About Coffee

A coffee break might make the difference between life and death for many drivers, according to Prof.Jim Home, of the Sleep Research Centre at the University of Loughborough. “Sleepiness is as dangerous as alcohol when people are driving” he says. “As soon as they feel tired drivers should pull off the road, have a 10-miunte nap and a couple of cups of coffee before resuming their journey. That could well prevent an accident”. The most dangerous times of the day for people sauffering from daytime sleepiness to drive is between 4 to 6 am, and 2 to 4 pm.

It’s a Fallacy… that moderate coffee drinking raises blood cholesterol.

“The types of coffee drunk most in Britain, instant and filtered, do not raise blood cholesterol levels, a risk factor for heart disease” states nutritionist and expert on cholesterol Professor Mike Gurr. “Boiling coffee - as is done in some Scandinavian countries - extracts certain oils which can slightly raise cholesterol, but filtering afterwards removes these.

Although one study also showed that coffee brewed in a cafetiere contains very small amounts of these oils, you would have to drink as many as 10 to 13 cups a day of this coffee for it to have any effect”, he explains. The British Heart Foundation confirms that “up to 6 cups of coffee a day will not significantly increase the risk of heart disease or stroke in normal, healthy people”.

It’s a Fact… coffee’s antioxidants may help fight cancer and heart disease.

A freshly brewed cup of coffee may do more than just wake you up in the morning - it might be helping your body fight disease. “A number of new studies have identified antioxidants in both regular and decaffeinated coffee” says Dr Euan Paul of the Coffee Science Information Centre. “Antioxidants are thought to have beneficial effects by reducing damaging free-radicals in the body and have been shown to help protect against cancer and heart disease”.

It’s a Fallacy… that caffeine is ‘addictive’

While some people may make a habit of regularly drinking a lot of coffee or tea it does not mean that they are addicted to caffeine, which does not fit the established medical criteria for dependence. Just-published research by Dr Astrid Nehlig, Research Director of the French National Health and Medical Research Institute has demonstrated that unlike drugs of dependence “caffeine does not appear to activate dopamine release in a specific area of the brain responsible for addiction”.

It’s a Fact… that coffee drinking may help prevent kidney stones.

“Coffee drinking increases kidney flow and helps protect the kidneys against stone formation, says Prof. Vincent Marks of the European Institute of Health and Medical Sciences. “Research involving more than 125,000 people shows that drinking coffee reduces the risk by 10 per cent for every 3-4 cups a day consumed” he explains.

It’s a Fallacy… that pregnant and nursing mothers should avoid coffee.

Experts are agreed that a moderate consumption of drinks containing caffeine (tea, coffee, cola) during pregnancy is not harmful to mother or baby. Fiona Ford, Research Dietitian at The Centre for Pregnancy Nutrition, who has studied all the scientific evidence, says: “Up to five cups of ordinary strength coffee (or 10 cups of tea) a day is a safe upper limit for pregnant women.”

It’s a Fact… that caffeine, the mild stimulant in coffee, improves alertness.

“Coffee can help you think more quickly, have a better memory and improved reasoning” states researcher Professor Andrew Smith of the University of Bristol who has conducted a number of studies on the subject. His research also shows that coffee can add a ‘feel good’ factor and lift some of the sluggish symtoms that are common after-effects of a cold.

It’s a Fallacy… that herbal ‘teas’ are healthier than regular tea or coffee.

“While coffee and caffeine have been extensively researched over decades and no links with illness have been proved, the same is not true for herbal brews” says Professor Ron Walker, food scientist and toxicologist. Too little is known to make a scientific assessment of their safety. However, it is known, for example, that the leaves and roots of one popular herb, comfrey, causes cancer in animals, and the toxins may leach out into a brew made from it.

And it’s a Fact… that drinking coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle.

“While too much of any food or drink (even water!) can be bad for you, it’s very true that ‘a little of what you fancy does you good”‘ says Consultant Nutritionist Dr. Juliet Gray “and coffee drinking can certainly be part of a healthy, as well as an enjoyable way of life.”

Taken From : http://50connect.co.uk