HealthWiseCoffee.com

Ikaria is a Greek Island well to the southesast of Athens.  Many people on that island live past the age of 90!  Why is that so?

Well…it could be the coffee!

The European Society of Cardiology released a report August 31 about a study done by a team from the University of Athens indicating how one to two cups of coffee per day could be good for your arteries, specifically aortic distensibility.   Distensiblity is a measure of the elasticity of the arteries, and low levels have been associated with athereosclerosis and a reliable predictor of cardiovascular events.

The island of Ikaria was chosen because of the known above average life expectancy of the residents there.  The study took place during the period June to October 2009 and began with 343 men and 330 women aged 65 to 100, which group was then reduced to 235 people with a known history of hypertension and blood pressure above the normal range. Aortic distensibility of each of these 235 people were calculated non-invasively.

The research findings attribute the benefits of coffee to the polyphenolic compounds found in coffee, especially traditional Greek blends that are high in diterpenes such as cafestol and kahweol. The effect of chlorogenic acid is reported to be associated with nitric oxide, as caffeic and ferulic acids appear to improve vascular function by reducing oxidation and enhancing the bio-availability of nitric oxide. Moreover, other micronutrients, including flavonoids, magnesium, potassium, niacin and vitamin E, contribute to the observed health effects of coffee consumption, mainly because of their anti-oxidant properties.

Doctor Chrysohoou, the study coordinator summarized the findings, “The study revealed that moderate coffee consumption (between one and two cups per day) is associated with higher values of aortic distensibility when compared with other hypertensive elderly individuals taking less quantities of coffee. Adjustments were made for various factors such as age, gender, physical activity status, creatinine levels, BMI and diabetes mellitus. There was also evidence that moderate coffee consumption leads to reduced cardiovascular disease, lower prevalence of diabetes and hyperlipidaemia, lower body mass index, better renal functions and higher creatinine clearance levels. There was no evidence, however, that increasing coffee consumption to three to five cups per day would lead to further improvements in aortic distensibility.”

Coffee can help workouts by delaying muscle fatigue and keeping you focused and energetic.

A US News and World Report article from last month indicated a rough estimate of caffeine before exercising should be between 0.5 and 1.4 milligrams per one pound of body weight.  Given the typical 20 milligrams of caffeine in an ounce of coffee and doing the math, for say a 150 pound person, that’s roughly one to two 8 ounce cups.  If you’re new to drinking coffee, you may want to drink less before exercising, and if you drink a lot of coffee, increase the amount.

If adding coffee to your workout routine, drinking it 30-60 minutes beforehand will put your blood level of caffeine at a peak during your workout.  It’s best to pair it with a small snack which will give you carbohydrates and sodium to keep you going!

Coffee and tea are both considered ”healthy” foods, and certainly much better for us than some of the other liquids we could be consuming.  But let’s take a look at some of the comparisons when it comes to their health properties.  First off, the comparison is made to “green tea” as opposed to “black tea”, because of those two, green tea is made from steaming the leaves in contrast to black tea where the leaves are fermented.  Steaming preserves more of the polyphenols, or antioxidants.   

Relative to antioxidants, green tea has greater degreee of antioxidants than does coffee.  However, when looking at the per capita consumption of coffee and tea in the American diet, coffee comes out on top — 1,299 mg of antioxidants for coffee versus 294 mg of antioxidants of tea.

Both coffee and green tea are loaded with vitamins and minerals….B vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, potassium, and iron.  The degree of whether coffee or tea is more favorable is of course dependent on how much of each is consumed, and in the case of coffee, whether the coffee is HealthWise Coffee which has a much higher mineral content.  

Both coffee and tea have been shown to have associations with reduced risk of diseases and ailments, such as some cancers, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and stroke, among others.  It should be noted that the number of studies performed - some 18,000 for coffee, far outweighs the number of studies performed on the health aspects of tea, about 1,000.  And, apparently in the case of tea, some of the tests pointing to positive outcomes, were performed on animals and not humans. 

