RSS Feeds: Coffee and Your Health – Good to the Last Drop
I usually don't follow a nationally syndicated newspaper column to its source, but this time I did. After reading a blurb, "Have a Java", I felt compelled to do so. A few hours later, I responded to a comment on that post about coffee and GERD (acid reflux disease) and I'll expound on that in a minute.
Coffee May be Good for You
I was pointed to "Coffee won't hurt you, research finds", followed it back to the first newspaper referenced and then finally to the author's own website where she had written "Good to the last drop" (an old Maxwell House slogan).
With decades of journalism experience and more than 50 journalism awards, I trust that Judy Foreman is a responsible journalist. According to her sources, the coffee and caffeine parts of the coffee beverage can be examined independently of each other and each has its own attributes. The coffee part can be beneficial for some things while the caffeine part can be beneficial for others.
The research, although not completely conclusive, is mostly positive. It indicates that coffee itself lowers the risks for type 2 diabetes and liver cancer. Although it can't be determined whether it's the coffee or the caffeine, coffee seems to protect the liver against cirrhosis, especially cirrhosis caused by alcoholism (although telling someone to drink more coffee is NOT how to help an alcoholic).
The caffeine part appears to lower the risk of Parkinson's Disease, but not for women who use post-menopausal hormones. For athletes, studies suggest it helps muscles release calcium, allowing muscles to contract with more force. In both cases, only a single cup of coffee per day is needed to show a measurable improvement.
The Vinegar Trick
The commenter (MacBros) said he doesn't drink much coffee because he suffers from GERD (acid reflux disease). I pointed out that I haven't suffered from acid reflux symptoms since 2006 as I wrote in my heartburn and vinegar article in 2007. That particular article isn't very long and you may want to take a minute to read it even if you only suffer from a mild form of acid reflux. I won't repeat it here.
I hope MacBros (his real name is John) takes care of his own acid reflux problem so he can enjoy drinking coffee as much as I do.
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I am suprised that caffeine reduces possibly parkinson. I know tea and coffe have some good things so a cup or 2 a day sounds like the best idea. I remember when they told everyone it was bad now it is good for you again.
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