Coffee Addicts Less at Risk From Diabetes

Q1: What is the scientific consensus on coffee's safety?


A: Decades of research and centuries of human consumption confirm the safety of coffee and caffeine. According to the National Library of Medicine, more than 19,000 scientific studies to date have been conducted on coffee or caffeine, and the US Food and Drug Administration still considers caffeine to be "Generally Recognized as Safe."

In fact, recent scientific research carried out at the Mayo Clinic, Harvard School of Public Health, U.S. Veterans Administration and other medical centers show that coffee is not only safe but beneficial???drinking from 2 to 4 cups of coffee a day may lower the risk of colon cancer (25%), gallstones (45%), cirrhosis of the liver (80%), and Parkinson???s Disease (50% - 80%), among other diseases. It can even reduce the incidence of asthma (25%) because of the presence of the chemical theophylline in coffee.

What???s more, research has shown that there are four times the amount of anti-oxidants in coffee than in green tea, that coffee is an excellent anti-depressant and an effective performance enhancer, improving one???s memory and energy levels for both mental and physical activities.

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Q1: Does coffee contain any anti-oxidants?


A: Scientific research has demonstrated that a serving of coffee contains up to four times as much anti-oxidant activity as a serving of green tea, and that each cup of coffee has a large amount of anti-oxidant "polyphenols" in its roasted form -- whose strength is not diminished by adding creamers or by decaffeination. (30).

Through the protective effects of anti-oxidants, scientists believe it may be possible to prevent, postpone or limit a number of degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, cataracts, and diseases of the nervous system. (31, 32).

Indeed, epidemiological studies have already shown that intake of polyphenols in the diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in an elderly population and in a cross-cultural population. (33).

Chlorogenic acid is the most prominent polyphenol in coffee, though there are others. Robusta coffee can contain up to 7-10% chlorogenic acid, where the concentration in Arabica coffee is slightly less at 5-7%. (34). That means a cup of coffee can contain anywhere from 15 to 325 milligrams of chlorogenic acid, depending on the composition and method of preparation.

Another polyphenol found in coffee (caffeic acid) has been found to effectively protect cells against oxidation (35) and also directly contributed to the anti-oxidant system in clinical tests on laboratory animals.(36)

Q1: Does consumption of coffee affect the formation of kidney stones?



A: There is new evidence that coffee, both caffeinated and decaffeinated, helps prevent the formation of kidney stones. Two ten-year studies of men and women found that those who drink just one cup of caffeinated coffee a day reduced the risk of developing kidney stones by 10 percent, while decaffeinated coffee showed a 9 percent decrease. (16, 17)

Caffeine may stop kidney stones from forming by increasing the flow of urine and decreasing its concentration. At the same time, the positive results for decaffeinated coffee indicate that the beneficial effects in coffee may come from a factor other than caffeine.

A kidney stone is a hard mass that forms when calcium oxalate or other chemicals in the urine form crystals that stick together.

Q1: Is there an association between coffee and cancer?


A: In 1997, the American Institute of Cancer Research , Washington, DC, and the World Cancer Research Fund, London, published the most comprehensive review and evaluation of scientific evidence on diet and cancer since the 1982 report of the National Academy of Sciences. The AICR report concluded that, "Most evidence suggests that regular consumption of coffee and/or tea has no significant relationship with the risk of cancer of any site(12)."

A comprehensive chart from the AICR report listing which foods and beverages increase or decrease the risk of cancer is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association of November 26, 1997 (vol. 278, no. 20).

Q2: Is coffee effective in reducing the risk of any cancer?


A: Yes???coffee has shown a protective effect against colon cancer. A recent meta-analysis of 17 studies on coffee consumption and colorectal cancer from 1960 to 1990 found the risk of colorectal cancer to be 24% lower among those who drink 4 or more cups of coffee per day, than among those who rarely or never drink coffee. (18)

The most likely explanations for lower risk of colorectal cancer among heavy coffee consumers are the enhanced colonic activity induced by coffee, and that anti-mutagenic components in coffee and caffeine inhibit the cancer-causing effect of various microorganisms.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, with some 131,000 Americans diagnosed with cancers of the rectum and colon on an annual basis. About 90% of the cancers occur in people over age 50.

Q: Is coffee effective in reducing the risk of Parkinson???s Disease?



A: In the past 30 years, nine studies have shown that regular coffee consumption over time may reduce the risk of Parkinson???s Disease, an incurable and delibitating disease affecting 1 million Americans, who develop tremors and have difficulty in moving their arms and legs. The coffee element that appears most likely to produce this effect is caffeine.

Six retrospective studies found that people who drank coffee on a regular basis were 50%- 80% less likely to develop Parkinson???s disease than those who did not consume coffee. (20-25) Three of the studies showed a dose-response relationship???strong support that the more one consumes coffee, the less likely the risk of developing Parkinson???s Disease (20-22).

