coffee article

[espressomattic]

Was sent the below today, makes an interesting read.

Matt


Coffee 'doesn't deserve bad rap'By Frederic Garlan in Montpellier
September 15, 2006 01:37pm
Article from: Agence France-PresseFont size: + -
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BAD for the heart, heavy on the stomach and even cancer-causing - coffee
has been the target of years of negative press, but scientists now say many
of those criticisms are unfair.

Not only are some health fears misguided but coffee can actually reduce the
chances of developing illnesses such as Parkinson's disease or diabetes,
a meeting of the International Association on Coffee Science was told in
Montpellier, France.

Up to six mugs of the beloved pick-me-up beverage a day will not in fact
lead to heart or digestive damage in a healthy person, experts say.

The myriad misunderstandings about coffee stem from the fact that for nearly
two centuries, medical studies about it have been confined to the effects
produced by a key component - caffeine.
"For a long time research has been too simplistic, by largely being centred
on just caffeine, while coffee is an extremely complex drink," said Astrid
Nehlig, a leading French specialist on the link between coffee and health.


The drink's benefits far surpass the lift it brings to the morning routine
of its devotees, experts believe.

Coffee contains chlorogenic acids and melanoids which trap so-called free
radicals, or atomic particles which damage DNA, and are also powerful antioxidants,
involved in the prevention of cellular damage.

Coffee can also cut the risks of cirrhosis by up to 80 per cent, according
to Carlo La Vecchia, of the Milan-based Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological
Research.

Bertil Fredholm, of Stockholm's Karolinska Institute, highlighted at the
conference,which wraps up today, "strong epidemiological evidence" that coffee
consumption can prevent Parkinson's disease in men.

And diabetes expert Jaakko Tuomilehto, from Helsinki University, said the
risk of type 2 diabetes, linked to poor eating habits and a lack of exercise,
can be halved by drinking five to six cups of coffee daily.

Indeed, 10 cups a day - nothing unusual in Finland which tops the world's
coffee consumer list - can cut the risk by 80 per cent.

Coffee is more efficient than fruit and vegetables in preventing the oxidation
of DNA, the source of a number of serious illnesses, especially cancers,
notes Siegfried Knasmueller of the Medical University of Vienna.

But, at the same time, coffee harbours a number of potentially carcinogenic
substances.

US toxicology consultant James Coughlin has recorded about 30 such substances,
though no study has so far established a definitive link between coffee and
cancer.

While research has tended to measure coffee consumption, it has been unable
to distinguish what kind of coffee is being drunk, or, often, how it is taken
- with or without sugar, milk, or even caffeine.

Most of the studies presented here were based on an American-style cup of
coffee, corresponding to trends in northern Europe and the United States,
with 600 millilitres a day considered a reasonable amount.

Epidemiologist Cuno Uiterwaal, of the University Medical Centre of Utrecht,
has studied the risk of heart attacks in coffee-drinkers and believes that
based on current knowledge, a heavy consumer can safely continue to indulge.


But he is less willing to suggest a recommended amount.

"It's always very difficult to translate observational results into medical
advice," he says.

[Davec]

Well I have been drinking 10+ cups a day for over 20 years and I'm still here. However, I do believe it is important what coffee you drink and i think the better the quality the healthier for you, and bad to good is

Instant, Percolotor, Drip, French press and Espresso extraction.

nah....coffee bad for you....nah, almost everything enjoyable is bad for you, but sex coffee and money (not necessarily in that order) are probably all good for you.

[kingseven]

Montpellier you say?

Probably something to do with this - http://www.asic-cafe.org/htm/eng/colloquium.htm

Wish I could have gone...

[chemistone]

And diabetes expert Jaakko Tuomilehto, from Helsinki University, said the risk of type 2 diabetes, linked to poor eating habits and a lack of exercise, can be halved by drinking five to six cups of coffee daily.

It is hard not to move when drinking such an amount of coffee.

Coffee is more efficient than fruit and vegetables in preventing the oxidation of DNA, the source of a number of serious illnesses, especially cancers, notes Siegfried Knasmueller of the Medical University of Vienna.

I knew it, coffee is much better than those green and coloured things. I skip my apple today and drink another cup of espresso .


As with most medical studies, it decreases the risk of one disease and increases the risk of another, one has to die anyway...

[bruceb]

As with most medical studies, it decreases the risk of one disease and increases the risk of another, one has to die anyway...

So it boils down to this: Are you going to die with a good cup of coffee in your hand, or a bad cup?