With regard to acidity, green tea has a higher pH than coffee in general, typically in the range of 6.0 to 6.4, versus the pH of an unroasted coffee bean of 5.0.  In a HealthWise Gourmet Coffees test of the pH of Celestial Seasonings Green Tea, the pH was 6.18, which corresponded to the pH of HealthWise Coffee in a similar test.  For a look at the tested pH of various coffees, click here   http://www.healthwisecoffee.com/blog/?page_id=89 .

There can be some negatives to coffee and tea consumption, and it would seem that there are perhaps more real negatives with tea.  Drinking too much coffee can give you higher blood pressure.  Reseach shows that tea can impair the body’s ability to absorb iron, and, in higher quantities -especially as in iced tea, can lead to kidney stones.  Also, there is some research that shows the risk of developing esophogeal cancer can be increased from drinking very hot tea.

So which is healthier…coffee or green tea?  The answer probably lies in whether you are a coffee drinker, or tea drinker, as you are likely not both.  It also could depend on whether you are a marketer of coffee, or a marketer of tea! 

More good news for coffee drinkers! 

According to a recent journal publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, regular coffee drinkers had a 39 percent decreased risk of oral cavity and pharynx cancers combined.  The pharynx is the part of the neck and throat that is immediately behind the mouth and nasal cavity.

Regular coffee drinkers were defined as having consumed an estimated four or more cups of coffee per day.  No similar findings were reported for decaf coffee or teas. 

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Utah, and actually came from pooled-analysis of nine studies collected by the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology consortium.   

“Since coffee is so widely used and there is a relatively high incidence and low survival rate of these forms of cancer, our results have important public health implications that need to be further addressed,” said lead researcher Mia Hashibe, Ph.D., assistant professor in the department of family and preventative medicine at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

“What makes our results so unique is that we had a very large sample size, and since we combined data across many studies, we had more statistical power to detect associations between cancer and coffee,” she added.

This is from a recent study released by the Mayo clinic.  The study covered 20,000 women and found that those who consumed more than two and a half cups of coffee per day were less likely to develop endometrial cancer than those women who consumed no coffee. 

The study did not find the same protective effects from other forms of food containing caffeine such as tea or chocolate. 

A group of Swedish researchers recently released a study which showed that a greater intake of calcium may help men live longer. 

The sudy was led by Dr. Joanna Kaluza of the Karolinska Instutet of Stockholm, and followed 23,366 men aged 45 to 79 for a 10 year period from 1998 through 2007.  The men had indicated their diet at the beginning of the study.  At the end of the study, 2,358 or 10% of the men had died from all causes.

The study found that the top third of men who consumed the most calcium — getting nearly 2,000 milligrams a day — were 25% less likely to die from any cause than the bottom third of men who consumed about 1,000 milligrams a day.  The top third was also 23% less likely to die from heart disease than the bottom third.  No such findings were concluded with respect to cancer.

Dr. Kaluza was quoted as saying “Intake of calcium above that recommended daily may reduce all-cause mortality.”  The current Recommended Daily Allowance or RDA for calcium is 1,000 milligrams for men aged 19 to 50 years and 1,200 milligrams for men 50 and older.

The study was published online in the Journal of Epidemiology February 19, 2010.

So…if a person needs more than the RDA for calcium, where does one look?   Dairy products and supplements are the obvious choices.  A glass of milk has about 300 mg of calcium.  Other good sources of calcium include green leafy vegetables, beans, grains, and nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts.

Coffee is also a good source of calcium…and HealthWise coffees more than any other coffee.  A 16 ounce mug of HealthWise coffee yields about 4.6% of the RDA for calcium.

Vitamin D is necessary to promote absorption of dietary calcium.  Since Vitamin D is present in very few foods, one should consider supplements, and of course getting out in the sun more often.  Vitamin D is created with exposure of your skin to sunshine, and about a half hour a day would help you absorb your calcium.  

