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September 2010
Moderate coffee drinkers got good news from two new studies of the health effects of that cup o' joe. Greek researchers report that one to two cups of coffee a day may improve the flexibility of the aorta in older adults with high blood pressure. Scientists studied 435 hypertensive subjects, ages 65 and up. Drinking three to five cups daily, however, was not associated with any extra heart-flexibility, leading researchers to speculate that at higher levels, caffeine may overpower the beneficial effects of polyphenol compounds in coffee. In a second study, researchers debunked the commonly held notion that coffee raises the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF), an irregular and often rapid heart rhythm that boosts the danger of clots and strokes. Analyzing data on 33,638 participants in the Women's Health Study over 14 years, scientists found no evidence that higher caffeine consumption was linked to greater risk of AF. In fact, they concluded, "the consumption of small to moderate amounts of caffeine may have a small but significant protective effect on the occurrence of AF." — European Society of Cardiology, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
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March 2010
Coffee drinkers who've been upping their java consumption in light of reports about coffee's various health benefits can rest easy (if all that caffeine lets you rest at all): Coffee drinking isn't associated with a greater risk of heart arrhythmia. In fact, contrary to popular belief, a new study finds that people who drink four or more cups of coffee daily were actually 18% less likely to be admitted to the hospital for a heart-rhythm disturbance than coffee abstainers. Researchers confessed to being surprised by the results, because patients sometimes report forceful heartbeats or palpitations after drinking coffee. If you have trouble tolerating caffeine or coffee, the scientists added, their study shouldn't change the advice to avoid both, nor should you take up the habit in hopes of preventing arrhythmias. But moderate coffee drinkers should take comfort in the results. Sorry, tea lovers, the seven-year study of 130,054 men and women found no similar benefit for tea drinking. — American Heart Association…
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March 2010
In other news from the American Stroke Association conference, coffee drinkers may have yet another reason to perk up: Already associated with a range of health benefits, coffee could also reduce your risk of stroke. UK researchers analyzed data on 9,978 men and 12,254 women participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) study. Over about 12 years, 855 strokes were reported. Participants drinking one or more cups of coffee per day — the average among coffee drinkers was 3.1 cups — were 30% less likely to suffer a stroke. Greater coffee consumption wasn't associated with any further risk reduction, however. Among smokers, a daily cup o' joe was associated with a 61% reduced stroke risk. Researchers don't know why coffee might help ward off strokes, though several possible mechanisms were suggested. Since both regular and decaf consumption were linked to reduced stroke risk, any possible mechanism must involve something other than caffeine. — American Stroke Association…
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March 2010
That daily cup of coffee might keep you from nodding off into a nap — and maybe that's a good thing: New research on almost 20,000 Chinese adults age 50 and up suggests that people who regularly take a nap may be at greater risk for diabetes. The researchers are quick to add that their study doesn't necessarily mean napping causes diabetes; it may be, for example, that people with poorer overall health are more prone to sleep during the day. Among participants who reported napping (which is more common in China than in the US) four to six days a week, 15% had diabetes, compared to 12% of seldom or never nappers. When adjusted for other risk factors, regular nappers were 36% more likely than non-nappers to have diabetes. Researchers did speculate that napping might affect the body's natural rhythms and hormone levels, pointing out that waking up actually stresses the body and may impact blood sugar. — Sleep
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February 2010
If you like your coffee with a little milk, Nestle scientists say go ahead: You don't have to worry about missing out on the antioxidants in coffee that are increasingly being linked to possible health benefits. Adding sugar and non-dairy creamer, however, did reduce the levels of coffee antioxidants subsequently measured in the bodies of nine test subjects. The effect of milk and other additives on the body's absorption of antioxidants from coffee and tea has been the subject of several previous but conflicting studies. Trying to settle the debate, scientists tested blood for antioxidants after the subjects drank black instant coffee, instant coffee plus whole milk, and instant coffee plus nondairy creamer and sugar. Adding milk made no difference, but the creamer plus sugar reduced maximum concentrations of the compounds tested as well as the time required to reach that maximum. Before you go crazy on the cafe au lait, though, keep in mind that when you add whole milk to coffee you're also pouring in 9 calories and 0.28 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon. — Journal of Nutrition
