Coffee health (do not take too seriously!)

Moderate coffee intake may combat high blood pressure...
Drinking a cup of coffee everyday could be the secret to long life. According to a study, people who drank one to two cups of coffee a day had more elastic arteries than those who drank little or no coffee.
The subjects of the research were all aged between 65 and 100 and long-term inhabitants of the Greek island of Ikaria, known as the “land of longevity” (a third of residents reach the age of 90).
University of Athens researchers looked at 485 people with high blood pressure.
According to lead researcher Christina Chrysohoou of the University of Athens in Greece, older people who drink one to two cups of coffee a day have more elastic blood vessels than those who drink less or more.
The 56 percent who were moderate coffee drinkers, consuming between one and two cups a day, had the best arterial health, with their blood vessels behaving like those found in younger people.
Their arteries were more elastic than those measured in people who drank little or no coffee.
Around one in 10 who drank three or more cups a day had the least elasticity. Dr Chrysohoou said moderate coffee drinkers consumed 25-50ml of coffee a day.
She suggested that ingredients such as caffeine and antioxidants may partly improve arterial function by increasing the ability to take up nitric oxide, which is impaired in hypertensive patients.
The findings were released at the European Society of Cardiology congress.
American Heart Association spokesman Ray Gibbons, MD, tells WebMD that he is skeptical of the results.
"I'm concerned whether this finding could be reproduced," he says. Other factors in the Greek lifestyle, such as the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, could explain the results, Gibbon says.

New study shows coffee has a protective effect against type 2 diabetes...
A recent news release reports that researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, (Ucla) have discovered a possible molecular mechanism behind coffee's protective effect: a protein called sex hormone-binding globulin (Shbg) that has long been thought to play a role in the development of Type 2 diabetes.
In the new study, published in the January 2011 issue of the journal Diabetes, women who drank at least four cups of coffee a day were less than half as likely to develop diabetes as non-coffee drinkers.
“Consumption of decaffeinated coffee was not significantly associated with Shbg levels, nor diabetes risk,” said lead author Atsushi Goto of Ucla. “So you probably have to go for the octane.”
This is contrary to a 2006 study in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine that found that women who drank six cups of decaffeinated coffee a day had a 22 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who didn't drink any coffee.
Researchers reported that caffeinated coffee also seemed to have a protective effect, though not as powerful as that of decaffeinated.
Also the causal link between diabetes and Type 2 diabetes isn't crystal clear: previous studies have shown that coffee can be harmful to people with Type 2 diabetes, because it hinders the breakdown of glucose.

Coffee is many people's favourite drink. But do you realize that coffee has plenty of health benefits as shown in many studies? Below, are 20 health benefits claimed by various coffee studies...

1 - Cut the Risk of Heart Disease by 25% for Women

A study by Esther Lopez-Garcia of Universidad Autonoma de Madrid reported that women who drink two to three cups of coffee per day had a 25 percent lower risk of death from heart disease and a smaller decreased risk was also seen for men

2 - Cut the Risk of Diabetes by 60%

Coffee contains antioxidants, including a group of compounds called quinines which in a study to lab rats, its increased sensitivity improves the body response to insulin.

3 - Cut the Risk of Dementia by 65%

A research suggested that coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body.

4 - Cut the Risk of Colon Cancer by 50%

A 12-year study on Japanese women found that drinking 3 or more cups of coffee per day may actually halve the risk of developing colon cancer.

5 - Lowered Risk of Advanced Prostate Cancer

In a 20-year study of 50,000 men, it shows that 6 cups of coffee per day has the lowered risk of advanced prostate cancer.

6 - Lowered Risk of Alzheimer Disease by 65%

A study of 1,400 middle-aged Finns shows that 5 cups of coffee per day can lower the risk of Alzheimer disease by 65%.

7 - Cut the Risk of Cirrhosis by 80%

A study showed out of 125,000 coffee drinkers that one cup of coffee per day cut the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver by twenty percent. Four cups per day reduced the risk by eighty percent.

8 - Cut the Risk of Gallstones by Almost 50%

Men who drink at least 2 cups of coffee per day may reduce their risk of developing gallstones by 40 percent, and women showed a twenty-five percent lower risk of gallstone development. Those who drank more than four cups had a 45% lower risk.

9 - Cut the Risk of Stroke by 43% for Women

A study of 83,000 nurses who have never smoked shows that 4 cups of coffee per day can reduce the risk of stroke by 43%.

10 - Cut the Risk of Parkinson's Disease by 80%

At least six studies indicate that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson disease.

11 - Lowered the Risk of Committing Suicide by 60% for Women

A 10-year study of 86,000 women shows that 2 cups of coffee per day can reduced the likelihood to commit suicide by 60%.

12 - High Level of Antioxidants

Antioxidants help your body repair damage to cells caused by free radicals.

13 - Keep You Awake and Alert

Coffee can boost concentration and therefore makes you more alert and awake.

14 - Protect You from Cold

Caffeine acts as decongestant as it opens narrowed bronchial tubes.

15 - Asthma Relief

Manage asthma and even control attacks when medication is unavailable.

16 - Headache Relief

Caffeine is often use as a medicine to treat headaches, especially migraine and cluster headaches.

17 - Pain Relief

Two cups of brewed coffee may reduce post-exercise muscle pain by up to forty-eight percent. In fact, a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine, have shown that adding about 65 milligrams of caffeine to aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen increases pain relief by around 40 percent.

18 - Boost Mood

Moderate intake of caffeine boosts energy and cuts depression, thanks to dopamine.

19 - Boost Athleticism

Caffeine in coffee is a powerful aid in enhancing athletic endurance and performance. So powerful, caffeine in coffee or other forms was deemed a "controlled" substance by the Olympic Games Committee.

20 - Prevent Dental Cavities

A compound called Trigonelline, which gives coffee its aroma and bitter taste, have both antibacterial and anti-adhesive properties to help prevent dental cavities from forming.

Conclusion...

Coffee may have its health benefits but like many other substances, it may react differently for different people and therefore if you are not a regular coffee drinker and if you experience stomach pain after consuming a cup of coffee, it is better you stick to tea instead.