News of Antioxidants in Coffee not a License to Make It a Mainstay in Health Regimens

Coffee may be a chief source of antioxidants in the American diet, as recently reported at the meeting of the American Chemical Society by Dr. Joe Vinson of the University of Scranton, but "that is not a license to make it a mainstay of your health regimen," says Dr. Keith I. Block of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care & Optimal Health in Evanston, Illinois. Vinson recently found that, based on both the concentration of antioxidants in coffee and the relative amounts we consume of coffee and the more conventionally acknowledged antioxidant sources - fruits and vegetables - coffee contributes more to our antioxidant intake than any other food.

"Vinson's results are perhaps more a reflection on the inadequacy of our fruit and vegetable intake than on the health benefits of coffee, which has some significant health concerns for many people," noted Block. Caffeinated coffee joins several other popular caffeine sources in the diet in contributing to excess intake of this natural drug. Recent studies highlight the role that caffeine overdose plays in insomnia, anxiety disorders, elevation of stress hormones, urination and bladder problems in older women, and non-cancerous breast lumps. It produces a small but disturbingly significant elevation of blood pressure. Even decaffeinated coffee contributes to health problems. When it's combined with high-fat milk, cream, sugar or flavorings, a single 16-oz cup can have over 250 calories - a questionable addition to the diet of anyone trying to keep their weight under control (not to mention their budget)! "Decaf and caffeinated coffee alike contribute to a range of gastric problems that are becoming ever more important in contemporary society, including both ulcers and the widespread gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD or chronic heartburn), which can be a precursor to esophageal cancer," explained Block, who is co-founder and Medical/Scientific Director of the Block Center. "While a little coffee can be fine for most people, increasing beyond a cup or two a day can lead to clinical problems. The supersized caffeinated blends can actually be toxic! In fact some studies have found that increases in blood levels can be responsible for adverse effects among persons consuming only moderately increased doses over average consumption. Though usually toxic dosing requires quite high dosing, upwards of 150 ounces daily, toxicity can result for some people if they were to consume 35 to 70 ounces in a short period. This is only 7 to 14 cups at only 5 ounces per cup. Or, at the supersize 16+ ounce level, only a few!"

While many people may be able to tolerate coffee in the small cup or two per day that Dr. Vinson points out as being reasonable, anyone with health problems that are potentially coffee- or caffeine-related needs to examine their daily coffee intake closely.

"Yes, coffee is chock full of antioxidants," says Dr. Block, "but don't run to your neighborhood coffee-house in place of consuming fruits and vegetables. These colorful plants contain an array of plant chemicals that help reduce your risks of killer diseases like cancer and heart disease."

The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Care and Optimal Health, located in Evanston, Illinois, was founded in 1980 by Penny and Keith Block, M.D. with a focus on treating the patient as a whole person, not treating just the diagnosis or symptoms. The Center's research-based treatment integrates an innovative approach to the best of conventional medicine with scientifically sound complementary therapies -- therapeutic nutrition, botanical and phytonutrient supplementation, prescriptive exercise, and systematic mind-body strategies -- to enhance the recovery process. Block has pioneered this "middle ground" approach to cancer care and optimal health - designing a total treatment plan that is tailored to the precise needs of each patient, using a unique set of clinical and laboratory assessments. The Block Center is breaking new ground with the creation and development of Cancer Rehab as an innovative treatment modality, and currently is the only private North American medical center using chrono-modulated chemotherapy. While the Block Center is a full treatment clinic, it is involved in collaborative research with M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas as a Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) and is also engaged in clinical cancer research with other university facilities in the United States and Israel ( www.blockmd.com )

www.blockmd.com

Coffee Or Tea - Which Is Better For You?

While, it's mostly the caffeine that gets people going, a side benefit from drinking these beverages is that you may be boosting your immune system and helping to fight disease. Most people cannot function without either their morning cup of coffee or tea.

While the health benefits of drinking green tea have been much publicized, few people realize that drinking coffee can have health benefits as well but recent studies show that coffee may share some of the healthy attributes that green tea has shown.

Both coffee and green tea have been shown to contain compounds which have antibacterial properties that can help prevent tooth decay and may help to fight food poisoning. All of which help in glucose metabolism and result in those who regularly drink coffee having a reduced risk of diabetes. Like green tea, coffee has antioxidants including quinines, chlorogenic acid and tocopherols as well as essential minerals such as magnesium.