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November 2009
That jolt of java might do more than help you wake up in the morning — coffee may also reduce the risk of endometrial cancer. A large new Swedish study reports that women who drink at least two cups of regular coffee daily are less likely to develop the cancer, which affects the cells lining the uterus. Karolinska Institute scientists surveyed 60,634 women in the Swedish Mammography Cohort study about their coffee intake. Over an average of 17 years, 677 of the women developed endometrial cancer. Regular coffee drinkers proved less at risk for the cancer, with each additional cup o' joe associated with a 10% lower relative risk. The coffee connection was especially strong for overweight and obese women — who are at greatest risk for endometrial cancer — with each extra cup linked to 12% lower risk for overweight women and 20% for the obese. Coffee, researchers suggested, may affect blood sugar, fat cells and estrogen — all factors in the cancer. They called for further study including decaf, to separate the possible effects of caffeine and coffee. — International Journal of Cancer
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August 2009
The mice at the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center may be a little jittery, but at least their brains are sharp. Researchers there report that mice daily given 500 milligrams of caffeine—about the amount in five cups of coffee—experienced a reversal of the effects of simulated Alzheimer's disease. Compared to decaf mice, the test animals had nearly 50% lower levels of beta amyloid, a protein whose buildup is associated with the brain damage from Alzheimer's. After two months, the caffeinated mice with Alzheimer's performed identically on memory and reasoning tests to control mice free of dementia. "These are some of the most promising Alzheimer's mouse experiments ever done," researchers said, adding that they hope to move on to clinical trials in humans. Caffeine benefited only mice genetically programmed to develop memory problems mimicking Alzheimer's, however; it failed to boost the brains of normal mice.—Journal of Alzheimer's Disease…
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April 2009
You could be getting more of a jolt from dietary-supplement pills than you realize. USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists who analyzed 53 dietary supplements found that about half contained the caffeine equivalent of up to two cups of coffee. But supplements aren't required to list caffeine on the label unless they contain added pure caffeine. The stimulant occurs naturally not only in tea and coffee, but also in "botanicals" such as guarana, yerba mate, green tea extract and kola nut. Of the 28 analyzed products that voluntarily listed a caffeine amount on the label, 25 were accurate within 20%. Among all 53 pills, caffeine levels ranged from zero to 800 milligrams per dose (more than in eight cups of coffee).—Agricultural Research…
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February 2009
Two new studies suggest that stroke prevention help may come in a steaming hot cup. An analysis of 14 years' data on more than 83,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study found that those who drank two to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily were at 19% lower risk of suffering a stroke, compared to non-coffee drinkers. But coffee didn't benefit those with key risk factors for stroke—smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure or unhealthy cholesterol levels. Decaf coffee also showed a trend toward reduced stroke risk, but tea did not, suggesting components in coffee other than caffeine may be at work. A second report, however, analyzing nine previous studies totaling 194,965 men and women, did find those drinking at least three cups daily of green or black tea were 21% less likely to suffer a stroke than non-tea drinkers.—Circulation, Stroke
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January 2009
Those coffee-loving Scandinavians may be onto something. A new study by Finnish and Swedish researchers says that people who drink three to five cups of coffee a day in midlife could be cutting their risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Researchers followed 1,409 individuals over an average of 21 years, at the end of which the subjects ranged in age from 65 to 79. Compared to non-coffee drinkers, those who drank three to five cups of java daily when the study began were 65% less likely to develop Alzheimer's. While calling for further research, the scientists said the findings raise the possibility of dietary interventions that could reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's.—Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
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