Talena Winters

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Finally--an objective article about Coffee And Tea

Sorry for the extra post today, folks, but I just had to include this one in here, too. I like how this guy addressed the positives and negatives about caffeine, and how he went right to the source on some things that were misquoted in other recent articles. This is an excerpt from somewhere around the middle.

Nutrition 911, Part VIII: Coffee—Friend or Foe?: "Is coffee a superfood?

This would depend, I guess. We've seen some downsides and I've yet to mention two others. One, it's addictive, and two, it's been linked to insomnia. Performance-wise, sleep is crucial for your body to recover and recharge itself. No matter its benefits, if coffee negatively affects your ability to rest, it's not going to help you much.

Yet, analyzing data of 126,000 people over 18 years has led to an almost astonishing number of likely health benefits, including lowering your risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, colon cancer, and improving mood, headaches, and even lessening the risk of cavities.

In some cases, even the 'all things in moderation' cliché was put to the test. For example, drinking one to three cups a day reduced type 2 diabetes risk by single digits, whereas drinking six or more cups per day slashed men's risk by 54 percent and women's by 30 percent.

These findings have been routinely backed up by further studies. At least six studies indicate that coffee drinkers are up to 80 percent less likely to develop Parkinson's disease, with three showing the more they drank, the lower the risk. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily can cut your risk of gallstones in half, provide a 25 percent less chance of contracting colon cancer, and a whopping 80 percent decline in liver cirrhosis risk. So abundant is this research that caffeine is added to certain medications to treat headaches, mood, asthma, and now Parkinson's."


Thanks to Annie for bringing this to my attention through posting about it on her blog.