From: Daily Mail
A cup of coffee a day could keep Alzheimer’s disease at bay, research suggests. …
In this study, rabbits fed a cholesterol-rich diet were given 3mg of caffeine a day, the equivalent of a daily cup of coffee for an average-sized person.
After 12 weeks, a number of tests showed that the blood-brain barrier was significantly more intact in rabbits receiving the caffeine. …
The study is not the first to flag up the health benefits of coffee. Caffeine can reduce the risk of asthma attacks and help improve circulation in the heart.
Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing certain cancers, as well as Parkinson’s disease and type 2 diabetes.
The drink can keep gall stones and kidney stones at bay and has a mild anti-depressant effect which could reduce the risk of suicide.
Taibu
From 2 years back i’ve been suffering from Parkinson
and am under treatment but i had no addiction before to drink Tea/coffee.This article inspired me and now i m thinking to make a habit with coffee.
tobefree
Taibu,
Wow! I’m sorry to hear of your problem, and I hope you fully recover!
I’ve found that the right type of coffee (and tea http://tobefree.press/2008/04/02/red-wine-tea-may-help-regulate-blood-sugar-in-type-2-diabetics) has helped my own health, which is one of the reasons I posted this.
I have a few theories of why coffee may be so beneficial. The above is the first article I’ve seen where they actually credit caffeine, which has *not* been why I personally drink coffee. But this is nice to hear. I’ve thought that it would be nice to have the full flavor of coffee minus the caffeine. But there is not a decaffeination process that doesn’t strip some of the beneficial nutrients.
Coffee is apparently a rich source of minerals. Among these *may be* manganese and some of the nutrients that help regulate blood sugar, like chromium and/or vanadium. I’m being careful in how I say this because we don’t have freedom of health in this country; though, Big Pharma seems to be able to do anything they want to.
It’s *possible* that coffee is a detoxifying agent also, that it *may be* able to help get rid of heavy metals. And the darkness of the roast may be a huge factor.
I’ve heard that ER units use charcoal to help remove poisons from the body. Dark roasting coffee *may* produce a similar component, which is maybe one of the main reasons the dark roasts are so popular for espresso. It would be interesting if even just one study would research dark roasted espresso, properly done—not just coffee in general.
Big Pharma seems to have their hand in way too many studies. For example, apparently they only publish studies on the fake, synthetic version of vitamin E, which show that this synthetic form is not beneficial—maybe even harmful. Their message is that vitamin E is detrimental. But they don’t study the real thing. Sadly.
Regarding coffee: how it’s made and what type is tested can make a huge difference! I tried three espresso machines until I got a Pavoni hand-pull model that really rocks! And the lesser quality grinders didn’t seem to get a uniform enough grind. I’ve found the Mazzer Mini to be the perfect compliment to the Pavoni. It’s spendy, but it’s built like a tank.
If I didn’t have a high quality espresso machine set-up, I’d use an inexpensive, glass, french press and an inexpensive burr grinder (about $40—not the more common blade grinders).
Currently, my favorite coffee blend is less than $4.00/pound (available at our Costco), tastes great, and is “fair trade”: San Franscisco Bay’s French Roast http://www.gourmet-coffee.com/home.php?xid=38f21a94c1f995b810ab3d6fbc98fb72.
There is another factor that seems to be mostly overlooked: the high quality fats in the coffee bean—and the importance of keeping them from going rancid.
As soon as I purchase a 3-pound bag of coffee, I vacuum it in glass jars, and immediately freeze it [If it’s not immediately frozen, it off-gasses]. Our most famous local coffee company does the freezing without the vacuum packing—which is where I got the freezing idea—though many say never to. Freezing greatly helps reduce the rancidity of the oils, but the high concentration of oxygen that is still present seems to remove a great deal of the flavor and likely some of the nutritional benefits. Vacuum packing in glass seems to mostly solve this.
I’ll rarely buy an espresso from a vendor, mostly because it is so incredibly expensive [My machines have paid for themselves many times over]. But also because near-boiling liquid served in plastic lined or styrofoam cups is probably a health no-no. It would be nice to see more coffee shops using the old style, ceramic cups.
Freedom!
Jeff Fenske : )
Taibu
Thnks a lot.