Siapa tak suka minum kopi? Inilah salah satu minuman paling terkenal di dunia. Aroma dan rasanya yang harum mampu membangkitkan semangat kala kita meneguk kenikmatan dari secangkir minuman berwarna hitam ini.
Dan tahukah Anda bahwa di balik rasa dan aromanya yang nikmat, tenyata terdapat beberapa fakta menarik tentang kopi yang patut untuk Anda ketahui.
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Inilah Manfaat Kopi yang Bisa Kita Rasakan Sebelum Olahraga
Bagi sebagian orang, memulai hari tidaklah lengkap bila belum menyeruput secangkir kopi. Mereka percaya, kopi bisa membuat hari mereka lebih bersemangat dan mengurangi rasa lelah. Ternyata manfaat kopi juga bisa dirasakan jika diminum sebelum olahraga.
Sebuah penelitian yang dipublikasikan dalam International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism mengungkapkan, minum kopi sebelum berolahraga akan mengoptimalkan pembakaran lemak. Studi menemukan, atlet yang mengonsumsi kafein sebelum olahraga membakar 15 persen kalori lebih banyak hingga tiga jam setelah olahraga. Ini dibandingkan dengan mereka yang hanya diberi plasebo.
Peneliti mengatakan, dosis yang dibutuhkan untuk menghasilkan dampak tersebut adalah 4,5 miligram kafein per kilogram berat badan. Sehingga bagi wanita dengan berat badan 68 kilogram, kira-kira membutuhkan 300 mg kafein atau sekitar 355 mililiter kopi seduh.
Selain membantu tubuh untuk membakar lemak lebih banyak, kopi juga diketahui dapat memberikan beberapa keuntungan lainnya. Berikut di antaranya.
1. Memperbaiki sirkulasi
Baru-baru ini, penelitian asal Jepang mempelajari efek kopi pada sistem sirkulasi pada orang yang tidak terbiasa minum kopi. Setiap peserta diminta minum 148 ml kopi baik yang biasa maupun yang ditambah kafein. Kemudian peneliti menghitung aliran darah pada tubuh masing-masing peserta. Ternyata peserta yang minum kopi yang diperkaya kafein memiliki aliran darah lebih cepat 30 persen selama 75 menit dibandingkan peserta lainnya.
2. Lebih sedikit nyeri
Peneliti dari University of Illinois menemukan, mengonsumsi kafein yang sama dengan dua hingga tiga kali cangkir kopi satu jam sebelum berolahraga akan mengurangi nyeri otot pascaolahraga intensitas tinggi. Kafein bekerja untuk mendorong otot lebih kuat selama berolahraga sehingga kekuatan dan ketahanan otot pun menjadi lebih baik.
3. Ingatan lebih baik
Studi yang dipublikasi dalam Johns Hopkins University menemukan, kafein mampu meningkatkan ingatan hingga 24 jam setelah dikonsumsi. Dalam olahraga, ingatan yang baik juga diperlukan untuk mengingat gerakan tertentu.
4. Menjaga otot awet muda
Peneliti asal Coventry University menemukan kekuatan otot menurun karena penuaan. Namun ternyata dalam moderasi, konsumsi kafein dapat membantu mengurangi cedera otot karena penuaan saat berolahraga.
5. Otot lebih bertenaga
Studi baru dalam Journal of Applied Physiology menemukan, sedikit kafein sesudah olahraga juga dapat bermanfaatkan, khususnya untuk menjaga daya tahan orang yang berlatih setiap hari, seperti atlet.
Sumber: National Geographic
Coffee is good for the brain and liver
Another good news for a Coffee addicts...
A German health organization has issued a brochure with new conclusions about the effects of coffee on human health, saying that it is good for the brain and the liver.
Germany's Green Cross said coffee speeds up digestion and protects people from age-related diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease and cirrhosis of the liver. The brochure summarizes the results of several studies on coffee consumption.
Coffee has a preponderance of positive influences on health and well-being. Caffeine plays an important role not only by improving the ability to concentrate, but also by decreasing the risk of liver cirrhosis by up to 80 per cent among people who drink at least four cups a day.
In addition coffee contains a number of health promoting ingredients such as chlorogene acid, a substance that has antioxidant effects and that can cut nearly in half the risk of Alzheimer's Disease.
Lulur Kopi Hitam
Biji kopi yang telah dihaluskan menjadi bubuk akan menghasilkan minyak antioksidan yang bersifat menghaluskan, membuat kulit menjadi cerah dan terlihat lebih putih.
Bahan-bahan lulur kopi:
- ½ kg biji kopi bali
- Olive oil /minyak zaitun secukupnya
- Tepung bengkuang secukupnya
Cara membuat lulur kopi:
- Tumbuk biji kopi bali menjadi setengah halus.
- Tambahkan minyak zaitun dan tepung bengkuang, lalu campur hingga rata, dan siap digunakan.
Cara pemakaian:
Usapkan lulur kopi pada seluruh tubuh, sambil digosok-gosokkan secara perlahan. Diamkan lulur kopi lebih kurang 1 jam pada tubuh agar minyak yang terkandung pada kopi menyerap ke seluruh tubuh. Setelah itu, bilas dengan air bersih yang telah dicampur sedikit garam.
Wisnu Sulistyanto
Coffee Smile
Coffee tastes great and it's hard to stop drinking it, however, it stains your teeth and causes coffee smile. Coffee beans have a dark brown color that sinks into teeth. The brown stain causes teeth to darken but it's most noticed on the upper front teeth of coffee drinkers.
Sipping on coffee throughout the day bathes teeth in the coffee stain. Coffee coats the teeth and sinks in. The shorter the time spent drinking coffee, the less chance it has of causing coffee smile. It's best to drink coffee over a short period of time and then rinse with a glass of water.
Fortunately, dental whitening is effective in removing coffee smile. Teeth are made of salt crystals like table salt and tooth crystals are naturally white. Staining is caused when coffee coloring gets inside the salt. Tooth whitening can be effective in removing the stain. It involves soaking the teeth in a liquid that goes into the tooth and dissolves everything not part of the crystal. The result is that the tooth is left with it's natural white color.
If you have coffee smile and are interested in a beautiful new smile then make an appointment with your dentist
Cara Menikmati Kopi
Banyak yang menanyakan pada saya bagaimana caranya menikmati secangkir kopi? Pada dasarnya, cara yang benar untuk menikmati kopi adalah jika kopi bisa menjadi sebuah kenikmatan bagi anda. Cara yang salah adalah jika kopi justru membuat anda merasa tidak nyaman. Contohnya jika Anda harus menyelesaikan pekerjaan semalaman, minum kopi akan membuat Anda terjaga. Nah, Perlu Anda ingat bahwa kopi mengandung racun yang bernama kafein. Seperti obat, kafein bisa menyehatkan sekaligus melukai kita. Terlalu banyak kafein bisa menimbulkan gangguan kesehatan, seperti tekanan darah tinggi, mudah marah, dan gangguan tidur.
Kesalahan lainnya adalah membiarkan anak Anda minum kopi sebagai ganti minuman bergizi lain yang dibutuhkan anak. Kafein dalam kopi bisa berbahaya bagi anak-anak yang masih dalam masa pertumbuhan. Kafein dapat mencuri kalsium dari tulang, dan bisa membuat tulang anak menjadi rapuh.
Inilah cara minum kopi yang disarankan: Minum lebih sering dalam dosis kecil. Cukup minum seperempat cangkir kopi setiap jam. Jika Anda meminumnya untuk mencegah kantuk, cara ini lebih efektif daripada jika Anda menenggak satu mug besar.
