Article Contributed on: 9/4/2006 8:27:49 AM
I'm a coffee junkie. Surprising news from the medical community makes me feel a bit better about the amount of coffee I drink. Recently some studies have been done at Harvard that show actual health benefits connected to moderate amounts of coffee consumption. They suggest 3-8 cups per day. Not decaf, but the real joe.
I enjoy drinking any kind of coffee. Flavored, plain, expensive or whatever I find on sale. Instant, ground, and whole bean. I've drank it from a cup, a mug, a thermos, paper cups, styrofoam cups, plastic cups with domed lids and straws, even from cans and bottles. Now, you can get your coffee frapped, capped, steamed, creamed, soy'ed, dripped, brewed, iced, latted, frozen, double shotted, percolated, pressed, carmelized and chocolate infused. I love it all, but I adore a cup of the plain ole black stuff. My middle aged middle thanks me for that. It tastes the absolute best when served to me (by my husband) in my 1950's heavy ceramic diner style white mug with blue stripes, promptly at 6:00am, a 'la pj's and slippers.
But, personal preferences aside, the study goes on to say that for people who drink 3 or more cups per day, coffee can actually prevent certain types of heart disease, minimize scirrosis of the liver in some cases, and possibly prevent gallstones. The major focus of the study pointed toward strong evidence that coffee can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The researchers note that caffeine, the best known ingredient in regular coffee is known to raise blood sugar and increase energy expenditure in the short term. YAY! Long term effects have not been as well understood, but coffee has lots of antioxidants and magnesium, which can improve sensitivity to insulin and may contribute to lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes. They found that men who drank 6 or more cups per day reduced their risk for type 2 diabetes by 50% compared to non coffee drinkers, and women, by nearly 30%.
"This is good news for coffee drinkers" said Frank Hu, senior author of the study and associate professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. Further studies are planned for continuing research.
Consulting with your physician before going into a full frappaccino frenzy is a must, say the researchers at Harvard.
So for those of us who love our latte, and have the green light from our Doc's there's one more thing that is OK, bodywise. At least for now!!