The past twenty-five years or so, research on coffee?s effect on the body has grown significantly, and scientists have every reason to be curious since almost a half billion cups of coffee are consumed every day. For sometime, healthcare professionals warned that partaking of coffee was bad for your health yet recent research has somewhat altered that view.
Caffeine, the active ingredient found in your coffee is consumed for its stimulating properties. For many, this can lead to a spike in blood pressure, increased heart rate and, hence, heart arrhythmias or irregular beating. However, scientists now believe that these effects are not too important as they are not lasting.
On the other hand, new research shows coffee consumption in a positive light as it can aid in many aspects of your well-being. For instance, new evidence suggests that coffee decreases your chances of contracting colon cancer. To get this benefit, however, you would have to drink at least four cups a day, which might really be harmful to your health.
However, moderate consumption has some incomparable benefits. Coffee is rich in antioxidants, which can help prevent heart problems as well as certain types of cancer. Antioxidants work to clear the blood of free-radicals which can cause cancer. Researchers report that the levels antioxidants in coffee are higher than that found antioxidant-rich produce. On the other hand, doctors would point out that eating fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidants will also supply your body with other necessary vitamins and minerals.
Other research suggests that drinking coffee, whether decaf or regular, cappaccino or espresso , reduces the onset of type-2 diabetes. In addition, some results show that coffee might lower the risk of contracting a kidney stone. Overall, there seem to be numerous benefits to the digestive system. Caffeine causes the stomach to secrete acid, which speeds along digestion.
For those who battle asthma, caffeine has been proven to open up the airways when consumed moderately. Theophylline, a bronchodilator which aids lung functioning, is also found in coffee.
Of course, there are risks to take into account as well. For instance, heavy coffee consumption has been linked with reduced fertility in men. Also, coffee has been associated with high blood levels of homocysteine, which has been linked to coronary heart disease. Further research shows increased LDL-cholesterol, which is the kind you try to limit. Furthermore, cafestol is in coffee, which has been proven raise cholesterol levels.
Overall, most scientists agree that the benefits of moderate coffee consumption counter the risks. For those heavy drinkers thinking of cutting back, colas contain a third of the caffeine per ounce. On the other hand, consuming too much soda is has its own drawbacks.
About the Author:
Vince Paxton regularly creates online reports on topics dealing with espresso water pressure. His
abstracts on espresso maker can be found on his site .
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August 25 2008 | coffee | No Comments »
That one simple beverage could generate so many romantic stores and so much business is amazing. Yet, since its inception, the dark and powerful liquid known as coffee has turned into quite a lucrative product.
There are many legends about the origin of the coffee bean, but the most reliable historians pinpoint its discovery to around 500 BC in Ethiopia. It is said that travelers then brought it to Arabia after observing the stimulating effects from the coffee plant berries, where it acquired its name.
The Renaissance gave birth not only to art and science, but also to the commercial production of that ?heathenish liquid,? as it would later be termed. By the late eighteenth century, both drinking popularity and plantations had spread to other parts such as Asia, Europe, the Middle East and South and North America and did not make exception for social class.
During these centuries, the health effects associated with coffee bordered along the lines of miraculous, but as with most proclaimed miracles, there is some fact upon which to base the claim.
Some research suggests that mammalian sperm swim faster and farther in fluid laced with coffee, based upon the theory that caffeine stimulates them to perform as such. One study at Harvard followed over 100,000 individuals for nearly twenty years and drew the conclusion that moderate consumption of caffeine can help reduce diabetes, while other studies show a reduction in cirrhosis of the liver and decreased severity of asthma.
The antioxidants in coffee have been touted as helping to keep hearts healthier, albeit there is still debate about whether the risks outweigh the benefits. Coffee is a diuretic, thus encouraging frequent urination. Some allege that caffeine stimulation affects the nervous system, particularly that it can result in long term degeneration of the nerves. Caffeine withdrawal can lead to poor sleeping habits.
But, for good, bad or a combination of both, coffee is not going anywhere anytime soon, if ever. Economics alone can basically guarantee that since coffee is a commodity only second in dollar sense to oil.
Whether traded on exchanges in New York, London or Hong Kong, with over four hundred billion cups of coffee consumed yearly, this black gold is only increasing in popularity. Total retails sales estimate at near nine billion dollars annually, although only ten to twenty percent of adults drink at least one cup daily varying by country. Adding in the grinders, brewers, cappucino maker and cups that go along with the coffee product and the numbers are astounding.
With the rise in both basic coffee and specialty retail prices, coffee?s future looks extremely bright and this is not just for specialty coffee shops like Starbucks. Home brewers and roasters can also brew a tasty espresso allowing the enjoyment of coffee flavors and blends to occur both in and outside the home, adding to the overall coffee industry. By adding just a few special ingredients, anyone can have a mocha, cappuccino or latte in just a few minutes in the comfort of their own home.
About the Author:
Concentrating on the topic of coffee makers and cappachino machines, Peter Mason published mainly for http://www.coffee-espresso-maker-tips.com . On his site one might come across his publications on
home cappuccino machines and cappucino maker.
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August 10 2008 | coffee | 1 Comment »