Isi dulu perut Anda. Bohong bila ada yang mengatakan bahwa minum kopi bisa menyingkirkan rasa lapar, yang membuat anda merasa kenyang adalah kandungan Gula atau Susu yang terdapat dalam kopi anda. Hal itu hanya membuat perut Anda kembung. Justru Anda harus makan sebelum minum kopi.
Anda tidak perlu minum kopi bila:
- Anda merasa gelisah atau jantung berdebar-debar setelah meminum kopi.
- Anda mengalami kesulitan tidur (insomnia).
- Anda punya masalah dengan perut, atau gangguan dalam pencernaan.
- Anda sedang mengonsumsi obat flu atau sakit kepala yang juga mengadung kafein. Hal ini akan melebihi kuota kafein yang aman.
Selamat menikmati Kopi anda.
Kopi Hilangkan Nyeri akibat Capai
Jika Anda ingin terbebas dari rasa nyeri akibat kehabisan tenaga atau kelelahan setelah berolah raga, minumlah segelas kopi.
Satu studi baru menunjukkan, kopi mengurangi rasa nyeri akibat kelelahan tak peduli seseorang memiliki kebiasaan minum kopi atau tidak. Demikian laporan kantor berita resmi China, Xinhua, Rabu (1/4).
Profesor bidang kesehatan masyarakat dan kinesiologi di Universitas Illionis Robert Motl mengatakan, "Kafein bekerja pada satu sistem di otak dan urat tulang belakang yang sangat terlibat dalam pemrosesan rasa sakit. Dan karena kafein menghalangi adenosine, zat kimia yang memainkan peran penting dalam pengalihan energi dan olah raga, kafein dapat mengurangi nyeri."
Peneliti itu, yang mantan pebalap sepeda, membagi 25 mahasiswa sehat menjadi dua kelompok pembeda.
Di satu kelompok terdapat pria yang setiap hari mengonsumsi kafein sangat rendah sampai tidak ada, dan kelompok lain meliputi orang dengan rata-rata konsumsi kafein sebanyak 400 miligram per hari, sama dengan tiga sampai empat gelas kopi.
Setelah menyelesaikan tes olah raga awal di laboratorium dengan menggunakan sepeda statis guna memastikan konsumsi oksigen maksimal atau energi aerobik, obyek penelitian kembali ke kegiatan olahraga selama 30 menit dengan intensitas tinggi yang dipantau.
Satu jam sebelum masing-masing kegiatan, para pebalap sepeda-yang telah diinstruksikan agar tidak mengonsumsi kafein selama masa 24 jam sebelumnya-diberikan satu pil.
Pada satu kesempatan, pil itu berisi dosis kafein seukuran 5 miligram per kilogram berat badan, atau sama dengan dua atau tiga gelas kopi, dan pada kesempatan lain mereka diberikan pengganti.
Selama kedua masa olahraga, penglihatan obyek penelitian mengenai nyeri otot besar empat bagian di bagian depan paha dicatat dengan jeda tetap, bersama dengan data mengenai konsumsi oksigen, detak jantung, dan porsi kegiatan.
Apa yang kami saksikan ialah sesuatu yang tidak kami kira," kata Motl. "Orang yang tak mengkonsumsi kafein dan yang biasa mengkonsumsinya memiliki tingkat pengurangan nyeri yang sama selama berolahraga setelah mereka mengkonsumsi kafein," katanya.
Hasil studi tersebut dirinci di dalam International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, terbitan April.
Penulis studi itu meliputi Steven P Broglio dari University of Illionis dan Sigurbjorn A Arngrimsson dari Center for Sport and Health Sciences, Iceland University of Education.
Source : http://sains.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/04/02/14211965/kopi.hilangkan.nyeri.akibat.capai
Satu studi baru menunjukkan, kopi mengurangi rasa nyeri akibat kelelahan tak peduli seseorang memiliki kebiasaan minum kopi atau tidak. Demikian laporan kantor berita resmi China, Xinhua, Rabu (1/4).
Profesor bidang kesehatan masyarakat dan kinesiologi di Universitas Illionis Robert Motl mengatakan, "Kafein bekerja pada satu sistem di otak dan urat tulang belakang yang sangat terlibat dalam pemrosesan rasa sakit. Dan karena kafein menghalangi adenosine, zat kimia yang memainkan peran penting dalam pengalihan energi dan olah raga, kafein dapat mengurangi nyeri."
Peneliti itu, yang mantan pebalap sepeda, membagi 25 mahasiswa sehat menjadi dua kelompok pembeda.
Di satu kelompok terdapat pria yang setiap hari mengonsumsi kafein sangat rendah sampai tidak ada, dan kelompok lain meliputi orang dengan rata-rata konsumsi kafein sebanyak 400 miligram per hari, sama dengan tiga sampai empat gelas kopi.
Setelah menyelesaikan tes olah raga awal di laboratorium dengan menggunakan sepeda statis guna memastikan konsumsi oksigen maksimal atau energi aerobik, obyek penelitian kembali ke kegiatan olahraga selama 30 menit dengan intensitas tinggi yang dipantau.
Satu jam sebelum masing-masing kegiatan, para pebalap sepeda-yang telah diinstruksikan agar tidak mengonsumsi kafein selama masa 24 jam sebelumnya-diberikan satu pil.
Pada satu kesempatan, pil itu berisi dosis kafein seukuran 5 miligram per kilogram berat badan, atau sama dengan dua atau tiga gelas kopi, dan pada kesempatan lain mereka diberikan pengganti.
Selama kedua masa olahraga, penglihatan obyek penelitian mengenai nyeri otot besar empat bagian di bagian depan paha dicatat dengan jeda tetap, bersama dengan data mengenai konsumsi oksigen, detak jantung, dan porsi kegiatan.
Apa yang kami saksikan ialah sesuatu yang tidak kami kira," kata Motl. "Orang yang tak mengkonsumsi kafein dan yang biasa mengkonsumsinya memiliki tingkat pengurangan nyeri yang sama selama berolahraga setelah mereka mengkonsumsi kafein," katanya.
Hasil studi tersebut dirinci di dalam International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, terbitan April.
Penulis studi itu meliputi Steven P Broglio dari University of Illionis dan Sigurbjorn A Arngrimsson dari Center for Sport and Health Sciences, Iceland University of Education.
Source : http://sains.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/04/02/14211965/kopi.hilangkan.nyeri.akibat.capai
Tips Sehat Minum Kopi
Setelah mengetahui efek negatif dibalik minum kopi, Berikut adalah 7 cara sehat menikmati Kopi yang saya dapatkan dari Deddy Andaka seorang dokter asal Bali, Indonesia.
7 Tips Sehat Minum Kopi
1. Dosis
Memang belum ada ukuran yang pasti untuk dosis kopi yang boleh dikonsumsi orang. Namun kebanyakan penelitian mengungkapkan bahwa minum 300 mg caffeine (sekitar 1 sampai 3 cangkir kopi sehari) tidak memberikan efek negative pada kebanyakan orang sehat.
2. Sinyal Bahaya
Ketika mereguk kopi memang terasa nikmat, namun sering kali diikuti dengan sejuta rasa bersalah. Kenali sinyal bahaya kopi sehingga kita tahu kapan harus berhenti minum kopi. Sinyal bahaya itu antara lain: gelisah, jantung berdebar, gangguan tidur dan gangguan mood (mis: cepat marah). Seorang peminum kopi yang menghentikan kebiasaan minum kopinya dapat mengalami "caffeine withdrawal" yang ditandai oleh sakit kepala berdenyut, namun gejala ini akan hilang setelah 24-48 jam atau mendapat caffeine dosis baru.
