Coffee Information

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Coffee Consumption


Coffee is heavily studied, but study results contradict one another. If science says that it is bad for you today, wait a day or two and another study will be published claiming the exact opposite findings.

The Good:

Coffee has had its medicinal purposes. My own ancestors used it to treat asthma. Certain chemicals in coffee have even be proven effective at stimulating bronchial dilation of people previously diagnosed with specific types of asthma. Some modern day asthma medications are even made from chemicals in the caffeine family.

Newly published findings suggest that men drinking caffeinated beverages, including coffee, have as much as a 3 to 6 times lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

The caffeine in coffee increases your metabolic rate, making weight loss faster and easier. It has also been associated with a reduced risk of suicide in women.

The Bad:

Women who drink more than one cup a day of decaf are considered at a much higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. The theory is that the chemically decaffeinated products are causing the increased risk of autoimmunity. If you are going to drink decaffeinated coffee anyway, be sure that it uses a non-chemical based method.

Those at risk of heart disease and stroke should avoid coffee. Drinking coffee interferes with your body's ability to keep homocysteine and cholesterol levels in check and can increase blood pressure. (According to a study done in the Netherlands, this is true even if the coffee is filtered.) Raised levels of homocysteine are as a factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. Australian researchers found drinking coffee has potentially harmful effects on blood vessels. The caffeine may cause a loss of aortic elasticity, the main artery supplying blood to the body.

The findings are disputed by the coffee industry and some studies, but it also appears to be associated with an increased risk for breast and endometrial cancer. This is due to an increase in estrogen levels.

Studies have also shown that caffeine in coffee can raise levels of stress hormones and can lead to heart palpitations, jitters, and nervousness. People with panic or anxiety disorders can be especially sensitive to the caffeine in coffee. Even in small amounts, the stimulant can exacerbate their symptoms.

Coffee relaxes the esophagus causing reflux.

The Ugly:

Pregnant and nursing women should never drink coffee. Caffeine is a stimulant drug that easily passes through the placenta to the developing fetus and is also transferred through breast milk. Fetuses have no ability to detoxify caffeine. Drink coffee increases the risk of miscarriage and various birth defects.

For more information, visit the following:

How Bad is it Really? http://www.mercola.com/2003/dec/10/coffee.htm

Coffee Drinkers Face Lower Parkinson's Disease Risk
http://www.mercola.com/2000/may/28/coffee_parkinson.htm

Coffee May Damage Blood Vessels
http://www.mercola.com/2000/sep/17/coffee_blood_vessels.htm

Coffee and Suicide http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9603/coffee_suicide/

Coffee and Diabetes http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/news/coff_diab.htm

Coffee and Reflux http://www.s-t.com/daily/03-97/03-11-97/b01ho075.htm

Coffee and Addiction
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=C1VYBJVSS04E2CRBAEZSFFA?type=healthNews&storyID=6369844

Heidi Whitaker is an author and speaker on the topic of nutritional support of autoimmune disease. She is also the co-owner of http://www.healthydivas.com. To read other articles written by Heidi or to learn how to participate in her next free teleseminar, visit her blog at http://autoimmune.myblogsite.com/blog.


MORE RESOURCES:

Washington Post

Waking up and smelling the coffee? RICHARD L. CONNOR OPINION
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA - 1 hour ago
One day they love a clothing line or a style of automobile or even a brand of coffee and the next they switch to something else. ...
Coffee shop owners upbeat despite economic slowdown Sunday Business Post
A bitter-tasting jolt for Starbucks Boston Globe
Retail Changes Key To Starbucks Closings NPR
Dispatch Online - Economist
all 1,365 news articles


Import-duty cut on beans may benefit coffee consumers
Economic Times, India - 12 hours ago
BANGALORE: With domestic coffee brands increasing prices by as much as 20% over the last 12 months and with further hikes anticipated in the wake of a ...


Oregon coffee stand man missing 3 months
KTVZ, OR - 8 hours ago
The owner of a coffee stand near Roseburg has not been seen since. The weekend receipts from his Gotta Hava Java business were gone and the truck was not on ...
Oregon coffee stand man missing 3 months The Oregonian - OregonLive.com
all 4 news articles


Troubles for Starbucks: Can we survive on less pricey coffee a day?
Vallejo Times-Herald, CA - 16 hours ago
The wildly successful chain of coffee houses made some venti-sized strategic errors recently as it expanded and stumbled around trying to define itself. ...


Proposed Change in Global Trading Rule Raises Risks
Washington Post, United States - 15 hours ago
On paper, the rules may look the same, but enforcement isn't, said John Coffee, a professor at Columbia Law School in New York. ...
Accounting Plan Would Allow Use of Foreign Rules New York Times
all 13 news articles


Local coffee houses buzzing
Fox 28, IN - 8 hours ago
Lagging sales have one national coffee chain shaken, but for independent coffee houses it's business as usual. "Look around the place it's full, ...


Man accused of trying to poison co-worker's coffee
Boston Globe, United States - Jul 4, 2008
PORTSMOUTH, NH—Police say a Rochester man tried several times to pour poison into a co-worker's coffee but couldn't get the cap off the liquid he was using. ...


Javno.hr

PHOTO: Coffee Harvest Season Starts In Brazil
Javno.hr, Croatia - 15 hours ago
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world and it is made from roasted seeds. Its consumption began in the 9 th century, when the coffee plant ...


Must-have coffee-table books shed light on Texas art exhibits and ...
Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX - 3 hours ago
Here are four must-have coffee-table books that'll enlighten you a bit more on the local scene. by Lisa Germany, photos by Grant Mudford (Abrams, $50, ...


ABC News

Coffee Shop Owners Reflect on Tobacco Ban and Starting 'Drug ...
ABC News - Jul 1, 2008
A tourist, who wants to remain anonymous, smokes cannabis at the Dampkring, or Atmosphere, coffee shop in Amsterdam in this 2004 file photo. ...
Video: Marijuana survives Dutch smoking ban - 1 July 2008 AlJazeeraEnglish
Netherlands smoke ban puts coffee shops in a spin ABC Online
Amsterdam's coffee shop owners see law as a threat to marijuana Houston Chronicle
Reuters - Telegraph.co.uk
all 430 news articles

Coffee - Google News

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