Thursday, March 28, 2013

One More Reason To Love Coffee



Coffee seems to play a large role in our daily lives, but do you know that there is a medical benefit to coffee and tea intake? Studies show that regular intake of coffee and tea reduced the risk of stroke by about 20% in the long term. So even if you are not a coffee person, green tea provides the same benefits. Although the study was only done in the 45-74 year old demographic, it seemed as though many people were to benefit from the caffeine consumption.
            The follow up of the study, which was about 13 years, included review of medical records to indicate the cause of death in those that were participants in the research. They wanted to see if those who were in their study had aliments of heart disease or stoke and their age, sex and whether or not they were a habitual smoker or consumer of alcohol. The follow up also showed that people, who drink green tea daily, as opposed to those who do not, actually had a more active lifestyle. It is not conclusive, but people are were known for green tea consumption are more likely to be physically active than those who do not drink green tea.
          The reason for green tea’s benefits comes from an antioxidant called catechins, which can also be found in chocolate made with real cocoa. Coffee contains chlorogenic acid, which can actually be beneficial for preventing stoke by reducing the risk of Type II Diabetes.  The reason that green tea and coffee is beneficial for cardiovascular risk reduction is that it helps in the reduction of blood clots. Further research could help scientists determine other benefits from the consumption of coffee and tea. There have been studies in the past, but the results were not conclusive because they did not factor in cigarette smoking, which can have a negative impact on preventing cardiovascular disease. Hopefully we will see more updates on this study and find out what other benefits we can get out of coffee and tea.

So get out there and drink more coffee and tea!

Posted by Alicia Champagne (1)

14 comments:

  1. At least now know my coffee addiction may include some health benefits. I wonder at what point of consumption coffee may become harmful?

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    1. Overdoing anything can have a potential risk, but as long as you don't consume too much per day, long term there could possibly be a benefit to it.
      Taking into consideration your genetics as well, some families have more issues with blood pressure and heart related illnesses more than others.

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  2. Does this study suggest any health benefits about other types of tea such as jasmine or black tea? I usually find myself drinking black tea. Hopefully it's helping my health!

    Kimberly Ty (3)

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    1. I think any tea with caffeine would be suitable. Green and white teas have more natural antioxidants, but sometimes you can mix teas too. So you could possibly get both the caffeine and the antioxidants.

      Have you ever tried loose leaf tea?

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  3. How did the study come to the conclusion that caffeine consumption was the factor responsible for the heath benefits? You mentioned that increased physical activity is correlated with green tea consumption. Could it be that such other factors in the lifestyles of people who drink more caffeinated beverages are actually responsible for the health benefits (i.e. a third variable). How would you propose a control in the study to figure this out?

    Posted by Sean McDougall (2)

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    1. Maybe they could do a study with people who exercise and consume caffeine and compare it to those who are just as physically active but do not consume.

      There are so many different variables, but I could see how caffeine could benefit in the long run as long as the consumption is not too high.

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  4. I am a regular tea drinker and not only do I enjoy it as a drink to relax, but I also drink it for its beneficial anti-oxidant effects as mentioned in this review. I also prefer tea over coffee because it has less caffeine: you can drink more without going overboard on the caffeine. This article however should also address the problems involved with too much caffeine consumption. Just because something is labeled as "good" doesn't mean we can disregard the idea of consumption in moderation.

    Marshall Moini (2)

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    1. They should, especially so people will not go overboard with it. Too much of anything could be a risk, but that's where the consumer has to have self control and not drink more than 4 or 5 cups a day. That would certainly have both short term and long term adverse effects if someone were to drink that much caffeine per day!

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  5. I feel like there's always a back-and-forth for whether or not daily coffee consumption is good for you. Hopefully this article proves to be true because it would be great to know that doses of coffee or tea can have disease-preventing properties. The only thing that I question is whether its the caffeine that's providing benefits as well as the antioxidants or if the antioxidants are the sole source of the health benefits?

    Posted by Poya Jafari (2)

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    1. There can be only so much of a good thing, but people need to also take into consideration the sugar and milk fat that they put in the coffee as well.

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  6. In small amounts it seems everything can be good for a person because of the chemical properties. I have also heard that individuals who drank at least four cups of green tea a day, burned more fat cells (lost more weight) over a time span than a person who did not.

    Sunni (1)

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    1. It's a good way to get the metabolism kicking, especially before a workout, it helps your body burn more efficiently, but the issue with that is you have to have extra water because it will dehydrate you as well. Balance is key!

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  7. You would think that caffeine raises the risk of stroke due to its acute effects of vasoconstriction, increased heart rate, and hypertension. Maybe the effects for chronic coffee or trea drinkers are different?

    Joseph Starrett (3)

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