3. Dengarkan Respon Tubuh
Setiap orang memiliki batasan sendiri mengenai konsumsi caffeine. Kebanyakan orang dapat mengkonsumsi 2 cangkir kopi sehari tanpa masalah. Namun ada pula yang mengalami efek buruknya dengan jumlah konsumsi kopi yang sama. Ada yang bercerita setelah minum secangkir kopi menjadi tak dapat tidur sepanjang malam, sebaliknya ada yang tertidur pulas setelah minum kopi. So, cara terbaik adalah dengarkan respon tubuh sendiri!
4. Kenali Kandungan Caffeine
Setelah mengetahui dosis dan respon tubuh, ada baiknya kita mengetahui kandungan caffeine dalam produk-produk yang sering kita konsumsi. Agar jangan sampai dosis kopi yang dianjurkan sudah tercapai, namun kita masih mengkonsumsi produk-produk lain yang mengandung caffeine sehingga merasakan efek buruk kopi. Beberapa produk lain yang perlu diperhatikan kandungan caffeine seperti misalnya : softdrink, permen kopi, teh, coklat, obat sakit kepala.
Cara pengolahan (roasting dan brewing) juga berpengaruh terhadap kandungan caffeine dalam kopi. Sebagai contoh, sebuah penelitian menunjukkan, secangkir kopi di Starbucks mengandung rata-rata 259 mg caffeine dibandingkan dengan kopi dengan jenis dan ukuran cangkir yang sama di Dunkin Donuts yang hanya mengandung 149 mg caffeine.
Dari penelitian lain, kopi decaf (kopi tanpa caffeine) baik untuk mereka yang mengalami obesitas karena dapat meningkatkan HDL (kolesterol "baik") sekitar 50%. Sedangkan pada mereka yang tidak mengalami obesitas justru dapat menurunkan kolesterol HDL ini yang dapat meningkatkan resiko penyakit jantung.
5. Coffee Mix
Lima milligram kalsium hilang untuk setiap 6 ons kopi yang dikonsumsi. Namun kehilangan kalsium ini dapat diatasi dengan menambahkan 2 sendok susu atau membuat espresso latte. Sedangkan campuran kopi dengan alkohol kurang baik terutama pada orang dengan gangguan hati dan campuran kopi dengan cream juga sebaiknya dihindari untuk mengurangi kalori yang berlebih. Caffeine juga berinteraksi dengan beberapa jenis obat. Bagi yang sedang mengkonsumsi obat, sebaiknya konsultasikan ke dokter.
Banyak yang beranggapan teman terbaik kopi adalah rokok. Eits, jangan salah. Seorang peminum kopi sejati tidak merokok! Rokok dapat mengurangi nikmatnya ngopi lho...
6. Kelompok Anti-Kopi
Kelompok berikut disarankan untuk menghindari kopi: wanita hamil, anak-anak, orang tua, orang dengan penyakit jantung dan pembuluh darah (mis: hipertensi). Nah, kalau sudah termasuk kelompok ini, lupakan kopi!
7. Check Up
Lakukan pemeriksaan berkala terhadap kesehatan, dalam hal ini adalah ukuran tekanan darah. Semakin dini hipertensi diketahui, akan semakin baik untuk penatalaksanaan selanjutnya. JNC VII mengklasifikasikan hipertensi sebagai berikut :
Klasifikasi
- Normal ( Sistolik (mmHg) <120>Pre Hipertensi ( Sistolik (mmHg) 120-139 Atau Diastolik (mmHg) 80-89 )
- Hipertensi stage 1 ( Sistolik (mmHg) 140-159 Atau Diastolik (mmHg) 90-99 )
- Hipertensi stage 2 ( Sistolik (mmHg) > 160 Atau Diastolik (mmHg) > 100 )
Demikianlah "7 Tips Sehat Minum Kopi". Bila keluhan berlanjut, hubungi dokter!
Sourece : http://www.andaka.com/7-tips-sehat-minum-kopi.php
Find more Health issues on CoffeeDi Balik Nikmatnya KOPI ... !
Artikel yang menarik bagi penikmat Kopi... selama batas wajar dan diimbangi dengan olahraga dan istirahat yang cukup serta makanan yang mengandung serat, niscaya kenikmatan kopi akan tetap bermanfaat dalam mengurangi penatnya hari dan memberi energi extra bagi penikmatnya...
Salam penikmat Kopi
Di Balik Nikmatnya KOPI ... !
Oleh Intisari
Kenikmatan minum kopi memang tidak bisa dipungkiri oleh siapa saja. Sayang, selain memberi dampak positif, minum kopi ternyata membawa dampak ikutan yang bisa berbahaya.
Jadi bagaimana bisa tetap nyeruput kopi namun tetap aman ?
Selain teh, kopi merupakan minuman paling dikenal umat manusia. Tak seorang pun tak mengenal kopi. Minuman ini sudah dikenal di mana-mana sejak ratusan tahun lalu. Begitu terkenalnya kopi sampai timbul istilah coffee break atau "rehat kopi" di setiap acara resmi seperti seminar, lokakarya, rapat, dll. Saat itu para tamu atau peserta beristirahat sebentar untuk menikmati kue-kue sambil minum secangkir kopi atau teh. Sementara dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, kopi seringkali dijadikan pendamping sarapan pagi.
Sekalipun demikian mungkin jarang kita mengamati apa manfaat atau dampak negatif kopi bagi kesehatan. Paling-paling yang kita tahu setelah minum kopi badan terasa segar dan rasa kantuk hilang.
Baik bagi pecandu narkoba
Menurut analisis kedokteran, dalam kopi terdapat sejenis senyawa kimia xantin. Derivat senyawa ini meliputi kafein, teofilin, dan teobromin. Namun, kopi hanya mengandung kafein. Sedangkan teofilin terdapat dalam teh, sementara teobromin dalam coklat.
Kafein ternyata dapat menimbulkan perangsangan terhadap susunan saraf pusat (otak), sistem pernapasan, serta sistem pembuluh darah dan jantung. Sebab itu tidak heran setiap minum kopi dalam jumlah wajar (1-3 cangkir), tubuh kita terasa segar, bergairah, daya pikir lebih cepat, tidak mudah lelah atau pun mengantuk. Dampak positif ini menyebabkan orang sulit terlepas dari kebiasaan minum kopi.
Namun, sebenarnya manfaat di atas tidak berlaku bagi seseorang yang pekerjaannya memerlukan ketelitian, kerapian, serta ketepatan menghitung, seperti matematika, menggambar atau melukis. Sebaliknya, minum kopi lebih tepat bagi orang yang belajar ilmu-ilmu sosial atau menghapal. Minumlah sekitar setengah sampai satu jam sebelum aktivitas belajar atau menghapal dimulai.
Kafein acap kali juga dijadikan salah satu bahan pelengkap pada obat sakit kepala. Pasalnya, kafein memiliki kemampuan mempersempit pembuluh darah ke otak (vasokonstriksi) sehingga pelebaran pembuluh darah di daerah otak yang merupakan penyebab sakit kepala bisa ditanggulangi. Bahkan, senyawa xantin dalam dosis rendah mampu merangsang susunan saraf yang sedang depresi, misalnya akibat penyalahgunaan narkoba atau kecanduan alkohol. Sehingga muncul pendapat bahwa kafein dapat memperbaiki fungsi mental penderita yang keracunan alkohol.
Lebih jauh, kafein ternyata dapat menetralisasi asam lemak dalam darah.
Mengganggu kesuburan
Sayangnya, kebiasaan minum kopi acap kali memunculkan efek "kecanduan" baik secara psikologis maupun fisiologis.
