I love coffee! Now I can drink my 3-4 cups a day and not feel so bad.
from http://www.health.com/health/article/0,23414,1047150,00.html
Coffee's Perks
by Laurie Tarkan
Java delivers so much more than a morning jolt.
Turns out your favorite brew is much more than a tasty vehicle for a caffeine fix. Recent studies are finding that coffee is rich in antioxidants and contains hundreds of pain-relieving and antibacterial compounds. That doesnt mean you can sip with impunityyou know what happens when you have too much. But its good to know that a cup or so might actually be doing more than getting you going in the morning. Here are some of the benefits.
Sharper focus
Regular coffee makes you a better thinker. Caffeine, often described as the worlds most widely consumed mood-altering drug, competes with a calming body chemical called adenosineand produces the opposite effect. Studies show coffee keeps you focused, particularly when youre doing tedious work. In the sleep-deprived, says Harris Lieberman, PhD, a leading caffeine researcher with the U.S. Army, caffeine improves scores on a range of cognitive tasks, such as decision making, memory, learning, and attention. Coffee can also boost your mood, probably by making you feel more energetic, Lieberman says.
Less jet lag
French researchers recently found that a small group of volunteers who took caffeine pills for 4 days after an eastbound, cross-Atlantic flight felt less sleepy than people who took melatonin supplements (or a placebo). The researchers advise drinking 1 cup of coffee every 2 to 3 hours, beginning at breakfast and stopping 4 to 6 hours before going to bed. (But feeling more alert may have a price: The studys caffeine takers didnt find sleep all that satisfying.)
Better workouts
A new study shows caffeine can help reduce exercise-induced muscle pain, allowing you to push yourself harder and longer. For the most relief, youll need to down a 16-ounce cup of coffee before exercising. Smaller amounts may work, but less noticeably.
Tougher teeth
A tall latte may keep you out of the dentists chair. In lab tests, researchers in Italy recently found that coffees antibacterials slow the growth of Streptococcus mutans, the culprit in tooth decay. Coffee also contains compounds that keep bacteria from sticking to tooth enamel. Studies are under way to see if all this equals fewer cavities.
No more stones
Its no secret that coffee makes your bladder more active. While that can be bothersome, it can also help reduce the risk of kidney stones, according to the Nurses Health Study. Women who drank the most coffee had the lowest risks. Caffeine increases the flow of more diluted urine, which lowers the chance of a kidney stone forming. Prefer decaf? No problem: It was shown to have similar effects.
Steady hands
New research shows that just 1 cup of coffee a day can halve your risk of Parkinsons, a brain disease that causes tremors and affects movement. One in 50 women is likely to get the disease in her lifetime. Caffeines adenosine-blocking power may protect the brain cells typically lost to Parkinsons, explains Alberto Ascherio, MD, associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. (Women on hormone therapy dont seem to benefit, however. Estrogen may dilute the effectiveness of caffeine.)
Blood-sugar benefits
If a woman downs about 3 cups a day, she can reduce her risk of type 2 diabetes by 20 to 30 percent, recent research has found. Experts suspect that coffees antioxidants, such as chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid, deserve the credit. Coffee may help promote the delivery of insulin to the tissues. When that happens efficiently, explains Frank Hu, PhD, associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard University, insulin resistancea major risk factor for diabetesis less likely.
Cancer defense
Japanese researchers reported earlier this year that people who drank coffee every day over 10 years were half as likely to get liver cancer as those who didnt drink it at all. And the more you drink, it seems, the lower your risk. Its not clear whether caffeine is responsible. But that hardly matters, right?
from http://www.health.com/health/article/0,23414,1047150,00.html
Coffee's Perks
by Laurie Tarkan
Java delivers so much more than a morning jolt.
Turns out your favorite brew is much more than a tasty vehicle for a caffeine fix. Recent studies are finding that coffee is rich in antioxidants and contains hundreds of pain-relieving and antibacterial compounds. That doesnt mean you can sip with impunityyou know what happens when you have too much. But its good to know that a cup or so might actually be doing more than getting you going in the morning. Here are some of the benefits.
Sharper focus
Regular coffee makes you a better thinker. Caffeine, often described as the worlds most widely consumed mood-altering drug, competes with a calming body chemical called adenosineand produces the opposite effect. Studies show coffee keeps you focused, particularly when youre doing tedious work. In the sleep-deprived, says Harris Lieberman, PhD, a leading caffeine researcher with the U.S. Army, caffeine improves scores on a range of cognitive tasks, such as decision making, memory, learning, and attention. Coffee can also boost your mood, probably by making you feel more energetic, Lieberman says.
Less jet lag
French researchers recently found that a small group of volunteers who took caffeine pills for 4 days after an eastbound, cross-Atlantic flight felt less sleepy than people who took melatonin supplements (or a placebo). The researchers advise drinking 1 cup of coffee every 2 to 3 hours, beginning at breakfast and stopping 4 to 6 hours before going to bed. (But feeling more alert may have a price: The studys caffeine takers didnt find sleep all that satisfying.)
Better workouts
A new study shows caffeine can help reduce exercise-induced muscle pain, allowing you to push yourself harder and longer. For the most relief, youll need to down a 16-ounce cup of coffee before exercising. Smaller amounts may work, but less noticeably.
Tougher teeth
A tall latte may keep you out of the dentists chair. In lab tests, researchers in Italy recently found that coffees antibacterials slow the growth of Streptococcus mutans, the culprit in tooth decay. Coffee also contains compounds that keep bacteria from sticking to tooth enamel. Studies are under way to see if all this equals fewer cavities.
No more stones
Its no secret that coffee makes your bladder more active. While that can be bothersome, it can also help reduce the risk of kidney stones, according to the Nurses Health Study. Women who drank the most coffee had the lowest risks. Caffeine increases the flow of more diluted urine, which lowers the chance of a kidney stone forming. Prefer decaf? No problem: It was shown to have similar effects.
Steady hands
New research shows that just 1 cup of coffee a day can halve your risk of Parkinsons, a brain disease that causes tremors and affects movement. One in 50 women is likely to get the disease in her lifetime. Caffeines adenosine-blocking power may protect the brain cells typically lost to Parkinsons, explains Alberto Ascherio, MD, associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. (Women on hormone therapy dont seem to benefit, however. Estrogen may dilute the effectiveness of caffeine.)
Blood-sugar benefits
If a woman downs about 3 cups a day, she can reduce her risk of type 2 diabetes by 20 to 30 percent, recent research has found. Experts suspect that coffees antioxidants, such as chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid, deserve the credit. Coffee may help promote the delivery of insulin to the tissues. When that happens efficiently, explains Frank Hu, PhD, associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard University, insulin resistancea major risk factor for diabetesis less likely.
Cancer defense
Japanese researchers reported earlier this year that people who drank coffee every day over 10 years were half as likely to get liver cancer as those who didnt drink it at all. And the more you drink, it seems, the lower your risk. Its not clear whether caffeine is responsible. But that hardly matters, right?
