Coffee - Drink to Your Health?

Like many humans, I have strong feelings of affection and devotion for my morning cup of coffee. It's bitter and fragrant and slightly sweet and creamy. It warms the hands, the heart, the belly and the mind. So, when I read one of the spate of recent articles about the antioxidant benefits of coffee consumption, I was cheered. "Fantastic," I thought, "it's all going to turn out like that Woody Allen movie where all the bad things are actually good for you. Maybe someday I can even start smoking again!"

Alas. It isn't like the movie. Most of the recent articles about the supposed health benefits of coffee were inspired by just one study. The study, conducted by Professor Joe A. Vinson of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, analyzed the antioxidants found in 100 different foods. Based on frequency of consumption, coffee contributes the most antioxidants to the American diet. "Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other dietary source. Nothing else comes close," said Professor Vinson.

He also said "Unfortunately, consumers are still not eating enough fruits and vegetables, which are better for you from an overall nutritional point of view to their higher content of vitamins, minerals and fiber." There's the rub. The reason Americans get more antioxidants from coffee is that the typical American diet is poor in fruits, vegetables, and other antioxidant rich sources. It's not because coffee is the "best" source of antioxidants. It's just math. The average American drinks approximately 45 gallons of coffee and eats approximately one pint of blueberries per year. So, even though blueberries have more than 1000 times the antioxidants of coffee, coffee wins the headlines because we drink more of it.

If you want a nice hot cup of antioxidants, you'd do better with green tea, according to the study. Green tea is rich in epigallocatechin gallate, which has been shown to be protective against heart disease, and it has 10 times the antioxidants of coffee.

Kampai (Japanese for "to your health.").