Healthy Living

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Coffee: The ultimate superdrink!

http://chattahbox.com/images/2009/01/coffee.jpg
Java and caffeine are chock-full of health benefits. Here are the top reasons to order up a cup.

Benefit your bean

It's a no-brainer! Lifelong caffeinated-coffee fans may be less prone to develop Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Coffee's antioxidants may tamp down cell damage linked to Parkinson's. And caffeine blocks inflammation in the brain, which is associated with Alzheimer's.

Make a tastier cup of coffee: Channel your inner barista and percolate a perfect pot with these tips.

Sip for your smile

Caffeinated java has antibacterial and antiadhesive powers, so it may keep cavity-causing bacteria from eating your enamel. And drinking a cup daily has been shown to slash oral cancer risk by half. Also, compounds found in coffee may limit cancer cell growth and DNA damage.


Brew for your breasts

Coffee's a bosom buddy! Premenopausal women who downed four cups of regular coffee per day experienced a 38 percent reduction in their breast cancer risk, a study in The Journal of Nutrition finds. Coffee unleashes phytoestrogens and flavonoids that may stifle tumor growth. But drink up: Those who had less than 4 cups didn't benefit.

Caffeinate around the clock: Schedule your buzz for a slimmer, more successful you.


Stop stones

Gallstones grow when mucus inside your gallbladder traps cholesterol crystals. Xanthine, found in caffeine, may reduce mucus and risk for deposits. Two or more cups daily may help.


Save your skin

Two to five cups of regular coffee daily may help lower your risk for nonmelanoma skin cancer by up to 17 percent. Caffeine may spur skin to kill precancerous cells, and it also inhibits tumor growth.


Dodge diabetes

People who sip 3 to 4 cups of regular or decaf coffee a day are 30 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Chlorogenic acid may help prevent insulin resistance, a harbinger of the disease.

How healthy is your caffeine habit? Take the quiz.

MORE FROM SELF:

Syndication:

From the Community…

Comments 1-10 of 11
  • ThisRightHere's Avatar
    Posted by ThisRightHere Thu Jul 23, 2009 4:32pm PDT

    Okay lets get something straight here, Coffee is not 'truly' good for you. In fact the only Coffee that IS good for is Black Coffee with no added sweeteners or anything. Just STRAIGHT BLACK COFFEE. Don't try to trick yourself that getting a mocha from Starbucks without any whip-cream is healthy and good for you. Please the world would be much better in fact. Also instead of coffee why dont your try tea, now THAT is healthy! You can even sweeten it with Honey which is healthy too! can you say YUMM to that I CAN!

    Report Abuse
  • LS's Avatar
    Posted by LS Fri Jul 24, 2009 5:31am PDT

    I'm confused...I thought drinking more than 2 cups of coffee per day was bad for you, but now 4 cups a day is good for breast health?

    Report Abuse
  • Ahleah G's Avatar
    Posted by Ahleah G Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:04am PDT

    This article only lists benefits and omits any drawbacks. Coffee has both. In fact most things are both good and bad for you (ie everything has a downside, too much of a good thing, etc).

    Coffee stains your teeth, and can be hard on a sensitive stomach. Caffeine dehydrates you by causing your body to shed more water. Too much caffeine can make you jittery. And due to the acidity, it can be hard on your stomach (I've had to stop drinking it for this reason at times).

    The bottom line is that if you enjoy coffee and want to drink it, there may be some benefits to you. But you probably shouldn't start drinking it or increase your intake in the hopes that it will help your health. Black and green teas have caffeine, flavonoids, and antioxidants too. And if you drink a lot of coffee make sure you get some water in too.

    Report Abuse
  • pretty much amazing's Avatar
    Posted by pretty much amazing Fri Jul 24, 2009 12:04pm PDT

    ThisRightHere got it right for the most part. Black coffee has benefits, but not more than what you can get from tea. Besides, people put so much crap in coffee (substitute sugars are the worst!) turn it into something different...something completely unhealthy.

    Report Abuse
  • Kikki's Avatar
    Posted by Kikki Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:08pm PDT

    It also stains your teeth (giving you the nice corn cob look), can contribute to lumps in your breast and leaches the calcium from you bones. I can be a hunchbacked witch for Halloween and not even have to buy a costume. Did anyone count the number of times they said "may" in this article? Was anything actually proven? I think this article "may" just be a clever ad brought to you by the United Coffee Growers Association or Starbucks. No self respecting nutritionist would write crap like this.

    Report Abuse
  • Lucky's Avatar
    Posted by Lucky Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:54pm PDT

    I am so glad to read this. My sister lives in Australia and recently had a bout with skin cancer. I am going to up my coffee intake to 3 cups a day because it Does slash your melanoma risk considerably. I also put my face (8-10 inches away) in the steam when I brew expresso. It makes a difference. Gotta love that what you like is good for you!! This is corroborated in medical journals that doctors, not nutritionists refer to.

    Report Abuse
  • Ella's Avatar
    Posted by Ella Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:51am PDT

    I don't like coffee I'd rather drink black tea or green tea, much healthier. I feel like this is a trick to boost coffee sales or something.

    Report Abuse
  • Sunshine's Avatar
    Posted by Sunshine Sat Jul 25, 2009 1:22pm PDT

    Nothing is 100% good or bad for you. Enjoy what you like IN MODERATION, because too much of anything is not good.

    :)

    Report Abuse
  • Windshield Wiper's Avatar
    Posted by Windshield Wiper Sun Jul 26, 2009 6:36pm PDT

    Coffee doesn't help your teeth it stains them.

    Report Abuse
  • m.s.sundararajan's Avatar
    Posted by m.s.sundararajan Sun Jul 26, 2009 8:25pm PDT

    EXCELLENT ARTICLE ON COFFEE. I AM A VORACIOUS DRINKER OF COFFEE AND OUR PARENTS AND FOREFATHERS AND THE WHOLELOT OF FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE BEEN DRINKING COFFEE VORACIOUSLY FOR SEVERAL DECADES. THERE IS NO OTHER DRINK IN THIS WORLD TO MATCH COFFEE THE HEAVENLY DRINK

    Report Abuse
Comments 1-10 of 11

leave your comment

You must sign in to post a comment

Sign In for personalized information

New User? Sign Up

Health Byte

Tune in to our fitness forecast! These are the top ten exercise trends for 2010.