Surprise! Best Beverage for Good Health

March 9, 2006

This was posted on my other veg group this morning.

i thought some folks here might find it interesting.

~ pt ~

Surprise! Best Beverage for Good Health

Coffee lovers, raise your steaming mugs (careful now, don't spill) and

say " Cheers! " Coffee may just be the most healthy beverage you can

drink, at least if you're measuring " healthy " by its antioxidant punch.

The Associated Press reports that researchers from the University of

Scranton in Pennsylvania have determined that coffee provides more

healthful antioxidants--substances that are thought to fight cancer and

heart disease--than any other food or beverage found in the typical

American diet.

Why Coffee Perks You Up When You're Drowsy [Netscape]

The Perfect Dose of Caffeine [Netscape]

Life-Long Coffee Consumption Helps Stop Type 2 Diabetes [science Daily]

What's the Best Coffee? [The Coffee Review]

Coffee, Tea, & Your Teeth [Ladies Home Journal]

Led by chemistry professor Joe A. Vinson, the team analyzed the

antioxidant content of 100 popular foods and beverages, including

vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices and oils. Using data from the U.S.

Department of Agriculture they then figured out how much of each food

is typically consumed.

Average adult consumes this many antioxidants daily from:

Coffee (1.64 cups): 1,299 milligrams

Tea: 294 milligrams

Bananas: 76 milligrams

Dry beans: 72 milligrams

Corn: 48 milligrams

" The point is, people are getting the most antioxidants from beverages,

as opposed to what you might think, " Vinson told AP in an interview. He

was quick to warn that you can't substitute coffee for fruits and

vegetables. " Unfortunately, consumers are still not eating enough

fruits and vegetables, which are better for you from an overall

nutritional point of view due to their higher content of vitamins,

minerals and fiber, " he added. Some of the leading fruit sources of

antioxidants are dates, cranberries and red grapes.

This isn't the first study to praise the health benefits of coffee.

Earlier this year, Japanese researchers reported that people who drink

coffee every day or almost every day have half the risk of developing

liver cancer, compared with people who never drink it. The protective

effect occurred with just one to two cups daily and increased with

three to four cups. In addition, Harvard University researchers

determined that coffee consumption can decrease by as much as 50

percent in men and 30 percent in women the risk of developing type 2

diabetes.

Experts warn that coffee should be consumed in moderation, since too

much can not only make you jittery but also raise your cholesterol. The

study findings were released in conjunction with the annual convention

of the American Chemical Society in Washington.

/// /// ///

Long-Term Coffee Consumption Significantly Reduces Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Boston, MA -- A study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public

Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital has found that participants who

regularly drank coffee significantly reduced the risk of onset of type

2 diabetes, compared to non-coffee drinking participants. The findings

appear in the January 6, 2004 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

More than 125,000 study participants who were free of diabetes, cancer,

and cardiovascular disease at the start of the study were selected from

the on-going Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Brigham and

Women's Hospital-based Nurses Health Study. Some 41,934 men were

tracked from 1986 to 1998 and 84,276 women from1980 to 1998 via food

frequency questionnaires every two to four years to assess their intake

of both regular and decaffeinated coffee.

During the span of the study, 1,333 new cases of type 2 diabetes were

diagnosed in men and 4,085 among the women participants. The

researchers also found that for men, those who drank more than six cups

of caffeinated coffee per day reduced their risk for type 2 diabetes by

more than 50 percent compared to men in the study who didn't drink

coffee. Among the women, those who drank six or more cups per day

reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly 30 percent. These effects

were not accounted for by lifestyle factors such as smoking, exercise,

or obesity. Decaffeinated coffee was also beneficial, but its effects

were weaker than regular coffee.

The researchers note that caffeine, the best known ingredient in

regular coffee, is known to raise blood sugar and increase energy

expenditure in the short-term, but its long-term effects are not well

understood. Coffee (both regular and decaffeinated) has lots of

antioxidants like chlorogenic acid (one of the compounds responsible

for the coffee flavor) and magnesium. These ingredients can actually

improve sensitivity to insulin and may contribute to lowering risk of

type 2 diabetes.

" This is good news for coffee drinkers, however it doesn't mean

everyone should run out for a latté, " said Frank Hu, senior author of

the study and an associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at

the Harvard School of Public Health. " We still don't know exactly why

coffee is beneficial for diabetes, and more research is clearly

needed. "

The research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of

Health.

ORIGINAL:

HSPH Press Releases

Long-Term Coffee Consumption Linked to Reduced Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

For immediate release: Monday, January 5, 2004

Boston, MA— A study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public