How Coffee Affects Your Health

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A multitude of research has taken place over the past 25 years regarding how drinking coffee affects one's health. This is because over 400 million cups of coffee are consumed every day worldwide. Health professionals have been warning the general public that drinking coffee may be hazardous to their health for at least the past 20 years. More recent research, however, indicates that quite the opposite may be true.

For many, many years, it has been widely known that one of coffee's chief ingredients, caffeine, is a mild stimulant. Stimulants are known to cause heart palpitations, increase heart rate as well as cause a rise in blood pressure. Researchers today are discovering that these are temporary and mild effects.

On the other hand, information being obtained today indicates that there is a great deal of varied health benefits to drinking coffee.

Research indicates that drinking large amounts of coffee daily, i.e., four or more cups, can reduce the development of colon cancer in some individuals. That large a consumption, however, may not be as beneficial.

Drinking a moderate amount of coffee daily can provide health benefits.

The consumption of coffee, much like drinking wine, can actually reduce some types of cancers as well as heart disease because the antioxidants remove dangerous cell-destroying oxygen radicals from the blood. Some researchers believe that coffee contains higher levels of antioxidants than the amount contained in apples, tomatoes or cranberries. On the other hand, scientists want to remind us that vegetables and fruits contain many important minerals, vitamins and fibers that coffee and wine do not contain.

Chinese research indicates that not only does coffee assist with increased mental alertness, but may well aid in the reduction of Parkinson's disease and its effects.

Scandinavian and American research indicates that both regular and decaf coffee consumption may help prevent the onset of Type-2 Diabetes. This is wonderful news for Scandinavians because they have the greatest number of coffee drinkers worldwide!

There is further data that indicates those who drink coffee will have fewer incidences of gallstone and/or kidney stones. Medical science has determined that the digestive system greatly benefits from the consumption of coffee. Digestion is assisted by the secretion of stomach acid and caffeine has been determined to increase the amount of stomach acid secreted.

Caffeine, consumed moderately, appears to reduce the construction of airways in those individuals suffering from asthma. Coffee contains both caffeine and the bronchodilator, theophyline, which aids breathing in asthma sufferers.

Conversely, coffee has risks as well.

There are studies which link heavy consumption of coffee to reduced fertility, although mammalian sperm appear to move faster, farther and with more tenacity in fluids that contain coffee.

Currently research has also linked heavy consumption of coffee with increased levels of homocysteine in the blood, a known risk factor for heart attacks. There are also studies that indicate coffee causes an increase in the bad cholesterol, i.e., LDL-cholesterol. Researchers disagree, however, as to what level coffee contributes to coronary heart disease.

The ingredient cafestol in coffee in widely known to cause increased levels of cholesterol, especially in the European coffees made by placing the ground beans in hot, boiling water. American coffee, however, is generally filtered or percolated and this process removes the cafestol. The exception could well be decaffeinated coffee.

Loss of calcium and less bone density in women have been attributed to drinking high levels of caffeine. Urinary incontinence is also more prevalent in those individuals who drink 4 or more cups of coffee daily.

When you look closely, it appears that the benefits of moderate coffee drinking outweigh the risks. Of note is that colas contain a third of the caffeine of coffee if you're a heavy coffee drinker looking for a substitute beverage. However, substituting a Coke for a Latte is really not worth the increased benefit.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

I love all kinds of coffee and have for years. Not sure which coffee to buy? Which coffee bean is the best? Save yourself time, money and headaches by visiting my Whole Bean Coffee Blog for advice, how-to articles, and reviews!

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