Coffee Finally Deemed Good For You

Submitted By: Frank Yaconis
Coffee -- in moderation -- is finally deemed good for you.

The Mayo Clinic says that this is really a complete turnaround from the way coffee was viewed in the past – as something unhealthy.

So just what is it about coffee? It appears to be more than just that it contains caffeine, says the Mayo Clinic.

One cup of coffee has “up to 2,000 different components, including micronutrients such as magnesium, potassium, niacin and vitamin E. Among coffee drinkers, coffee may be the largest food source of antioxidants — substances that protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals,” according to an article on the Mayo Clinic website by Donald Hensrud, M.D., Preventive and Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

According to Mayo researchers, studies over the past several years have actually debunked claims that coffee can increase your risk or heart attacks and cancer or that it reduces bone density.

Now researchers believe that drinking up to two cups of coffee a day is not only not unhealthy, but may lead to other health benefits, such as lowering your risk of incurring type 2 diabetes.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a 2004 study showed that people who drank up to six cups of either caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee each day, had a “significant protective effect” when it came to type 2 diabetes.

Mayo researchers have also found that coffee can offer you health benefits, lowered risk and protection against other diseases.

For instance, coffee drinkers have less chance of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a number of studies cited by the Mayo Clinic. And coffee may reduce asthma symptoms and the formation of gallstones. Coffee may also help protect against liver disease and liver cancer, especially for people who also drink alcohol, according to Mayo researchers.

Three different studies have shown that drinking a moderate amount of coffee may also decrease the risk of suicide.

Another benefit of coffee is that it improves brain function by increasing alertness and cognitive performance. The Mayo Clinic says that four different studies show a link between coffee consumption and a lowered risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers caution people not to run out and begin drinking coffee if they don’t already, though.

Coffee drinking has also been connected to insomnia, benign heart palpitations, loose stools, heartburn, reflux and jitteriness, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Moderation and regularity is the key. Researchers say if you are going to enjoy coffee, do so daily to avoid blood pressure spikes that may occur from only occasional consumption.

Be sure to consume the coffee in moderate amounts. Large amounts of coffee consumption may have some potential drawbacks; including reducing a woman’s risk for fertility and the chance that coffee may lead to an increased risk for miscarriage, say researchers. In addition, too much coffee can lead to the body’s inability to absorb calcium and iron adequately.

In conclusion, say researchers, don’t rush out to begin drinking coffee for its health benefits, but do remember if you already indulge in moderation that it is not bad for you, and may even be good for you.

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Posted by Health Care , Published at 7:37 AM and have 0 comments