We’ve long known that coffee is good for your heart.  Coffee is loaded with antioxidants — those molecules that help stop the chain reactions of free radicals in your system.  And by stopping those chain reactions, a person is much better off in defense against cancer and heart disease.  Now there is a new study which shows that regular coffee consumption aids those people with heart rhythm problems.

The study was led by Dr. Arthur Klatsky, a senior consultant at Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in California, and looked at the rate of hospitalization of more than 130,000 people.  The study found that the risk of being hospitalized for heart rhythm disturbances was 18% lower for people who reported drinking four or more cups of coffee a day.    

The study did not indicate why coffee would help reduce heart rhythm problems.  Dr. Klatsky was quoted as saying “Coffee drinkers don’t have to quit because they have heart rhythm problems.” 

Results of the study are being presented this week by the American Heart Association at its 50th Annual Conference on cardiovascular diseases.

There is a new study which shows that regular coffee drinking appears to reduce the risk of stroke.

According to Ed Edelson, writing for HealthDay Reporter, a study led by Yangmei Li of the University of Cambridge in England showed a 27 percent lower risk of stroke among people who indicated they regularly drank coffee versus those who said they never drank coffee. 

The study followed 23,000 men and women for a 12 year period, and found the association of reduced risk of stroke was consistent across subgroups of sex, age, social class, educational level, smoking status, alcohol drinking, tea drinking, and physical activity. 

According to Edelson, the findings were to have been presented at the February 25 annual stroke conference of the American Stroke Association in San Antonio.

Coffee is certainly a great deal more than caffeine.

• Coffee is loaded with bioactive chemical compounds that help prevent a host of ailments!
• The green coffee bean has the greatest concentration of antioxidants of anything grown!
• Coffee does not stain your teeth!
• Coffee is healthier than colas, tea, chocolate, wine, and spirits!

Despite all that, coffee has received a bad rap over the centuries….even though today over 1 billion people started their day with coffee.

Two Ph.D.s have spent their careers in the study of coffee and its effects on human pleasure and human health, and have written a wonderful book in support of coffee.

The book is titled “An Unashamed Defense of Coffee….101 Reasons to Drink Coffee Without Guilt”. The authors are Roseane M. Santos, and Darcy R. Lima.

The book’s Preface indicates this is the first book in history to make an “unashamed defense of coffee”, and has this to conclude:

“For now, we provide you with 101 reasons to drink coffee without guilt.  Our objective is to provide updated information on leading facts about the modern science of coffee, from its chemistry to consumer’s health effects, in as few words as possible, leaving them to be tested, confirmed, amplified, or freed from obscurity by the reflection of our readers.”

The 351 page book is available from the publisher Xlibris and can be purchased online at www.xlibris.com, in paperback or hardcover.  HealthWise customers can obtain a copy on a loaner basis.

Much has been written about antioxidants, and how a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help ward off heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, and other illnesses.  Antioxidants are derived from plants, and are those molecules that are capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules.  Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals that start chain reactions that can damage cells.  Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing the free radicals.

Among fruit and vegetables, the best sources include blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, beans, artichoke hearts, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, and in spices, cinnamon, oregano and cloves.  Research indicates it is best to include a variety of fruits and vegetables because of the different types of antioxidants present.

So….what about coffee?

Coffee is the #1 source of antioxidants in the American diet, that according to researchers at the University of Scranton.  The study was 10 years in the making and also found that the number two source of antioxidants in diets was black tea, followed by bananas.

Some important things to remember:

• In very dark roasts of coffee, the antioxidants are almost completely destroyed.  All that’s left is caffeine.  HealthWise coffees have a medium roast so there is not that problem.
• Decaf coffees have the same antioxidant properties as regular coffee.
• To get the most benefit, try spreading the coffee drinking out throughout the day, and if so, perhaps have decaf coffees later in the day.  HealthWise low acid decaf coffees are 99.9% caffeine free, and very importantly had no chemicals used in decaffeination, as do all other decafs which don’t use the Swiss Water Process.