Coffee and Health

Coffee and Health

Coffee is a wonderful alternative to other risky habits, such as alcohol consumption or cigarette smoking, while it provides the calming yet stimulating desired effect. Coffee contains one of Earth’s most natural and safe stimulants, caffeine. In the past health experts have cautioned having more than 2-3 cups per day, but now some are boasting many benefits of drinking coffee that derive from the bean's complex chemistry as well as from the caffeine it contains.

Caffeine is know medically as trimethylxanthine, a naturally occurring substance. The chemical formula is C8H10N4O2. Isolated in pure form, caffeine is a white crystalline powder that tastes bitter. Technically, caffeine works to stop drowsiness by binding to the adenosine receptors, blood vessels dilate (presumably to let more oxygen in during sleep), and increases neuron firing, then adrenaline (epinephrine) is produced. It is a complicated series of events, but technically blocks naturally occurring substances in our brains that put us to sleep! Caffeine has been touted as a cure-all and preventer of many things;

it increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers.
it stimulates the mind, and increases alertness and creativity.
it is an excellent appetite suppressant.
it works as a natural diuretic, reducing water retention.
it increases the metabolic rate, experts suggest this helps burn fat.
it can reduce depression, some experts find that women coffee drinkers suffer less depression than non-coffee drinkers.
it can restore memory loss, some experts are reporting that in elderly female patients who even suffer from dementia have marked memory improvement.
it can stave off diabetes type II, this has been in very recent news, some experts are claiming that as much as 40% reduction of this disease in men who consume coffee.
it has been used in programs for dieting, jet-lag prevention, Parkinson’s disease, anti-aging, etc.
Coffee has always served as that “cup of inspiration”. A recent article titled Secrets for Success suggested to readers “drink coffee!”

How long does caffeine stay in your system? Caffeine enters your system quickly, by the time you are halfway done with a cup – you may already feel it kicking in. The body can only absorb up to 300 mg. of caffeine at a time (about 2 cups of coffee). Considering the body removes about 20% of what it has absorbed each hour, it could take up to 5 hours after the last cup consumed to eliminate 100% of the caffeine.

Antioxidants: Coffee contains a large amount of powerful antioxidants called “polyphenols” which may alone or combined with other naturally occurring chemicals be responsible for the touted benefits. Here are some we found on the web as pertains to regular drinkers:

reduces colorectal cancers by 24%.
reduces gallstones by 40%.
reduces kidney stones by 10%.
reduces cirrhosis of the liver by 80%.
helps postpone conditions and diseases including cataracts.
helps reduce depletion of dopamine, thereby staves off Parkinson’s disease by a whopping 50-80%
reduces asthmatic symptoms. In a study of over 20,000 people, a Harvard researcher found about 1/3 fewer asthmatic symptoms in coffee drinkers than non-drinkers.

Some notes on health concerns:
Although caffeine can be addictive, studies still indicate no long-term ill effects (however, the gourmet Arabica coffees contain less caffeine than Robusta coffees. Of course, some people with certain medical conditions (such as high-blood pressure, kidney disorders, fibrous breast tissue, etc.) should limit their consumption or refrain. However, many of these patients can still enjoy in the delight of coffee taste, in the form of de-caffeinated coffees. Fresh roasted de-caff is deceiving, while old store shelf de-caff is bitter and displeasing.