Moreover, two long-term prospective studies also found a strong dose-response relationship between caffeinated coffee and a reduced risk of 50% - 80% against developing Parkinson???s Disease (26, 27).

If regular coffee consumption over decades seems to protect against PD, how does it do so? One of the characteristics of Parkinson???s patients is the reduced amount of dopamine in certain areas of the brain. Mice whose brain dopamine content has been depleted exhibit some symptoms of Parkinson???s Disease. In a 1991 study, caffeine given to these mice prevented the development of Parkinson symptoms (28).

In a 2001 study, mice were given a chemical that depletes dopamine in important areas of the brain. Levels of caffeine intake comparable to human consumption reduced the amount of dopamine depleted in the brain as well as the physical symptoms typical of Parkinson???s Disease in humans???providing a molecular explanation for the neuroprotective effect of caffeine against Parkinson???s (29).

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Q1: Is caffeine addictive?
A: Addiction is a strong dependence on a drug characterized by three elements: 1) severe withdrawal symptoms; 2) tolerance to a given dose, or the need for more and more of the substance; and 3) the loss of control, or the need to consume the substance at all costs. Addicts may exhibit anti-social behavior or even commit crimes to perpetuate the abuse. Evidence shows that coffee drinkers do not exhibit these symptoms of addiction.

Q2: Can drinking coffee lead people to form a caffeine dependency?


A: The most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM IV-R, 1994) does not list caffeine with drugs that cause dependency. According to John Hughes, M.D. of the University of Vermont, ...???although there are substantial basic research data that suggest that caffeine can serve as a reinforcer in humans, the dearth of evidence on clinical indicators of dependence on caffeine (e.g., inability to stop use, despite harm) precludes inclusion of caffeine abuse or dependence categories in DSM-IV??? (5). Further, neither coffee nor other products containing caffeine, such as tea, chocolate, soft drinks or some non-prescription pain relievers, are classified by drug dependence experts as addictive.

Q3: Do people who stop drinking coffee experience caffeine withdrawal?


A: A small subset of individuals (less than 5% of regular consumers) may experience mild, temporary effects of caffeine withdrawal -- mild headache, fatigue or drowsiness -- lasting no more than a day or two when abruptly ceasing consumption. These symptoms can be avoided by tapering consumption gradually over several days. In addition, the American Psychiatric Association's Substance Use Task Force rejected caffeine withdrawal as a separate diagnosis in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - Fourth Edition (DSM).

Recent research indicates that the frequency and severity of caffeine-withdrawal symptoms may be much lower than previously reported due to "expectation bias," which occurs when participants are made aware of the caffeine-withdrawal focus of the study being conducted. (19)

Q1: How many children drink coffee?


A: Very few children drink coffee. In a 1997 survey conducted by the National Coffee Association, only 1.6 percent of 10 to 14 year olds in the United States consumed coffee. That translates to a per capita consumption of .05 cups per day.

A 1995 report found that none of the caffeine consumed by children ages seven to 10 in the U.S. came from coffee (1). This study indicated that levels of caffeine intake in young American children may be lower than previously reported.


Q2: Is caffeine consumption bad for children's health?


A: The majority of literature published on caffeine shows that there are no adverse health consequences associated with coffee consumption either in adults or children (2). A 1992 study published in Clinical Pediatrics showed no clear behavior toxicity from caffeine in normal children. In levels consumed by most children, caffeine does not appear to produce adverse effects.

Q3: Should children drink coffee?


A: Which foods and beverages children consume is a decision that should be made within each individual family.

Q4: Does the coffee industry market to children?


A: In general, the coffee industry does not target its marketing efforts toward children. Newer coffee drinks and the marketing of these products are designed to attract young adults, not children, to the unique taste and aroma of coffee.

Q5: Are young people drinking more coffee than before?


A: Consumption of all types of coffee by youth has remained fairly constant over the past decade. In 1985, seven percent of 10 to 19 year olds drank coffee, and in 1996, the percentage remained the same. During 1985, 10 to 19 year olds drank .1 cup per day, which is the same per capita consumption level of 1996.

Q1: Does caffeine effect an individual's exercise endurance?


A: Researchers have found that consumption of coffee and caffeine has little or no adverse effect on exercise in healthy people, or in people with cardiovascular disease. In fact, many studies have found that consuming caffeine has a positive effect on exercise performance, increasing both energy and endurance.

In men with mild hypertension, the equivalent of 3 cups of coffee appear to place a slightly higher workload on the heart, although these people did not appear more uncomfortable because of it (5). In people with angina, caffeine does not effect their ability to exercise (3,4).



Q2: Is coffee or caffeine dehydrating?


A: There is no evidence that consumption of any caffeinated beverage causes a fluid-electrolyte imbalance that is detrimental to health or exercise performance. A review of recent studies on caffeine and dehydration concluded that the caffeine consumed in 1 to 4 cups of coffee a day does not increase dehydration. (37).

PS.


This information has been reviewed by Alan Leviton, M.D., an epidemiologist in Boston.

Now, how do you like those apples???