Good News: Double Health Benefits of Coffee!
As a dedicated one-cup-a-day-before-1:00PM’er, I need to share this important news…
“Drinking coffee has been linked to a reduced risk of all kinds of ailments, including Parkinson’s disease, melanoma, prostate cancer, even suicide.”
As a report published by a research team at the Harvard School of Public Health concluded that drinking coffee in moderation “can be part of a healthy lifestyle.”
It wasn’t always that way, notes Jane Brody in the New York Times article. Coffee has been accused of all types of sins: heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, pancreatic cancer, anxiety disorder, nutrient deficiencies, gastric reflux disease, migraine, insomnia, and premature death and possibly cancer. Not so any more!
Beneficial components in the total blend are polyphenols and antioxidants. Polyphenols can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes; antioxidants, which have anti-inflammatory effects, can counter both heart disease and cancer, the nation’s leading killers.
Filter your grounds, even cold brewed, to remove (bad) LDL cholesterol and harmful diterpenes. Also, watch your cream and sugar .
On the downside, still, caffeine can cross the placenta, negatively impacting the fetus. It can mess up sleep. So use wisely with the happy assurance that America’s favorite drug is even beneficial.
And, this just in from BMC Public Health:
“All types of coffee are protective against Chronic Liver Disease (CDL). [This] is significant given the increasing incidence of CLD worldwide and the potential of coffee as an intervention to prevent CLD onset or progression.”
After surveying 494,585 people over an average of 10.7 years, first on the parameters of age and sex only, and then applying heavy statistical analyses for covariates of smoking status, diabetes, ethnicity, alcohol frequency and BMI, the found that:
Non-coffee drinkers were more likely to be non-smokers and teetotal but were more deprived and had a higher prevalence of diabetes and obesity
Coffee drinkers in the highest category of consumption (i.e. ≥5 cups each day) were most likely to be male, overweight and smoke.
Decaffeinated coffee drinkers were more likely to be female, older and less likely to be current smoker
Drinkers of ground coffee had the highest median weekly alcohol consumption and were least likely to have diabetes
All forms of coffee were protective against chronic liver disease
Dosages of up to 4-5 cups daily are protective, benefits drop off after the 5th cup
Given the protective effects of the different coffee types with varying composition, there may be a complex relationship involving more than one active ingredient. More research is needed!
I get my 5-pound bag of Midnight Sun at the LIttleton Food Coop, Littleton, NH
The original research paper has pages and pages devoted to statistical analysis, charts and scientific jargon. I looked. But the popular press has taken away the key message: 4-5 cups of and coffee preparation helps prevent chronic liver disease and more research is needed!
You don’t even need to be a coffee snob to get the benefits. Let the research continue!