Coffee and Your Health

Let's face it sometimes we want to just make one cup of coffee and Keurig B40 Elite Gourmet Single-Cup Home-Brewing System is perfect for the occasion.

Don't waste your coffee by making a big pot, letting it get cold and pouring it down the drain. Some coffee drinkers don't mind cold coffee or reheated coffee, but there are folks like myself that find that there is nothing better than drinking a freshly brewed cup of hot coffee; for those of you who like steaming hot coffee this is simply the best.

Another great thing about this single brewer, if you like a variety of the flavorful brands of coffee available you can alternate and make the cup of coffee you are in the mood for every time. Depending on which coffee you buy it can be pretty expensive, and no one wants to pour money down the drain.

Many people start their day with coffee and drink a few more cups during the day. Did you know that drinking 6 cups of coffee or more of caffeinated coffee per day may actually reduce the risk of diabetes? How about this, at least six studies have indicated that regular coffee drinkers are up to 80% less likely to get Parkinsons. And two cups coffee of a day can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 25%, and lower the risk of cirrhosis of the liver by 80%.

Interestingly, coffee contains antioxidants and antioxidants protect people from the free radicals that the body produces, that we get from the environment and our diets.  The health benefits that researchers are finding are many. It's nice to hear that the coffee we love to drink is not as unhealthy as it was once thought to be; now we can enjoy coffee without worries. However, it is not all that surprising that something natural has health benefits. Personally, I prefer to eat and drink things that come from nature rather than genetically modified and processed foods and beverages. There is something nice about waking up, brewing a pot of coffee and inhaling the aroma. If you are a coffee lover then you know what I mean, it's a wonderful way to start the day.

For those of you who avoid coffee because you believe coffee is bad for you read more about the benefits of drinking coffee, even if you don't start drinking this tasty hot beverage it may ease your fears. The more research and studies that are done the more good news we seem to find about the fascinating coffee bean!

According to Jennifer Warner, WebMD health news every cup of coffee you drink may lower the risk of Diabeties by 7%. In that same article it states that several independent studies, when combined, researchers found that people who drank three to four cups of coffee per day had a 25% lower risk than those who drank two or less cups of coffee a day.

If the benefits in these trials are real could that mean that those at risk for diabeties mellitus may someday be advised to increase their consumption of coffee, imagine that. It is good to know that researchers are doing studies to unveil the benefits of coffee, for years the main focus seems to have been on caffine and its negative affects.

Scientist are now reporting that the caffine in coffee may be responsible for reducing the risk of diabetes. Scientists fed either water or coffee to laboratory mice commonly used to study diabetes. Coffee consumption prevented the development of high-blood sugar and also improved insulin sensitivity in the mice, thereby reducing the risk of diabetes. More interesting, it is reported that scientist found that coffee also caused other beneficial changes in the fatty liver and inflammatory adipocytokines related to a reduced diabetes risk.

In addition, according to ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, additional lab studies showed that caffeine may be "one of the most effective anti-diabetic compounds in coffee," the scientists say.

Resources:
"Coffee, Tea May Stall Diabetes" By Jennifer Warner, WebMD; Dec. 14, 2009
"New evidence that drinking coffee may reduce the risk of diabetes" ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: June 9, 2010

According to research, it may be the caffine in coffee and not the vitamins or other nutrients that seems to play an important role in reducing the risk of Parkinson's disease, this was reported in the May 24/31 double issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Will it be proven that the caffeine in coffee might protect against Parkinson's disease someday? Is it really possible that the caffine in coffee could protect a person from PD by counteracting free radicals that are thought to damage nerve cells? Or by blocking adenosine receptors, are specific nerve endings, which may relieve stiffness and other symptoms of Parkinson's disease. According to WebMD, Dr. Bertil Fredholm, MD, PhD, stated "Since the mid-1970s there has been accumulated animal data suggesting...that [blocking] adenosine receptors may cause symptomatic relief in Parkinson's disease."

Other scientific studies have shown that coffee drinkers were 31% less likely to develop Parkinson's disease compared to non-coffee drinkers. However, it seems that there is some question about the affect with regards to post-menstral women who are on hormone replacement drugs, it is suggested based on studies that women on post-menstral hormones who drank coffee had an increased risk of developing PD, but more studies need to be done before scientist can be sure.

The research and studies conducted bring new hope, however the results are not conclusive and much more research and studies must be done. For a coffee drinker this is good news and it relieves one of the concerns about negative health risk said to be associated with enjoying a hot cup of java.

Photo Credit: Wanderlust Coffee Journal By: Troy M. Litten - Features cups of java from around the world, only $9.95 right now!


Resources:
"Does coffee's caffeine protect against Parkinson's Disease?" By, Laurie Barclay, MD, WebMD
"Coffee and Parkinson's Disease" The Coffee Science Information Centre