In addition, green tea may also help you lose weight and is said to help lower blood sugar and cholesterol as well as slow the aging process. Green tea has been shown to have a role in the prevention of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cataracts, and to help boost your immune system.

Other health benefits of coffee include a reduced risk of developing Parkinsons Disease, help in relieving asthma symptoms, stopping tension headaches, and inhibiting the formation of gallstones. Coffee is said to contain compounds that boost the activity of enzymes which may protect against colon cancer (according to animal studies published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry).

Some say 10 cups a day, others say you can experience the benefits with 3 cups a day. While most everyone agrees that the caffeinated should only be taken in small amounts (no more than 3 cups of coffee a day) to avoid the addictive qualities of the caffeine, it's a bit more vague on how much tea is recommended. When it comes to the question of how much coffee or tea you need to benefit the answers can be a bit confusing.

Coffee and Lowering Cholesterol

It's another $64M question: Is Coffee Good or Bad for Our Cholesterol Levels?

The Claims: Some say that coffee is bad for our health because it can supposedly lead to heart diseases and hypertension. Coffee, for them, is an unhealthy addiction. Others however are adamant about the health benefits of coffee. For them, coffee saves the day because it supposedly lowers cholesterol levels in our bodies.

The Truth about Coffee and Cholesterol

Never mind about the bad stuff regarding coffee. Enough has been written about it; right now, let's concentrate on the controversial link between coffee and cholesterol.

Why We Should Worry About Our Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol levels have a significant impact on our health, and more specifically, on our hearts. High cholesterol levels make us increasing vulnerable to having a heart attack. And none of us, surely, would want to suffer a heart attack because it can often lead to life threatening consequences.

When the cholesterol level in our body becomes higher than normal, it slows down the flow of blood to and from our heart. Worse, it can even completely block blood flow - which is of course disastrous for us. Blood contains oxygen and when our heart doesn't receive enough of this, we experience chest spasms and find it difficult to breathe. If the blockage continues, we get a heart attack. If the attack is not given medical attention, we die.

The Coffee Competition

Filtered vs. Unfiltered

In 2001, Dr. Michael J. Klag and his colleagues reviewed numerous studies that tackled the link between coffee drinking and increasing cholesterol levels. They've discovered that individuals who consumer approximately six cups of coffee per day are more prone to having higher cholesterol levels and LDL - the evil twin of the two types of cholesterols. Almost all the studies have pinpointed the blame to unfiltered coffee.

Klag claimed that the increase of cholesterol levels is primarily due to terpenes, an element found in coffee. The amount of terpenes however is significantly reduced in unfiltered coffee.

Caffeinated vs. Decaffeinated

One can choose to look at this with another perspective. Which of the two - caffeinated and decaffeinated - has an undesirable effect on cholesterol levels?

A new study presented in the 2005 American Heart Associations' Scientific Sessions has revealed that people drinking decaffeinated coffee are characterized by the following: Increase in Fatty Acids - Fatty acids can increase the production of LDL Increase in ApoB - This is the only protein that is linked with LDL Increase in NEFA - Another element that can also indirectly lead to higher production of LDL

Further studies however have produced mixed results as regard to people drinking decaffeinated coffee.

HDL2 - the better twin of the two types of cholesterols - of overweight decaffeinated coffee drinkers has increased while the opposite occurs for drinkers who have normal weights.

THE VERDICT

When it comes to coffee and cholesterol, people seem to be asking the wrong questions: to drink or not to drink, which is the good coffee for all…As the studies have shown, different types of individuals have different responses towards different types of coffee. What may be good for you and lower your cholesterol level may have the opposite effect for somebody else.

Secondly, the increase and decrease of cholesterol levels can not be solely attributed to the type of coffee one drinks; cholesterol levels, rather, are affected by the kind of lifestyle we have: what type of food we eat, whether we smoke or not, and so forth.

Lastly, there's nothing wrong about drinking coffee, filtered or unfiltered, caffeinated or decaffeinated, just as long as we do it in moderation!

Dr. Michael Lee is a board certified physician who has counselled thousands of patients on lowering their cholesterol. To get free tips on lowering your choleseterol naturally without harmful drugs, please check out

http://zapcholesterol.com/tips.html

http://zapcholesterol.com/tips.html