The Benefits of Coffee

Coffee and the caffeine that comes with it have gotten a bad rap over the years in terms of whether or not it's good for you. But the latest scientific and medical research shows that there are plenty health benefits, as well according to an article in the January issue of Food Technology, by Roger Clemens and James Coughlin.

The authors contend that the latest scientific research, as well as reviews of the last 30 years of thousands of controlled studies, tell us that moderate coffee consumption (3-5 cups a day) can reduce the risk of a number of diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, liver disease, Parkinson's disease, and cardiovascular disease.

The antioxidants that naturally occur in the brewing process means that coffee can reduce the risk of cancer, too.

Reducing Caffeine Doesn't Affect Child's Birth Weight

When I found out I was pregnant with my children, I immediately stopped drinking my morning java (and suffered from the horrible withdrawal symptoms that went with it, including headaches, lethargy, crankiness--or maybe those were just the oh-so-lovely signs of pregnancy...). It just didn't seem right to be funneling a caffeine stimulant to my fetuses.

Turns out, even if I hadn't stopped drinking coffee, the extra doses of morning caffeine may not have affected the lengths of my pregnancies or my babies' birth weights.

According to research published on BMJ Online First (a web publication from the British Medical Journal), Danish researchers monitored 1,207 healthy pregnant women who drank more than three cups of coffee a day. Half were given decaffeinated coffee, half caffeinated coffee. Neither group was told which kind they were drinking.

Once they gave birth, researchers found there was no real difference in either the length of the pregnancy or birth weight between the two groups.

Previous scientific research had shown mixed results in the connection between caffeine intake and low birthweights and pre-term births. Some controlled studies seemed to show a link between caffeine and fetal development, others had not.

Coffee a Female Viagra?

Researchers at Southwestern University found that female lab rats who were given caffeine were more "motivated" to be with male rats in a sexual way. A dose of caffeine shortened the amount of time the female rats returned to their male partners "following an ejaculation," according to the study abstract.

However, the scientists point out that these rats had never had caffeine before. Their reactions may have been based on their being "caffeine virgins," so the same effects may not be seen among humans who already drink coffee, green tea, diet sodas or other caffeinated beverages regularly.

Sources:
Food Technology, January 2007, (http://members.ift.org/NR/rdonlyres/D24CE629-2D35-4EBC-B984-0C738730BD4F/0/0107fmh.pdf)

BMJ Online First, January 2007 (http://press.psprings.co.uk/bmj/january/caffeine.pdf)

Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, November 2005, (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T0N-4HMFJ4F-1&_user=10&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F2005&_alid=533626365&_rdoc=1&_fmt=summary&_orig=search&_cdi=4867&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=1&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=f11deaf111aba800ff74f2a4de4ee456)