Good News for Starbucks: Coffee Can Save Your Life

I am not a coffee drinker; I prefer a nice soothing cup of tea. But maybe, I'm missing out on a magic bullet to good health.  At the very least, it appears  that coffee (and presumably the caffeine in coffee) may just save your life if you are a regular drinker of three or four 5 ounce cups of coffee,  or the equivalent of one venti from Starbucks.

 Recent studies by the National Cancer Institute, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Miami and the University of South Florida all suggest that coffee drinking can reduce the risk of diabetes, skin cancer, prostate cancer, oral cancer and breast cancer recurrence.

Some of those studies also show that coffee may reduce the likelihood that you will develop dementia or Alzheimer's disease. 

For more information, see the June 9, 2013 issue of the New York Times Magazine for the article, This is Your Brain on Coffee, by Gretchen Reynolds.

Given these potential benefits, I may just head down to Starbucks rather than the local pharmacy.

Coffee or Green Tea: Why Not Both!

If you like to drink coffee or green tea, you are probably aware of the many health benefits of each of these drinks. I have written about some of those.http://notjustforboomers.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-benefits-of-tea-and-why-starbucks.html What you may not know is the benefit of drinking both beverages in cutting the risk of stroke when the two drinks are taken individually each day.A Japanese study suggests that drinking green tea or coffee daily might lower stroke risk by about 20 percent.  Green tea contains catechins, which have an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effect, that can help regulate blood pressure and improve blood flow. And coffee contains more than just caffeine. It also contains quinides, These are compounds that can help control blood sugar, which cuts your risk of stroke by reducing your risk of Type 2 diabetes. The researchers wrote that the "combination of higher green tea and coffee consumptions contributed to the reduced risk of stroke as an interaction effect for each other," The study was published in the American Heart Association Journal, Stroke.

Health Updates

Recently, I have written on the studies that show that lack of sleep can torpedo your efforts at dieting.  "How to lose weight while sleeping," December 11, 2012.  Well, a recent study in the medical journal, Sleep, has shown that losing sleep may also reduce your tolerance to pain. Although it is not known why, there appeared to be a connection between chronic sleep loss and acute pain.  So there is another reason to get your 8 hours every night.

In my November 29, 2012 post, "The Benefits of Tea and Why Starbucks is Getting into the Act," I wrote about all the health benefits of drinking tea.  A new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology has now demonstrated that coffee may also have some unexpected benefits.  The study conducted by a researcher from the National Cancer Society has found that drinking caffeinated coffee may reduce the risk of oral cancer. The risk was shown to be reduced significantly by those drinking 4 to 6 cups of coffee a day. 

Today's New York Times contains an article entitled "Grapefruit is a culprit in More Drug Reactions." I first reported on this same subject in my December 6, 2012 post, "Should You Be Eating that Grapefruit?" The Times article reiterates that eating grapefruit can heighten the effects of  certain common medications including birth control pills and estrogen.  The full list is on  the Times' website, www.nytimes.com.

Coffree: A Life Saver

Several weeks ago, I wrote about the beneficial effects of coffee "Coffee: Just What the Doctor Ordered", April 28, 2012.. Recently, The New England Journal of Medicine, May 17, 2012,  published an article about a study that showed that coffee drinkers (particularly those who consumed three or more cups a day) had a 10% less chance of dying from heart problems, stroke, diabetes and other causes The study was  conducted by researchers from the National Cancer Institute and the AARP. The researchers followed some 400,000 men and women over a 12 year period. .The study involved those who drank coffee with and without caffeine, so it does not appear that caffeine is the operative ingredient that may be beneficial.

So, have another cup of java and drink up!

Coffee: Just What the Doctor Ordered

Last time I wrote about the many potential health benefits of high intensity interval training or HIIT. In as little as two ten minute sessions of cycling a week, the same results can be achieved as with multiple longer, less intense sessions. Today, I want to report on two other shortcuts to healthier living that you might want to consider.

First, Prevention Magazine recently reported on a British study that showed that cutting back on carbohydrates such as pasta, breads, etc, just twice a week had as much effect on weight loss as full-time dieters. Definitely worth looking into and trying if, like me, you hate counting calories.

Another recent study has appeared to confirm what we thought all along--coffee is good for you! In a recent study by the University of Madrid and Harvard University, dramatic reductions in mortality were found among coffee drinkers. According to the study, womenn who drank two to three cups of java had as much as an 18% reduction in death from all causes. The reduction for women who drank four or five cups was even more dramatic---up to a 26% reduction. The reduction for men was smaller but still not insignificant. So. drink up!