Ciri umum ketergantungan kopi antara lain rasa letih atau lelah, tak bersemangat dan mengantuk kalau sehari saja tidak minum kopi. Yang wajar adalah mengonsumsi kopi sebanyak 85 - 200 mg atau 1 - 3 cangkir kopi. Namun, minum kopi di atas 250 mg sekaligus dapat menyebabkan gangguan kesehatan, seperti jantung berdebar, gelisah, insomnia (sulit tidur), gugup, tremor (tangan bergetar), bahkan mual sampai muntah-muntah.
Minum kopi juga berbahaya bagi penderita hipertensi (tekanan darah tinggi) karena senyawa kafein bisa menyebabkan tekanan darah meningkat tajam. Selain itu, kopi juga bisa meningkatkan aliran darah ke ginjal dengan akibat produksi urin bertambah. Jadi, jangan heran kalau tak lama sehabis mengkonsumsi kopi kandung kencing cepat penuh.
Minum kopi terlalu banyak bisa pula mengurangi kesuburan wanita, apalagi kalau dikombinasikan dengan alkohol. Bagi wanita usia menopause, minum kopi dalam jumlah banyak bisa menambah risiko kekeroposan tulang (osteoporosis).
Pada dosis sedang, kafein menaikkan produksi asam lambung yang berlangsung lama, sehingga dapat memperbesar risiko penyakit lambung, tukak lambung, atau tukak usus halus. Jadi para penderita kelemahan lambung hendaknya menghindari konsumsi kopi.
Cara pengolahan dan penyeduan kopi pun memberi andil terhadap dampak yang ditimbulkannya. Bentuk pengolahan dan penyeduhan kopi tubruk misalnya. Kopi tubruk pada umumnya lebih keras karena bubuk kopi dalam cangkir atau gelas langsung diseduh air mendidih. Lagipula kopi tubruk pada umumnya menggunakan kopi lebih kasar, dipadu dengan gula batu. Dengan sendirinya akan lebih banyak ampas bubuk kopi yang masuk ke tubuh kita dibandingkan dengan kopi yang diseduh dalam teko. Maka dapat dipahami bila efek sampingan kopi tubruk lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan secangkir kopi yang sudah "tersaring" ampas kopinya.
Penyakit jantung dan arteriosklerosis
Masalah dampak kopi kasar atau tidak disaring (unfiltered) ini dipelajari oleh sejumlah peneliti di Belanda. Mereka mengamati tingginya kadar homosistein dalam darah pecandu kopi. Homosistein merupakan substansi yang terbentuk dari metionin, yakni suatu asam amino esensial yang terbentuk pada saat tubuh mengeluarkan protein. Padahal peningkatan homosistein berhubungan erat dengan risiko penyakit jantung.
Meski belum jelas bagaimana persisnya asam amino esensial mengganggu jantung, sudah terbukti bahwa zat tersebut acap kali menyebabkan timbulnya luka di berbagai lapisan dalam pembuluh darah arteri dan selanjutnya menjadi tempat menumpuknya asam lemak dan kalsium. Timbunan ini bisa mengakibatkan pengerasan dinding pembuluh darah arteri (arteriosklerosis). Di sisi lain, menurut Dr. Elvina Karyadi, ahli gizi, homosistein dibutuhkan tubuh untuk berbagai reaksi biokimia, terutama dalam proses perubahan metionin menjadi sistationin dan berperan dalam membentuk propionil-koA (substansi yang beperan dalam metabolisme lemak dan karbohidrat), asalkan kadarnya tidak tinggi. Kadar normalnya, 7 - 22 ug mol/L.
Seorang peneliti Belanda menambahkan, dua minggu setelah setiap hari minum enam cangkir kopi, konsentrasi homosistein seseorang naik 10% dari angka normal. Begitu juga kadar kolesterol dan trigliserida. Namun, kenaikan ini tidak permanen. Bila kopi dihentikan dan keadaan tubuh sehat, kelebihan homosistein dapat secara alami normal kembali. Selain dengan mengurangi kafein, kenaikan kadar homosistein dapat pula dicegah dengan mengurangi konsumsi protein hewani yang banyak mengandung metionin.
Bila dalam sehari minum 1,360 g kopi kasar (sekitar 6-7 cangkir), diperkirakan risiko untuk terkena serangan jantung atau stroke naik 10%. Selain itu kadar vitamin B6 bisa berkurang sampai 21%.
Atas dasar itu alangkah baiknya tidak minum kopi, khususnya bagi mereka yang berisiko tinggi penyakit jantung. Kalau pun harus minum kopi, untuk kita sebaiknya hanya 1-3 cangkir sehari (standar untuk orang Eropa 3-5 cangkir). Itu pun tidak pada saat menjelang tidur.
Kopi bisa digantikan segelas air jeruk, sayuran hijau, disertai konsumsi vitamin B6 dan B12. Jenis-jenis makanan dan minuman ini tidak mengandung seng dan kafein tapi tinggi mineral, vitamin serta asam folat. Padahal vitamin B6, B12, dan asam folat sangat berperan dalam menurunkan kadar homosistein dalam tubuh, sehingga penyakit jantung koroner pun bisa dihindari (Intisari).
Source : http://www.depkes.go.id/index.php?option=articles&task=viewarticle&artid=47&Itemid=3
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10 Steps To Reduce Risks If You're Pregnant
My sister told me that she's pregnant... and i'm very excited knowing that i'm gonna have a niece...
so here's what i found on keeping pregnancy risk-less...
though it doesn't say about the harm of drinking coffee on pregnancy, i do advice you to stop drinking them for a while. Instead you could still inhale the fragrance of Java Brewed should you crave for it badly... :)
=================
10 Steps To Reduce Risks If You're Pregnant
By Diane di Costanzo
Photo courtesy Shutterstock Images
The womb acts as a wonderfully protective cushion between the fetus and the jolts and bumps of the outside world. On the inside, though, the placenta simply cannot shield the womb from all of the man-made chemicals that have, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, collected in our bodies. You can, however, take simple steps to reduce the risk to your offspring by paying special attention to what you eat, drink and breathe.
You probably already know to avoid alcohol, cigarette smoke, caffeine and kitty litter. Unfortunately, prenatal exposures to other common contaminants can affect the fetus during critical windows when vital systems are developing, says pediatrician Philip Landrigan, M.D., director of the Center for Children's Health and the Environment (CCHE) at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Below are 10 kinds of toxins capable of crossing the placenta and how to avoid them.
1. Trim consumption of animal fats
When you're pregnant, it's more important than ever to choose lean cuts of meat, trim away fat and opt for fat-free dairy products. Here's why: Some toxins linked to prenatal nervous system and hormonal damage are stored in fatty tissue. These include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which pose risks of reduced intelligence to the developing fetus; brominated fire retardants; dioxins and other pollutants that persist in our air and water.
2. Put a stop to insecticides in your home and office
Organophosphates are a family of insecticides that attack the nervous system. In two New York City studies conducted last year, babies of women who had been most exposed to two organophosphates, chlorpyrifos (Dursban and Lorsban) and diazinon (Spectracide), had significantly lower birth weights. Fortunately, these insecticides were phased out of residential and school use by the EPA in 2001-03. However, other organophosphates are still in circulation, as are similar compounds called pyrethroids. Pesticides also release inhalable volatile organic compounds (see below).
What to do instead? Researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) recommend that pregnant women switch to sticky traps and other bait stations, "which are safer, last longer and are more effective," while keeping surfaces clean of food residue, removing trash and treating cracks with boric acid, classified by the EPA as of low toxicity, then sealing with caulk. (Keep boric acid and baits out of the reach of children and pets.)
3. Select foods to minimize pesticide residues
Chlorpyrifos and diazinon (see above), along with many related toxic pesticides, are still used widely on food crops. Prioritize your grocery list to allow for the purchase of the following organic fruits and vegetables that, when conventionally grown, tend to harbor the most pesticide residue: apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, spinach, strawberries and peppers.
