk of heart attacks or strokes: "Indeed," writes Davis, "they appear to have a slightly lower risk." Say coffee and you automatically think of caffeine, which the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) calls "the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world. The average amount of caffeine consumed per person in Canada is estimated to be 210 to 238 mg per day." Caffeine, which occurs naturally in coffee and in other foods such as chocolate, is a stimulant that speeds up your nervous system. It postpones fatigue and elevates the mood, which is why studies suggest that people who regularly consume coffee have less depression than those who don't. But it's the antioxidants in coffee, not caffeine, which has people really enthused. Some experts suggest coffee might be an easy way to prevent some cancers. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School examined data from 112,000 women followed over two decades and found that women who consumed more than three cups of coffee per day had a 20% reduction in risk for basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. Results of a Swedish study, published in the journal Breast Cancer Research, found a decrease in estrogen-receptor negative breast cancers in women who drank five or more cups of coffee per day. Another study, published in a journal published by the American Association for Cancer Research, indicated that long-term coffee consumption may also protect against endometrial cancer. Remarking on that study, the Harvard School of Public Health's Dr. Edward Giovannucci said lab testing found that coffee has "much more antioxidants than most vegetables and fruits." Research also shows that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, probably because, in addition to its antioxidants, coffee contains minerals which help the body use the hormone insulin, which controls blood sugar. Coffee apparently protects against Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and gallstones. But it's not all good. Pregnant women are advised to drink decaf due to chances of miscarriage with caffeine; drinking more than six cups daily can make you feel jittery and too restless to sleep; coffee can mess with some medications; and higher amounts can lead to a rapid irregular heartbeat. Finally, try going without your regular java and you'll feel headachy, tired and edgy - withdrawal symptoms easily remedied by a visit to Starbucks. Did you know? Sober up According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, coffee won't help you sober up. Caffeine will make you more alert, but co-ordination and concentration will still be impaired from the alcohol. In the Mood A team from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, studied 50,739 older women and found that those who consumed four or more cups of coffee per day had a 20% decrease in risk for depression. Caffeine stimulates the brain and enhances performance at simple intellectual tasks and in some sports. How much caffeine? * One 237 ml, 8 oz cup of coffee contains 135 mg of caffeine * One 250 ml can of energy drink contains 80 mg of caffeine * One 28 gram piece of dark chocolate contains 19 mg of caffeine * One 237 ml, 8 oz cup of tea contains 43 mg of caffeine Coffee's dark side Coffee by itself has very few calories -- it's the sugar syrups, milks and creams that cancel out coffee's potential benefits. Because coffee is a diuretic, it can cause dehydration and constipation. Drinking coffee stains the teeth as surely as smoking.