Renee Martin-Kratzer will perk you up with these surprising health benefits derived from drinking coffee as published in Reader's Digest October 2008 issue.
Mounting evidence suggests that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, gallstones, Parkinson's disease, cirrhosis, and certain types of liver, breast and colon cancers.
Hundreds of compounds, including antioxidants, seem to be responsible for coffee's many protective benefits.
In a recent Harvard University study, coffee drinkers had a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular causes than nondrinkers.
A Norwegian study even found that a typical serving of brewed coffee is richer in antioxidants than a serving of blueberries, raspberries, pineapples, or many fruit juices.
Coffee goodness goes beyond the realm of your body because it helps your mind as well. One study found that sleep-deprived rats were much calmer after simply inhaling roasted coffee beans.
But what UK experts call the "best evidence yet" of coffee's benefits lies in the research showing coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body.
In a BBC website, coffee has already been linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer's Disease, and a study by a US team for the Journal of Neuroinflammation may explain why.
A vital barrier between the brain and the main blood supply of rabbits fed a fat-rich diet was protected in those given a caffeine supplement.
Caffeine's ability to stabilise the "blood brain barrier" means it could have an important part to play in therapies against neurological disorders.
The "blood brain barrier" is a filter which protects the central nervous system from potentially harmful chemicals carried around in the rest of the bloodstream.
The University of North Dakota study used the equivalent to just one daily cup of coffee in their experiments on rabbits.
After 12 weeks of a high-cholesterol diet, the blood brain barrier in those given caffeine was far more intact than in those given no caffeine.
"Caffeine appears to block several of the disruptive effects of cholesterol that make the blood-brain barrier leaky," said Dr Jonathan Geiger, who led the study.
"High levels of cholesterol are a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, perhaps by compromising the protective nature of the blood brain barrier.
A spokesman for the Alzheimer's Society said that the barrier seemed to work less efficiently in people who went on to develop Alzheimer's or suffer strokes, and the cholesterol link might explain this.
Meanwhile another article in Empowered Doctor's website backs the above-mentioned study on Alzheimer's. It states that a Finnish study has discovered that drinking coffee in middle age can help ward off Alzheimer's disease and dementia, reducing the risk of these disorders by up to 65 percent.
The researchers, who published their work in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, studied surviving participants in two long-term medical surveys that had been started in 1972. In 1998, 1,409 of the survey subjects, aged 65-79, filled out questionnaires again, through which 61 of them were identified as suffering from dementia, 48 of these cases being Alzheimer's.
At the midlife survey in 1987, the participants identified themselves as falling into three categories of daily coffee drinking: zero to two cups (low), three to five cups (moderate) and more than five cups (high) per day. The subjects were also asked about their tea consumption and were divided into two groups: those who didn't drink tea and those who did.
The Finnish and Swedish researchers found that people who drank coffee in middle age had lower risk for dementia and Alzheimer's. Moderate coffee drinkers experienced the greatest reduction in risk - 65 percent. Drinking tea, however, had no influence on dementia and Alzheimer's.
"Given the large amount of coffee consumption globally, the results might have important implications for the prevention of or delaying the onset of dementia/AD," said Kivipelto. "The finding needs to be confirmed by other studies, but it opens the possibility that dietary interventions could modify the risk of dementia/AD. Also, identification of mechanisms of how coffee exerts its protection against dementia/AD might help in the development of new therapies for these diseases."
If those are not enough reasons for you to sip a cup of coffee, maybe the idea of improving your memory would. BBC News Online's Damian Carrington says researchers in Israel have shown that caffeine makes existing brain cells swell and new ones grow.
Dr Menahem Segal, at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, told BBC News Online that making the connection between this growth and better memory and learning capability is "a long jump, but it is what we are aiming for".
The scientists grew rat neurones in the laboratory and then added caffeine. The brain cells, called dendritic spines and taken from a region of the brain called hippocampus, grew by 33% and new spines formed. The cells returned to their original shape after an hour or two.
"We are studying the spines because everyone assumes that they are related to learning and memory and so intuitively you would say that the more spines there are, the better learner you are," said Dr Segal.
Having shown that the spines do grow, "the next step, which we have already begun, is to see if these cells with larger or longer spines can learn better," he added.
The growing brain cells produced "could be one reason" for the potential improvement in memory and learning ability brought about by drinking caffeine-containing drinks, such as tea and coffee.
But there could be other factors: "We believe you may have other effects of caffeine, which would help you through a hard day. Drinking coffee may help improve memory because of an increased attention and arousal level," said Dr Segal.
And he calculates that a lot of caffeine is needed to be sure of seeing the cell growth effect - about ten cups.
The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
For those who drink coffee to stay alert, new research suggests that you'll stay more alert, particularly if you are fighting sleep deprivation, if you spread your coffee consumption over the course of the day. For instance, if you usually drink 16 ounces in the morning, try consuming a 2-3 ounce serving every hour or so. Again, moderation is the key.
Source: Harvard Health.Edu
In a separate report made by Mark Duff for BBC News, Milan, Dietician Chiara Trombetti, of the Humanitas Gavazzeni Institute revealed more health benefits from coffee drinking:
Coffee contains tannin and antioxidants, which are good for the heart and arteries.
Coffee can also relieve headaches.
It is good for the liver - and can help prevent cirrhosis and gallstones.
And the caffeine in coffee can reduce the risk of asthma attacks - and help improve circulation within the heart.
COFFEE BREAK BENEFITS FORM READER'S DIGEST
Despite all that's said - there is no denying that coffee is not for everyone. Coffee is not completely innocent. Caffeine, coffee's main ingredient is a mild addictive stimulant. And coffee does have modest cardiovascular effects such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and occasional irregular heartbeat that should be considered.
Pregnant women will want to limit their intake as coffee can boost the risk of miscarriage.
If you drink too much it can increase nervousness, and cause rapid heartbeat and trembling hands.
Heart patients, and anyone with a stomach ulcer are usually advised to avoid it.
If you're worried about cholesterol, stick to paper-filtered and instant coffees. Unfiltered coffees, which are typically made with a French press, contain more of a cholesterol-raising substance called cafestol.
Both tea and coffee contain polyphenols that can bind to iron, making it difficult for our bodies to absorb. Avoiding tea and coffee during and around mealtimes is important for people at risk of iron deficiency. This suggestion was made at an article in MRC Human Nutrition research in July 2008.
Like in all things, many dietitians believe moderation is still best and recommend drinking only one or two cups of coffee a day-without whole milk, whipped cream, and sugar.
What is Caffeine and its effect on Health? See this post
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