4. Pass on high-mercury fish
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can harm a developing fetus. Say "no" to high-mercury fish such as fresh tuna, canned albacore, wild bass, swordfish and tilefish. (One meal of moderate-mercury fish, such as canned light tuna, can be eaten once a month.) Eat up: low-mercury "yes" fish such as sardines, wild salmon and farmed striped bass.
5. Let Old Paint Lie
Since lead has been banned from gasoline (in 1996) and paint (in 1978), most exposures now come from old lead-based paint. This heavy metal, which can also contaminate water and soil, can interfere with nearly every aspect of fetal development, causing brain and kidney damage, according to the CCHE. If your old house has lead paint in good condition, cover it with fresh paint rather than removing it, which releases lead dust into the air. To test paint for lead, see www.epa.gov/lead or call the EPA's lead hot line at 800-426-4791.
6. Make sure your water is safe to drink
Your local utility must by law provide you with an annual "Right to Know" report listing the EPA-recognized pollutants that exist in your water at potentially unsafe levels. Trihalomethanes, for instance, can increase the risk of miscarriage. See Green Guide #101 for contaminants to avoid and best filters. If you suspect there's lead in your pipes, allow the tap to run for 30 seconds to clear them before using water. Find lead-testing services at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/labs/index.html.
7. Avoid the VOCs that offgas from paints, glues, air fresheners
Toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can evaporate from many conventional building, decorating and other household products, including air freshener sprays. Exposure to air fresheners during pregnancy and within the first six months of life was associated with diarrhea and earache in infants and headaches and depression in mothers, according to a study published in the October 2003 Archives of Environmental Health.
If exposed to fumes at work, speak up: Thirty-two children exposed in utero to organic solvents had lower scores on language and other developmental tests, according to a study published in the October 2004 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. In the workplace, their mothers had come into contact with such solvents as toluene, xylene, mineral spirits, isopropyl alcohol and trichloroethylene.
8. Steer clear of vehicular and smokestack emissions
Research conducted by Columbia University links "combustion-related" chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with shorter gestation periods for pregnant women, resulting in smaller babies. PAHs are in car or bus exhaust and emissions from residential heating and power generation. Before exercising outdoors, check the EPA's Air Quality Index at epa.gov/airnow. Keep windows closed during peak traffic hours.
9. Stay away from phthalates in vinyl, personal-care and cleaning products
Chemicals called phthalates, known hormone-system disruptors that have caused birth defects in lab animals, are widely used as plasticizers in nail polishes and vinyl and as solvents in synthetic fragrances. Avoid soft vinyl products and cosmetics containing "Fragrance."
10. Get rid of those crumbling foam cushions, already!
The latest chemicals found to be approaching possibly unsafe levels in American women's breast milk, as well as umbilical-cord blood, are fire retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. Furniture foam tends to release PBDEs into house dust when it breaks down.
Source : http://www.thegreenguide.com/kids/pregnancy/reduce-pregnancy-risks?source=email_gg_20090429&email=gg
so here's what i found on keeping pregnancy risk-less...
though it doesn't say about the harm of drinking coffee on pregnancy, i do advice you to stop drinking them for a while. Instead you could still inhale the fragrance of Java Brewed should you crave for it badly... :)
=================
10 Steps To Reduce Risks If You're Pregnant
By Diane di Costanzo
Photo courtesy Shutterstock Images
The womb acts as a wonderfully protective cushion between the fetus and the jolts and bumps of the outside world. On the inside, though, the placenta simply cannot shield the womb from all of the man-made chemicals that have, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, collected in our bodies. You can, however, take simple steps to reduce the risk to your offspring by paying special attention to what you eat, drink and breathe.
You probably already know to avoid alcohol, cigarette smoke, caffeine and kitty litter. Unfortunately, prenatal exposures to other common contaminants can affect the fetus during critical windows when vital systems are developing, says pediatrician Philip Landrigan, M.D., director of the Center for Children's Health and the Environment (CCHE) at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Below are 10 kinds of toxins capable of crossing the placenta and how to avoid them.
1. Trim consumption of animal fats
When you're pregnant, it's more important than ever to choose lean cuts of meat, trim away fat and opt for fat-free dairy products. Here's why: Some toxins linked to prenatal nervous system and hormonal damage are stored in fatty tissue. These include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which pose risks of reduced intelligence to the developing fetus; brominated fire retardants; dioxins and other pollutants that persist in our air and water.
2. Put a stop to insecticides in your home and office
Organophosphates are a family of insecticides that attack the nervous system. In two New York City studies conducted last year, babies of women who had been most exposed to two organophosphates, chlorpyrifos (Dursban and Lorsban) and diazinon (Spectracide), had significantly lower birth weights. Fortunately, these insecticides were phased out of residential and school use by the EPA in 2001-03. However, other organophosphates are still in circulation, as are similar compounds called pyrethroids. Pesticides also release inhalable volatile organic compounds (see below).
What to do instead? Researchers at the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) recommend that pregnant women switch to sticky traps and other bait stations, "which are safer, last longer and are more effective," while keeping surfaces clean of food residue, removing trash and treating cracks with boric acid, classified by the EPA as of low toxicity, then sealing with caulk. (Keep boric acid and baits out of the reach of children and pets.)
3. Select foods to minimize pesticide residues
Chlorpyrifos and diazinon (see above), along with many related toxic pesticides, are still used widely on food crops. Prioritize your grocery list to allow for the purchase of the following organic fruits and vegetables that, when conventionally grown, tend to harbor the most pesticide residue: apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, spinach, strawberries and peppers.
4. Pass on high-mercury fish
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can harm a developing fetus. Say "no" to high-mercury fish such as fresh tuna, canned albacore, wild bass, swordfish and tilefish. (One meal of moderate-mercury fish, such as canned light tuna, can be eaten once a month.) Eat up: low-mercury "yes" fish such as sardines, wild salmon and farmed striped bass.
5. Let Old Paint Lie
Since lead has been banned from gasoline (in 1996) and paint (in 1978), most exposures now come from old lead-based paint. This heavy metal, which can also contaminate water and soil, can interfere with nearly every aspect of fetal development, causing brain and kidney damage, according to the CCHE. If your old house has lead paint in good condition, cover it with fresh paint rather than removing it, which releases lead dust into the air. To test paint for lead, see www.epa.gov/lead or call the EPA's lead hot line at 800-426-4791.
6. Make sure your water is safe to drink
Your local utility must by law provide you with an annual "Right to Know" report listing the EPA-recognized pollutants that exist in your water at potentially unsafe levels. Trihalomethanes, for instance, can increase the risk of miscarriage. See Green Guide #101 for contaminants to avoid and best filters. If you suspect there's lead in your pipes, allow the tap to run for 30 seconds to clear them before using water. Find lead-testing services at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/labs/index.html.
7. Avoid the VOCs that offgas from paints, glues, air fresheners
Toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can evaporate from many conventional building, decorating and other household products, including air freshener sprays. Exposure to air fresheners during pregnancy and within the first six months of life was associated with diarrhea and earache in infants and headaches and depression in mothers, according to a study published in the October 2003 Archives of Environmental Health.
If exposed to fumes at work, speak up: Thirty-two children exposed in utero to organic solvents had lower scores on language and other developmental tests, according to a study published in the October 2004 Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. In the workplace, their mothers had come into contact with such solvents as toluene, xylene, mineral spirits, isopropyl alcohol and trichloroethylene.
