Coffee is, gulp, healthy!
| CW FISHER What scientists are only now discovering, coffee drinkers have known for years. Coffee is good stuff--even better, it now appears, than anyone dared dream. Sure your mother told you it'd stunt your growth, but she only had it half right. What it stunts is the growth of cancer. Roasted coffee contains more cancer-fighting antioxidants than any other food source, four times more than tea, which is now in a distant second place, followed by fruits and vegetables, legumes and grains. The same high levels of antioxidants are found in decaf. The discovery by researchers at the University of Scranton proved that polyphenols, a group of antioxidants found in coffee, are bound to a sugar molecule and hidden until the link is broken by chemicals in the stomach. Hard to believe, but nobody knew. They were there the whole time, hiding in the bean. This bit of knowledge gives more credibility to the findings of other recent studies. Japanese researchers reported in February that daily coffee drinkers had half the liver cancer risk of those who never drank it--and the protective effect increased at three to four cups. Last year the Harvard School of Public Health found that 48 ounces of coffee a day cut the risk of Type II diabetes in men almost in half. Women lowered their risk by 30 percent. Meanwhile, lab tests at Vanderbilt University in Nashville have shown that that chlorogenic acids found in coffee offset the effect of caffeine, which can make the heart race and make sleep difficult. These acids appear to influence adenosine, which controls the rate at which nerves transmit messages to the brain. Adenosine dilates the arteries and allows more blood to flow, which could one day be used to relieve painful angina and prevent heart attacks. Researchers hope these chemicals might be used in new drugs to fight heart disease, epilepsy, hyperactivity and insomnia.  Read more at: |
posted by CW Fisher at 8/31/2005
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