Ten Health Benefits of Coffee

Source: from Forbes magazine as published in Yahoo Weekend Business. 15 October 2005

Here are the benefits:

1. Helps In Relieving Bronchial Asthma Symptoms: It's believed that a couple cups of coffee may help open airways for those with asthma. Though it should never be used to replace traditional asthma medicine, the caffeine in coffee is similar to a medicine called theophylline, which is used to treat asthma symptoms.


2. Helps to Reduce Jet-Lag On Long Flights: Coffee is known to increase concentration and short-term memory, so it can also help the brain function better while on long flights. Coffee's ability to make a person more alert will also help adjust a person's internal clock in a new time zone.


3. Improves Short-Term Memory: Caffeine's target region in the brain is the prefrontal cortex--the area associated with short-term memory. In this area, the brain compares current experiences with experiences stored in long-term memory--a pattern linked to creative thinking. Coffee is believed to be a cognitive enhancer and an aid in concentration, especially on intellectual tasks.


4. Keeps You Alert: The most common reason people drink coffee (other than for pleasure) is to stay alert--especially in the morning. Research shows that coffee works best if spread throughout the course of the day. For instance, instead of drinking two cups at once, have one cup in the morning and another an hour or two later.


5. Mild Anti-Obesity Activity and Enhance Endurance During Exercise: Studies show that the caffeine in coffee improves performance and endurance during intense physical exercise. Caffeine is also shown to boost short-term athletic performance and to help enhance concentration through it's effect on brain receptors. It's also known to slightly increase metabolism, which can help people lose weight.


6. Prevents Degeneraitve Diseases Like Parkinson's: Studies link coffee drinking and the prevention of degenerative diseases. Research shows that the more coffee a person drinks, the lower their risk is of developing Parkinson's disease. Studies show those who drink coffee on a daily basis may also be 60% to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's.


7. Prevents the Formation of Gallbladder Stones: Doctors at the Harvard School of Public Health discovered that men who drink four or more cups of caffeinated coffee per day have a lower risk of developing gallbladder stones. Over the course of a decade, the study followed more than 45,000 men who had not had gallbladder stone problems. The reason for this preventative effect is still unknown.


8. Protects From Certain Cancers Such As Colon Cancer and Hepatic Cancer: An antioxidant in coffee called methylpyridinium has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of colorectal and other cancers. The compound, which is formed during the roasting process of coffee beans, is found almost exclusively in coffee and is said to boost blood enzymes.


9. Reduces The Risk of Cirrhosis: Drinking four cups of coffee per day may reduce the risk of liver cirrhosis by approximately 30%. Studies show that coffee not only has detoxifying properties that cleanse the liver, but the antioxidants found in coffee also work as free-radical scavengers to ward off disease and illness. A research team at the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases analyzed data from a nutrition survey of 16,000 people. The results showed that those who drank caffeinated beverages exhibited lower incidences of liver injury--though it is unknown exactly how caffeine benefits liver function. Another study by researchers at the National Cancer Center in Tokyo found that coffee drinkers were half as likely as nondrinkers to develop liver cancer.


10. Reduces The Risk of Developing Diabetes: Many studies have confirmed that coffee has properties that prevent Type II diabetes. A study conducted at the Harvard University School of Public Health found that drinking coffee can cut the risk of developing Type II diabetes by 50% in men and by 30% in women. A Finnish study found that women who drank three to four cups of coffee per day reduced their risk of diabetes by 29%, while men who drank them same amount reduced their risk by 27%.

You'll have to excuse me now, I'm going to go produce some methylpyridinium.