8. Steer clear of vehicular and smokestack emissions
Research conducted by Columbia University links "combustion-related" chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with shorter gestation periods for pregnant women, resulting in smaller babies. PAHs are in car or bus exhaust and emissions from residential heating and power generation. Before exercising outdoors, check the EPA's Air Quality Index at epa.gov/airnow. Keep windows closed during peak traffic hours.
9. Stay away from phthalates in vinyl, personal-care and cleaning products
Chemicals called phthalates, known hormone-system disruptors that have caused birth defects in lab animals, are widely used as plasticizers in nail polishes and vinyl and as solvents in synthetic fragrances. Avoid soft vinyl products and cosmetics containing "Fragrance."
10. Get rid of those crumbling foam cushions, already!
The latest chemicals found to be approaching possibly unsafe levels in American women's breast milk, as well as umbilical-cord blood, are fire retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. Furniture foam tends to release PBDEs into house dust when it breaks down.
Source : http://www.thegreenguide.com/kids/pregnancy/reduce-pregnancy-risks?source=email_gg_20090429&email=gg
Coffee Facts
Here's what i found on Live Science website (http://www.livescience.com) about Coffee.
10 Things You Need to Know About Coffee
By LiveScience Staff
1. Caffeine Can Kill You
But you'd have to drink 80 to 100 cups in a hurry, health experts say. We advise not trying.
2. Coffee Can Be Good For You
A study shows that Americans get most of their antioxidants from their daily fix of java. One to two cups a day appear to be beneficial. Or, if you don't like coffee, try black tea, the second most consumed antioxidant source. Bananas, dry beans, and corn wrap up the top five.
3. Caffeine Might Boost Female Sex Drive
It worked on rats anyway. But researchers say in humans, coffee might enhance the sexual experience only among people who are not habitual users.
4. Caffeine Might Cut Pain
Moderate doses of caffeine - the equivalent of two cups of coffee- can cut post-gym muscle pain, a small study found. But the research was done on people who were not regular coffee drinkers.
5. Caffeine Can Indeed Keep You Up at Night
Health experts advise avoiding it for 6 hours before bedtime.
6. Decaf Coffee Has Caffeine!
If you drink five to 10 cups of decaffeinated coffee, you could get as much caffeine as from one or two cups of caffeinated coffee, a study found.
7. Decaffeination Uses Chemicals
Beans are steamed, so that dissolved caffeine rises to the surface, where it is washed off using an organic solvent called methylene chloride.
8. Caffeine Is Not The Bitter Culprit
Caffeine is not the main bitter compound in coffee. Rather, the pungent perpetrators are antioxidants.
9. Great Coffee Depends on Roasting and Brewing
When it comes to great flavor, coffee chemistry boils down to roasting and brewing. During roasting, oil locked inside the beans begins to emerge at around 400 degrees. The more oil, the stronger the flavor. Caffeine content goes up as the water spends more time in contact with the grounds, so regular coffee often has more of it than espresso or cappuccino. Darker roasts also yield more caffeine.
10. Coffee Was Discovered by Goats
A millennium ago on a mountainside in Africa, a herd of goats kept a shepherd up at night after feasting on red coffee berries. The shepherd took his animals' discovery to some monks, and very long prayer sessions ensued. It's a good story, anyway.
Source : http://www.livescience.com/health/080519-coffee-facts.html
---
A Winning Cup of Coffee
Caffeine is absorbed by the stomach and small intestine within 45 minutes of ingestion. It takes less than an hour for caffeine to begin affecting the body and a mild dose wears off in three to four hours. Consumption of caffeine does not eliminate the need for sleep: it only temporarily reduces the sensation of being tired.
It increases the capacity for mental or physical labor. A study conducted in 1979 showed a 7% increase in distance cycled over a period of two hours in subjects who consumed caffeine compared to control subjects. Other studies attained much more dramatic results; one particular study of trained runners showed a 44% increase in "race-pace" endurance, as well as a 51% increase in cycling endurance, after a dosage of 9 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight.
A runner, Weldon Johnson, used caffein as a performance enhancer in 1998. He was not a coffee drinker but had heard that caffeine could make him run faster. So he went to a convenience store before a race and drank a cup of coffee. For the first time in his life, he ran 10 kilometers in less than 30 minutes.
Now he used to drink coffee one hour before the race as a part of his routine. And It turns out that Caffeine is legal, one of the few performance enhancers that is not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
While relatively safe for humans, caffeine is considerably more toxic to some other animals such as dogs, horses and parrots due to a much poorer ability to metabolize this compound. Caffeine has a much more significant effect on spiders, for example, than most other drugs do.
So, still need a good reason to drink coffee ?? This is one for sure.
Enjoy your cup of Coffee...
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Are You Addicted to Coffee?
Tips for Coffee Drinkers
By renee
That might sound like a very strange statement, since most people do not think of coffee as an addiction. But it really is possible to get addicted to coffee. More than likely you are addicted to the caffeine. Most people are usually exhausted and just do not get the proper amount of sleep each night. Because of this they tend to drink enormous amounts of coffee throughout the day. If you try to tell someone that they may be drinking to much coffee, they will usually respond the same way that any addict would. How can you tell if someone is addicted to coffee?
Well one of the first things is that they will get very irritable if they do not have their coffee at a specific time each day. Even if they already had a cup a few hours ago they will begin to display some of the following symptoms. Their hands make begin to shake, they can fell very exhausted, they may also start to get very bad migraine headaches. According to many doctors a lot of migraine headaches are caused by drinking to much caffeine.
If you find that you are drinking more than two cups of coffee per day, and that you get very cranky if you do not have your coffee, then you have a serious problem. Many people feel that it is just a little caffeine and it is not drugs so what is the problem. The problem is that you are slowly cutting your life short.
You may not currently have any type of health problems, but if you continue to drink large amounts of coffee you will find that you are getting more and more health problems. Some doctors feel that drinking too much coffee is very similar to smoking cigarettes. The only difference is that you are not killing or harming anyone else by drinking coffee. Unless you are pregnant then you are harming someone else. To try and find out if you are addicted to coffee if you are not sure, you could try a test.
First get rid of all the coffee in your house. Then try to not drink coffee for just one day, and make a note of any symptoms that you may display. You will be surprised at how miserable you feel just because you did not have your daily cup of coffee.
Weaning yourself off of coffee is a lot harder than most people think. Once you are addicted to the caffeine it can take months to be able to stop drinking it so often, or even to stop drinking it at all. There is certainly nothing wrong with having one cup a day, but this really should be your limit. I have several friends and associates who are coffee addicts, and still find it impossible to stop drinking coffee. Also if you have been drinking large amounts of coffee for more than a year, than you will will want to visit your doctors office as soon as possible. Your health may not be as good as you think it is.
By renee
That might sound like a very strange statement, since most people do not think of coffee as an addiction. But it really is possible to get addicted to coffee. More than likely you are addicted to the caffeine. Most people are usually exhausted and just do not get the proper amount of sleep each night. Because of this they tend to drink enormous amounts of coffee throughout the day. If you try to tell someone that they may be drinking to much coffee, they will usually respond the same way that any addict would. How can you tell if someone is addicted to coffee?
Well one of the first things is that they will get very irritable if they do not have their coffee at a specific time each day. Even if they already had a cup a few hours ago they will begin to display some of the following symptoms. Their hands make begin to shake, they can fell very exhausted, they may also start to get very bad migraine headaches. According to many doctors a lot of migraine headaches are caused by drinking to much caffeine.
If you find that you are drinking more than two cups of coffee per day, and that you get very cranky if you do not have your coffee, then you have a serious problem. Many people feel that it is just a little caffeine and it is not drugs so what is the problem. The problem is that you are slowly cutting your life short.
