Disease Fighting Properties
According to Donald Hensrud, M.D. from the Mayo Clinic, newer studies have shown that coffee has protective health benefits, such as protecting against Parkinson's disease, type 2 Diabetes and Liver Cancer. An 18 year study involving 125,000 + people revealed that people who drink 1 to 3 cups of coffee have a decrease in their diabetes risk. A study showed that, current (or past) coffee drinkers had a 60% reduction of diabetes risk compared to people who never drank coffee. Researchers think that a certain type of chemical found in coffee (called quinines) contribute to this diabetes connection. When lab rats are given quinines, their sensitivity to insulin increases. That means it takes less insulin for the body to do its job of regulating blood sugar. In diabetes, cells become less and less sensitive to insulin (so the body needs to make more and more until the pancreas (which makes insulin) just gets worn out.
Coffee also has benefical antioxidants that are unique to the coffee bean. A recent study supports the health benefits of coffee by showing how the antioxidants in caffeine fight damage-causing free radicals. Researchers say their experiments explain the chemistry of how the antioxidants in caffeine seek out and destroy free radicals associated with Alzheimer's and heart disease. Free radicals are molecules in the body that attack healthy cells and cause damage that can lead to disease. The health benefits of antioxidants are largely due to their effects in protecting against damage from these free radicals.
Drinking moderate amounts of coffee is also connected with a reduction in the risk of stroke. A study found drinking more than one cup of coffee a day was associated with a 22 to 25 percent lower risk of stroke, compared with those who drank less. "Therefore, even small health effects of substances in coffee may have large public health consequences," Susanna Larsson, Ph.D., lead author of the study and a researcher in the Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, was quoted as saying. Groups who reported drinking 1-2 cups per day, 3-4 cups per day or 5 or more cups per day had similar benefits compared with those who reported daily intake of less than a cup of coffee. After adjustment for other risk factors, coffee consumption was associated with a statistically significant lower risk of total stroke, cerebral infarction and subarachnoid hemorrhage, Larsson said.
What About Decaffeinated Coffee?
Good question, looking at people who drank decaffeinated coffee can tell us whether the caffeine in coffee give it the health benefit or if other substances in coffee (like antioxidants) are doing the trick. Turns out that the answer is a resounding "Yes." People who drank only decaffeinated coffee showed about half the diabetes risk reduction as people who drank caffeinated coffee (compared to those who drank no coffee). So it seems the caffeine is part of the benefit, but something else in coffee helps too. Try "Swiss Water Process" decaf. If you are going to drink decaffeinated coffee, be sure that it uses a non-chemical based method of decaffeination. The "Swiss Water Process" is a patented method and is the best choice. Most of the major brands are chemically decaffeinated, even if it says "naturally decaffeinated" right on the container. If you are unsure of the methods, contact the manufacturer.
Risks Associated with Coffee
The health benefits of coffee do not increase much after one cup of coffee (8 oz.), whereas negative side effects definately do. Studies have shown that caffeine in coffee can raise blood pressure and levels of stress hormones, and if consumed in large quantities it can lead to heart palpitations, jitters and nervousness.
Another reason to limit coffee consumption to just one cup a day is that it appears drinking it may interfere with your body's ability to keep homocysteine and cholesterol levels in check, most likely by inhibiting the action of the vitamins folate, B12 or B6.
If you drink coffee, it's import to use organic coffee as coffee especially is a heavily sprayed crop. Coffee is usually not grown in the United States and we therefore have no control over how many pesticides are sprayed on coffee crops. As such, coffee is a heavily sprayed crop, so drinking coffee is likely to expose you to a dose of pesticides with each cup. Drinking organic coffee will help to reduce or eliminate the exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers. These pesticides have been proven to increase risk of prostate cancer and other cancers, Parkinson's Disease and miscarriages.
Some more natural minded doctors, such as Dr. Joseph Mercola, warn that pregnant 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. Unique during pregnancy and in infants, the half-life of caffeine is increased, which means that it will stay in your body, and your baby's body, longer. Moreover, fetuses have no ability to detoxify caffeine. Research suggests that drinking more than 300 mg of coffee daily, or the equivalent of two to three 8-ounce cups, may increase the risk of miscarriage, birth defects such as cleft palate and low birth weight. Even with moderate caffeine intake, when the woman experiences no effects, studies have found changes in both the mother's and the fetal heart rate and blood pressure. Preliminary studies also suggest that drinking four cups of coffee or more per day may put the infant at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Caffeine may also make it more difficult for women to maintain necessary levels of iron and calcium, which are especially important during pregnancy. Coffee also has the issue of pesticide contamination, which is particularly harmful during pregnancy.
Although to a non-pregnant individual, coffee may not be very harmful, other beverages such as milk and juice contain nutrients that coffee does not. Also, keep in mind that coffee accompaniments such as cream and sugar add fat and calories to your diet. Finally, heavy caffeine use — on the order of four to seven cups of coffee a day — can cause problems such as restlessness, anxiety, irritability and sleeplessness, particularly in susceptible individuals.
Another warning regarding coffee is to only use unbleached filters. If you use a "drip" coffee maker, be sure to use non-bleached filters. The bright white ones, which most people use, are chlorine bleached and some of this chlorine will be extracted from the filter during the brewing process.
Avoid Coffee if You Have High Blood Pressure, Insomnia or Anxiety
Since coffee is a stimulant it will only worsen the symptoms of insomnia and anxiety and should definitely be avoided. People with panic or anxiety disorders may find that they are especially sensitive to caffeine and may find that even a small amount of the stimulant exacerbates their symptoms. Similarly, the caffeine will linger in your body for hours after you drink it, so it may keep you up at night even if you drink it long before bedtime. For those with high blood pressure, a general rule is that the more caffeine you drink in a day, the higher your blood pressure will be. So if you are already at the higher end of the scales, drinking coffee will only increase your blood pressure further.
How to Wean Yourself Off of Coffee
If you plan to stop drinking coffee and stop "cold turkey" you will likely experience symptoms of withdrawal that can include severe headache, fatigue and depression. This can be avoided by cutting down the amount you drink gradually over a period of days or even weeks. It's also important to drink plenty of water during the process in order to keep your body well hydrated. If you find that you miss your morning coffee-drinking ritual, I found a good replacement that I used during my pregnancy of "Dandeblend" – available at some health food stores and online. It is a natural, herbal supplement made from dandelion root, chicory and beets and the grains of barley and rye. It actually tastes remarkably like coffee and has many health benefits from it's herbal ingredients.
Whole Grain, Sugar-Free Cornbread
This tasty, healthy cornbread is great when you want some all-natural corn bread to top off your meal, a perfect accompaniment for chili or bean soup. Although it's whole grain, it will yield a moist, dense cornbread.
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup raw honey (use 1/4 cup honey if you don't like your cornbread sweet)
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup expeller pressed canola oil
Directions:1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch round cake pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sea salt and baking powder. Stir in honey, egg, milk and oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
