Caffeine

Good News for Coffee Lovers!

It’s bad for you… no it’s good for you. Who doesn’t remember the many products targeted by researchers as “bad for your health” only to have new research tout newly discovered benefits. Such is the case for coffee. So drink away!

It may be the newest research results out of Harvard that has garnered the latest attention. This study monitored 126,000 people over a period of 18 years. There is also scientific research from the Netherlands, and that is just two of the hundreds of studies suggesting COFFEE IS EVEN GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH. Vanderbilt researchers have tracked coffee studies from around the world. The general summary from all: Coffee has been shown to enhance health in a number of categories. Studies indicate caffeine has far more positive benefits to health than is does in damaging it.

How amazing is that? This news generated more than a little enthusiasm from me. While I’ve been a long time coffee drinker, for years my morning coffeemaker perked equal measures caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. On top of that I’ve limited myself to two cups a day, possibly three. Now to settle down here with some concrete health news, I will summarize the findings. Bear in mind, as in all research, statements indicate more research is needed.

The most interesting, possibly the most exciting benefit is reducing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes. The greater benefit comes by from increasing three daily cups to six, and don’t even think of drinking decaffeinated as the benefits come from the caffeine content itself. Researchers point to a type 2 diabetes risk reduction in men by 54% and 30% in women over people like me who limit coffee consumption or avoid it altogether.

Some studies have concluded that regular coffee drinkers may reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, again, the more you drink, the better. There is still more as it’s known to reduce the risk of colon cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, fewer gallstones, even better management of asthma. Too good to be true, you say. Please don’t take my word for it, the research is out there for your own self-examination.

Additions to that list include stopping a headache, boosting mood and energy, enhancing muscle performance and preventing cavities. Now I know you think this is impossible, too good to be true. Even I was a skeptic until I did my research. It is certainly enough evidence that you no longer need to feel shamed because you are a coffee lover and consume large quantities.

Just what is in coffee that promotes all these benefits, you ask? It’s all about antioxidants and the effects on insulin responses. For your dental health, one contributing factor is “trigonelline” which is antibacterial and anti-adhesive.

This said, I also stress the importance, as always, of tuning to your body’s needs and responses. Increasing your caffeine consumption is not a “one size fits all” event. As in clothing, if the one size fits all feels terrible, the same holds true of the amount of coffee you ingest. If your body feels terrible, you find it dizzying, feel your heart rate speeding as fast as a freight train, rattling you to the sense of nervousness and shaking hands, obviously this size did not fit you. Your caffeine intake should be reduced. We must call on common sense and physical signals the body sends to the brain.

I find the information very exciting and helpful, though, as it may be of real importance to many, especially due the increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes our society is experiencing. I recommend you experiment with your doctor’s permission.

Then, for all you tea lovers out there, you’ll still get some positive effects from your caffeine intake, it’s just that your caffeine content falls far short of the higher caffeine content found in coffee on which the studies have centered. You be the judge.

E. Lea Pierce, MS ~ Health Educator