You may not currently have any type of health problems, but if you continue to drink large amounts of coffee you will find that you are getting more and more health problems. Some doctors feel that drinking too much coffee is very similar to smoking cigarettes. The only difference is that you are not killing or harming anyone else by drinking coffee. Unless you are pregnant then you are harming someone else. To try and find out if you are addicted to coffee if you are not sure, you could try a test.
First get rid of all the coffee in your house. Then try to not drink coffee for just one day, and make a note of any symptoms that you may display. You will be surprised at how miserable you feel just because you did not have your daily cup of coffee.
Weaning yourself off of coffee is a lot harder than most people think. Once you are addicted to the caffeine it can take months to be able to stop drinking it so often, or even to stop drinking it at all. There is certainly nothing wrong with having one cup a day, but this really should be your limit. I have several friends and associates who are coffee addicts, and still find it impossible to stop drinking coffee. Also if you have been drinking large amounts of coffee for more than a year, than you will will want to visit your doctors office as soon as possible. Your health may not be as good as you think it is.
Drinking lots of Coffee reduces risk of Cancer in Womb
Women who drink a lot of coffee have less chance of contracting cancer of the womb, according to the Japanese Health Ministry which conducted a study on 45 thousand women between the ages of 40 and 69. The research lasted 15 years and 117 women died from cancer of the womb. The researchers of the Japanese National Cancer Centre divided the woman into four groups on the basis of their caffeine intake and discovered that those who drank more than three cups of coffee a day had a 60% less chance of developing tumours in the uterus compared to those who drank coffee less than two times a week.
Coffee can reduce insulin levels and reduce the risk of cancer?, explained the researchers. The tem of doctors also examined the effects of green tea on health but found that it had no bearing on the chances of developing cancer in the womb, the fourth most common cancer among women.
Coffee can reduce insulin levels and reduce the risk of cancer?, explained the researchers. The tem of doctors also examined the effects of green tea on health but found that it had no bearing on the chances of developing cancer in the womb, the fourth most common cancer among women.
Coffee may lower risk of uterus cancer: Japan study
TOKYO (AFP) — Women who drink a lot of coffee may have less risk of developing cancer of the uterus, a Japanese study said Monday.
The study led by Japan's health ministry monitored some 54,000 women aged 40 to 69 over about 15 years, during which time 117 women developed cancer in the womb, according to the medical team.
The researchers at Japan's National Cancer Center divided the women into four groups by the amount of coffee they drank.
They found the group of women who drank more than three cups of coffee every day were more than 60 percent less likely to develop uterine cancer than those who had coffee fewer than two times a week, the study said.
"Coffee may have effects in lowering insulin levels, possibly curbing the risks of developing womb cancer," the study said.
The medical team also studied the effects of drinking green tea, but did not find any link to uterine cancer.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, uterine cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women.
Source : http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hw0UZWGop29LLIS70woKWtASN0qw
The study led by Japan's health ministry monitored some 54,000 women aged 40 to 69 over about 15 years, during which time 117 women developed cancer in the womb, according to the medical team.
The researchers at Japan's National Cancer Center divided the women into four groups by the amount of coffee they drank.
They found the group of women who drank more than three cups of coffee every day were more than 60 percent less likely to develop uterine cancer than those who had coffee fewer than two times a week, the study said.
"Coffee may have effects in lowering insulin levels, possibly curbing the risks of developing womb cancer," the study said.
The medical team also studied the effects of drinking green tea, but did not find any link to uterine cancer.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, uterine cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women.
Source : http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hw0UZWGop29LLIS70woKWtASN0qw
Does coffee go right through you? (plus 4 more caffeine facts)
By LESLIE GARCIAThe Dallas Morning News
Mmmm. Can’t get enough of that caffeine! We like our caffeine, specifically in coffee, so much surely it’s gotta be bad for us.
Well, yes and no. Here are some of coffee’s contradictions.
1 The diuretic dilemma. Does coffee make you tinkle more? Not necessarily. Studies reviewed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest found that people who consumed beverages with 550 caffeine grams or less produced no more urine than when they drank the same amount of noncaffeinated beverages.
2 The heart-disease head-scratcher. Is caffeine’s stimulant effect a danger for heart patients, especially those who also have high blood pressure?
A couple of studies show otherwise, including the Iowa Women’s Healthy Study. Among 27,000 women followed for 15 years, those who drank one to three cups of coffee daily reduced their risk of heart disease by 24 percent.
3 The cancer conundrum. An international review of 66 studies last year showed coffee had little if any effect on developing kidney or pancreatic cancer. Plus a study of 59,000 women in Sweden found no connection between caffeine consumption and breast cancer.
4 The high blood pressure brouhaha. Yes, caffeine produces a slight temporary rise in blood pressure. But when 155,000 nurses were studied, those who didn’t drink coffee were no more likely than those who did to develop hypertension.
5 The weight-loss letdown. The good news: Caffeine speeds up metabolism; 100 milligrams help burn an extra 75 to 100 calories a day. The bad? In a 12-year study of 58,000 health-care professionals, those who increased caffeine consumption, alas, gained weight.
Source: The New York Times
Japanese study: Smell the coffee and wake up
New Scientist Magazine
August 12, 2008
Drinking a cup of coffee can wake you up, but perhaps a whiff of java is enough to reverse the effects of sleep deprivation on the brain.
A team led by Yoshinori Masuo at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tsukuba, Japan, deprived rats of sleep for a day. When they examined their brains, they found reduced levels of mRNA - messenger molecules that indicate when a gene is being expressed - for 11 genes important to brain function. When the rats were exposed to the aroma of coffee, the mRNA for nine of the genes was restored to near normal levels, and pushed to above normal levels for two.
We don't know if the same genes are suppressed in sleep-deprived humans, but many of these genes do have human equivalents. So the team says gene suppression may help explain why people feel bad when they haven't had enough sleep - and that gene reactivation could explain why people love the smell of coffee.
The team hopes to identify molecules in the coffee aroma that affect gene expression. They suggest pumping them into factories to help revive tired workers who can't sip coffee while operating machinery.
August 12, 2008
Drinking a cup of coffee can wake you up, but perhaps a whiff of java is enough to reverse the effects of sleep deprivation on the brain.
A team led by Yoshinori Masuo at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tsukuba, Japan, deprived rats of sleep for a day. When they examined their brains, they found reduced levels of mRNA - messenger molecules that indicate when a gene is being expressed - for 11 genes important to brain function. When the rats were exposed to the aroma of coffee, the mRNA for nine of the genes was restored to near normal levels, and pushed to above normal levels for two.
We don't know if the same genes are suppressed in sleep-deprived humans, but many of these genes do have human equivalents. So the team says gene suppression may help explain why people feel bad when they haven't had enough sleep - and that gene reactivation could explain why people love the smell of coffee.
The team hopes to identify molecules in the coffee aroma that affect gene expression. They suggest pumping them into factories to help revive tired workers who can't sip coffee while operating machinery.
Women's Secret of Long Living
Coffee Drinkers Might Live Longer. For women, especially, the brew could boost heart health, study finds
Posted June 16, 2008
By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, June 16 (HealthDay News) - Good news for coffee lovers: Drinking up to six cups a day of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee daily won't shorten your life span, a new study shows.
In fact, coffee might even help the heart, especially for women, the researchers found.
"Our results suggest that long-term, regular coffee consumption does not increase the risk of death and probably has several beneficial effects on health," said lead researcher Dr. Esther Lopez-Garcia, assistant professor of preventive medicine at the Autonoma University in Madrid, Spain.
Her team published its findings in the June 17 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Lopez-Garcia stressed that the findings may only hold true only for healthy folk. "People with any disease or condition should ask their doctor about their risk, because caffeine still has an acute effect on short-term increase of blood pressure," she said.
