THE GOOD SIDE OF COFFEE

Series of systematic research has revealed that coffee in moderation may not be all that bad after all.. In fact, some studies indicate it may even have some health benefits. More than 19,000 dietary caffeine studies have been done, and many experts agree that moderate daily caffeine intake - 300 to 400 milligrams, about 3 to 4 cups of coffee - is not harmful. There is more good news about coffee.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, USA, “several large studies have shown that caffeine intake is associated with a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease in men, but studies in women have been inconclusive,” the latter perhaps due to the effects of hormone therapy for women. Researchers believe that caffeine’s helpful effect may be that it reduces the amount of dopamine depleted from the brain.

For most people, moderate coffee consumption is safe. And coffee drinkers might have a lower risk for developing type 2 diabetes, gallstones, colon cancer, and have a lower risk of liver damage for those at high risk for liver disease. A study, conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, examined data from the Nurses’ Health Study on women and the Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study on men. The data indicated there was no association between consumption of caffeinated coffee and the incidence of colon or rectal cancer.

SOME MORE PROS OF COFFEE:

• Coffee makes life easier for asthmatics, it brings out bronchodilation or a widening of the air passages;

• Coffee protects the liver against the harmful effects of alcohol and reduces the risk of liver cancer;

• Coffee enhances the efficiency of antibiotics;

• Coffee is an excellent antioxidant capable of neutralizing oxygen free radicals that damage the cells. Therefore coffee can reduce the incidence of a number of serious diseases.

• Although caffeine causes more calcium to be excreted in the urine, the Osteoporosis Society of Canada says that two or three cups of coffee are not harmful if you get enough calcium in your daily diet. Dietitians recommend drinking a glass of milk for every mug of coffee

• European studies have shown that coffee consumption may increase serum cholesterol levels. However, that is due not to the caffeine but to substances called “cafestol” and “kahweol” found in the coffee’s oils. When drinking boiled, unfiltered coffee, as more Europeans do, these substances remain. So long as you drink filtered drip coffee or instant coffee, it may not affect your serum cholesterol levels. That’s because filters remove most of these substances, as does the process that goes into making instant coffee.

A Harvard study of 45,589 men, published in 1990, found no link between excessive coffee drinking and heart disease. Go for it…..but watch the check point!
Researchers at the famous John Hopkins Institute say that one cup of coffee a day is supposedly enough for developing narcotic dependence. This is indeed to be monitored very carefully as caffeine, a key ingredient of the beverage, is a stimulant that can cause a temporary blood pressure elevation and a faster pulse rate. That is why persons with hypertension and heart problems were told to refrain from drinking coffee. Thus, while that morning cup of coffee may not do harm…make sure you are not the next coffeeholic!