5 Cups a Day

NPR reports this morning that a daily 5 cups of coffee could help you avoid non-genetic Alzheimer’s…The typical American drinks about a cup and a half of coffee a day.

Several studies suggest that a daily caffeine habit may help protect against Alzheimer’s disease. But there’s a catch. The cup or two a day that most Americans drink doesn’t seem to be enough. Researchers say 500 mg of caffeine, or about five cups of regular coffee, is the dose that seems to protect the brain. [read more...]

Here’s good news for the night shift -

The New York Times science editor reports the results of several studies…

About 8.6 million Americans work night shifts, and for many of them fatigue is a serious problem…

Scientists have tried melatonin, prescription medications and light therapy to help relieve so-called shift work disorder, caused by disruptions in the body’s circadian rhythm.

But research shows that nothing seems to work quite as well as caffeine.

Scientists found that caffeine worked better than a placebo — and even naps — at reducing errors and improving performance on tasks including those involving memory, attention, perception, concept formation and reasoning.

Tim Leary and Richard Alpert’s former employer, Harvard University, moves from psychedelics to caffeine.

Through a process called particle engineering, Harvard professor David Edwards and a student team have developed a new way for coffee drinkers to get their fix: inhalation.

Yes! Coffee you just inhale.

According to Edward’s company, Le Whif, the breathable coffee powder delivers the jolt of caffeine without the cup.

And – you’ll love this – Le Whif also makes inhalable chocolates….perfect accompaniment to a line of caffeine.

Thanks to Earth911 for alerting me to this green initiative (no cup waste!)

Three 8 oz. cups of coffee (about 250 milligrams of caffeine) per day is considered an average or moderate amount of caffeine.

Ten 8 oz. cups of coffee per day is considered excessive intake of caffeine.

How much caffeine a child receives should be closely monitored. Although caffeine is safe in moderate amounts, it may negatively affect a child’s nutrition. Caffeinated beverages may be replacing nutritious drinks such as milk. A child who consumes caffeine may also eat less, because caffeine suppresses the appetite.

There is no nutritional requirement for caffeine, so it can be completely restricted in a child’s diet. Caffeine is a stimulant. Avoiding caffeine may be necessary for a hyperactive child.

If you are pregnant or if you have coronary heart disease or peptic ulcers, your health care provider may recommend that you limit or avoid caffeine intake.

Many drugs will interact with caffeine. Consult with your health care provider or pharmacist about potential interactions with caffeine whenever you take medications.

More health information on caffeine and coffee is available from the National Institutes of Health.

Recently there has been a major shift in medical opinion regarding the consumption of coffee. In fact, it might be said that in the old adage ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ the word ‘apple’ has been replaced by ‘a cup of coffee’.

Before anyone rushes out to brew up a gallon or two, it’s still wise to remember that drinking multiple cups of black, highly-caffeinated coffee on a daily basis isn’t a healthy option. The instant buzz of an espresso shot comes at a price – palpitations and raised blood pressure being just two of the things the addicted coffee drinker will experience after a caffeine overdose. Everyone is very aware of the caffeine content of coffee, but it’s only recently that the positive health properties of coffee have been investigated.

This has to be good news for coffee aficionados. The bad news is that drinking caffeinated coffee to excess can still be bad for your general well-being. Nevertheless, as with all things in life, sensible coffee consumption can have beneficial effects. So sticking to the recommended two or three cups a day can actually do you good.

Current research has elevated this everyday beverage to the Number One antioxidant in America, having ten times more antioxidant properties than red wine or tea, traditionally the two big front-runners in the battle against free radicals. But what are free radicals, and why do we need protection from them?

Unlike fish, the human body needs air to survive; in other words, we cannot exist without oxygen. We breathe it in, and it is transported, via the blood stream, to every cell in the body. Put simply, this essential ingredient can become unstable and produce ‘free radicals’

So we generate these ‘baddies’ as a natural by-product within our cell structure but, at the same time, the body is exposed to outside influences such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, and ultra-violet rays, in daily life. Therefore, our bodies are suffering a double attack, from both internal and external forces.

In the light of this information, we are constantly searching for the magic ingredient to ward off health problems brought about by these renegade ‘free radicals’. In high doses however, antioxidants can actually produce a reverse effect, promoting pro-oxidation, or free radical production, but as long as antioxidants are sourced from natural products, and included as part of the daily diet, there will be no problem with over- dosing, and the body will be well protected.

Coffee beans contain chlorogenic acid, which is a potent antioxidant, and a 200 ml. cup of arabica coffee can provide up to 200 mgs. of chlorogenic acid. It’s the roasting process that actually activates the antioxidants, and beans roasted for ten minutes to produce a medium to dark roast are the most beneficial.

The addition of a small amount of sugar and milk are said to boost the antioxidant properties as well. The process of de-caffeination seems to have little effect on the beneficial effects, which is good news for those who suffer from high blood pressure or insomnia.

Ka-Boom! OK, please don’t try this indoors.
Foreign Policy magazine reports on soldiers – and a few intrepid civilians – heating their coffee with C4 military grade explosives; the same stuff used by the burned-balls terrorist on the flight to Detroit…

FP quotes retired Col. John Meyer:

“I’ve heated many a cup of coffee on C4, rolled into little balls…the trick was to never try to stamp out the fire when you were finished.”

I guess I’ll just stick to Sterno.

Here’s a cool DIY coffee cup holder I found at LifeHacker…

A fabulously creative New York City blogger who goes by the name “AP” is all about devising clever ways to eat outdoors with flair. She’s come up with ways to turn a lunchbox into a plate and a fire hydrant into a table, but we really dig her magnetic coffee cup holder.

Magnetic Coffee Cup Holder

Drinking coffee has an effect on weight loss, but not all kinds of coffee have the same impact, and coffee affects different dieters in different ways.

The caffeine in coffee is a benefit to dieters who drink coffee regularly. A clinical trial at the University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, found that habitual drinkers of caffeinated coffee tend to have a milder response to stress.

Among people who have to have their morning coffee to wake up, emotional stress results in less release of the stress hormone cortisol. Since cortisol is associated with deposits of belly fat, drinking coffee on a daily basis results in less belly fat and lower weight.

Among people who drink decaf or who usually don’t drink coffee at all, drinking coffee had the exact opposite effect. A sudden jolt of caffeine, if you are not used to it, raises blood pressure and increases the production of cortisol.

In the Swiss clinical trial, blood pressure in drinkers of regular coffee increased to an average of 130/74 in response to an experimental emotional stress. But average blood pressure in non-coffee drinkers and decaf drinkers rose to 151/83 under the same conditions.

The sudden rise in blood pressure was due to cortisol, and this is the same cortisol that encourages deposits of belly fat.

If you are not used to caffeine every day, caffeine causes weight gain. But if you can’t get started without your morning cup of coffee, caffeine in coffee assists weight loss. This effect is even more pronounced for high-caffeine coffee drinks like espresso.

Maybe this only applies to rodents…
A study by Temple University, Philadelphia, reports that coffee can cloud your judgement when you’ve drunk alcohol

Slate quotes a BBC news report that coffee simply makes it harder for people to realize they’ve had one too many, and does nothing for their sobriety. That means the ‘co-use of caffeine and alcohol could actually lead to poor decisions with disastrous outcomes,’ says the lead researcher in the study. The study involved giving mice alcohol and caffeine to see how well they could navigate a maze and avoid unpleasant sensations. The result? The mice were relatively alert and relaxed but ’still incompetent at sidestepping nasty shocks.’

Have a Safe and Fun Halloween!

Happy Hallobean from Big City Coffee!