In the study, the Spanish team looked at the relationships between coffee drinking and the risks of dying from heart disease, cancer, or any cause in almost 42,000 men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and more than 84,000 women who had participated in the Nurses' Health Study. At the study start, all participants were free of heart disease and cancer.
The participants completed questionnaires every two to four years, including information about their coffee drinking, other dietary habits, smoking and health conditions. The research team looked at the frequency of death from any cause, death due to heart disease, and death due to cancer among people with different coffee-drinking habits, comparing them to those who didn't drink the brew. They also controlled for other risk factors, including diet, smoking and body size.
The researchers found that women who drank two or three cups of caffeinated coffee daily had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease during the follow-up (from 1980 to 2004) than non-drinkers. Women also had an 18 percent lower death risk from a cause other than cancer or heart disease compared with non-coffee drinkers.
For men, drinking two to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily was a "wash" -- not associated with either an increased or a decreased risk of death during the follow up, from 1986 to 2004.
The lower death rate was mainly due to a lower risk for heart disease deaths, the researchers found, while no link was discovered for coffee drinking and cancer deaths. The relationship did not seem to be directly related to caffeine, according to the researchers, since those who drank decaf also had a lower death rate than those who didn't drink either kind of coffee.
In the past, studies have come up with mixed results on the health effects of coffee, with some finding coffee increased the risk of death and others not.
More recently, research has found coffee drinking linked with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers, and preventing the development of cardiovascular disease, Lopez-Garcia said.
The strength of her current study, she said, includes the large number of participants and long follow-up period.
While the study is interesting, it does have its shortcomings, said Dr. Peter Galier, an internal medicine specialist, former chief of staff at Santa Monica UCLA and Orthopedic Hospital and associate professor of medicine at the University of California Los Angeles' David Geffen School of Medicine.
Self-reporting is one shortcoming, he said, because people may have under- or over-reported their coffee consumption, for instance.
"I think what this study tells us is not so much that coffee is the answer to everything," he said. But, rather, that some compounds, such as the antioxidants found in coffee, may be healthy.
Galier's advice for consumers: "I would tell them to weigh the subjective risk of their coffee consumption," he said. For instance, "if they love coffee, but it makes them jittery, and they can't sleep, the need to adjust it," he said. "Look at your symptoms," he tells patients. "If decaf is no problem, I wouldn't put a limit on that."
The research was funded by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
Source : http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2008/06/16/coffee-drinkers-might-live-longer.html
Coffee Drinkers Might Live Longer
June 17, 2008 02:22 PM ET | Deborah Kotz
I'm sure the folks at Starbucks are rejoicing at yesterday's headlines announcing that "coffee drinkers might live longer." Women who drank more than six cups of coffee a day were found to have a 17 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses over 24 years of follow-up compared with those who drank less than one cup a month. My editor had a big smile on her face when she heard this news and happily told me that she downs eight cups of freshly brewed coffee every morning before she comes to work. Though I hate to burst her bubble, I have to point out that women who drank four to five cups per day actually had better protection: a 26 percent lower risk of dying.
Being a two-cup-a-day person myself, I think the findings of this study are more reassuring than life altering. The researchers carefully phrased their conclusion that "regular coffee consumption was not associated with an increased mortality rate" and that evidence of modest benefits needs to be studied further. Certainly, women shouldn't add coffee to their list of nutritious foods that they have to get more of. After all, male coffee drinkers in the study didn't enjoy a lower death rate, and too much caffeine can cause temporary increases in blood pressure—not good for those with hypertension or heart disease.
JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, agrees. "The evidence isn't up to the level where people should be encouraged to take up coffee drinking for the purpose of improving their health." She's one of the researchers on the Nurses' Health Study, which provided the data for the current study, and notes that it simply observed the lifestyle habits of people rather than randomly giving coffee to some and not to others. "It's quite possible that people who drink coffee regularly drink less of other beverages like sugar-sweetened sodas, so it's really open to question as to whether these are direct benefits from the coffee itself."
Pregnant women also need to be wary of how much coffee they drink. Studies have flip-flopped over whether caffeine can cause miscarriages, but one compelling finding that my colleague Ben Harder blogged about in January suggests that drinking as little as 200 milligrams of caffeine a day—equivalent to about two cups of brewed coffee—doubles the rate of miscarriages. Many experts advise pregnant women to abstain from coffee if they can or at least to limit consumption to about one cup a day.
But coffee certainly never earned its "sinful food" reputation either. A growing body of research has shown that, like tea, coffee packs a wallop of antioxidants that can protect against diseases like diabetes, Parkinson's, gallstones, and some cancers, as U.S. News previously reported. And an April study found that small amounts of caffeine could help counteract the increased Alzheimer's disease risk found in those with high cholesterol levels. Though caffeine has been linked to bone loss in elderly women, additional findings show that this poses a problem only for those who don't get enough calcium.
"I think the bottom line is that coffee is not deleterious to health and may even have some health benefits," Manson says. "For those who are regular coffee drinkers, that's good to know."
Source : http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-women/2008/6/17/coffee-drinkers-might-live-longer.html
I'm sure the folks at Starbucks are rejoicing at yesterday's headlines announcing that "coffee drinkers might live longer." Women who drank more than six cups of coffee a day were found to have a 17 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses over 24 years of follow-up compared with those who drank less than one cup a month. My editor had a big smile on her face when she heard this news and happily told me that she downs eight cups of freshly brewed coffee every morning before she comes to work. Though I hate to burst her bubble, I have to point out that women who drank four to five cups per day actually had better protection: a 26 percent lower risk of dying.
Being a two-cup-a-day person myself, I think the findings of this study are more reassuring than life altering. The researchers carefully phrased their conclusion that "regular coffee consumption was not associated with an increased mortality rate" and that evidence of modest benefits needs to be studied further. Certainly, women shouldn't add coffee to their list of nutritious foods that they have to get more of. After all, male coffee drinkers in the study didn't enjoy a lower death rate, and too much caffeine can cause temporary increases in blood pressure—not good for those with hypertension or heart disease.
JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, agrees. "The evidence isn't up to the level where people should be encouraged to take up coffee drinking for the purpose of improving their health." She's one of the researchers on the Nurses' Health Study, which provided the data for the current study, and notes that it simply observed the lifestyle habits of people rather than randomly giving coffee to some and not to others. "It's quite possible that people who drink coffee regularly drink less of other beverages like sugar-sweetened sodas, so it's really open to question as to whether these are direct benefits from the coffee itself."
Pregnant women also need to be wary of how much coffee they drink. Studies have flip-flopped over whether caffeine can cause miscarriages, but one compelling finding that my colleague Ben Harder blogged about in January suggests that drinking as little as 200 milligrams of caffeine a day—equivalent to about two cups of brewed coffee—doubles the rate of miscarriages. Many experts advise pregnant women to abstain from coffee if they can or at least to limit consumption to about one cup a day.
But coffee certainly never earned its "sinful food" reputation either. A growing body of research has shown that, like tea, coffee packs a wallop of antioxidants that can protect against diseases like diabetes, Parkinson's, gallstones, and some cancers, as U.S. News previously reported. And an April study found that small amounts of caffeine could help counteract the increased Alzheimer's disease risk found in those with high cholesterol levels. Though caffeine has been linked to bone loss in elderly women, additional findings show that this poses a problem only for those who don't get enough calcium.
"I think the bottom line is that coffee is not deleterious to health and may even have some health benefits," Manson says. "For those who are regular coffee drinkers, that's good to know."
Source : http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-women/2008/6/17/coffee-drinkers-might-live-longer.html
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