Thursday, November 17, 2005

Just pour me up another cup of coffee already!


Coffee, it would seem, is really good for you. Except when it isn’t.

I got to thinking about this last night when I was reading an article in Outside magazine that was talking about a study on coffee. For years, some athletes and trainers have insisted that the diuretic properties of coffee can lead to dehydration before a workout. I never let this deter me, as I would be a mess if I tried to ride a mountain bike trail in the morning without the benefits of caffeine on my reflexes.

Now, a study has come out that says it’s OK to have some coffee before a workout; coffee is no more of a diuretic than water. So coffee is good for you.
While there have been several studies done that show caffeine is a mild diuretic, there is no evidence that exercise, when combined with the consumption of caffeine or caffeinated beverages, will result in chronic dehydration, and this is contrary to the advice of most exercise physiologists, physicians and dietitians.

Link

Unless you’re pregnant. If you’re pregnant, drinking more than three cups a day can double your risk of miscarriage. So coffee is bad for you, especially for women.
The results seem to show an increased risk of foetal death from increased coffee consumption in pregnancy. Pregnant women may want to review the amount of coffee they drink.

Link

Unless you’re a women who worries about high blood pressure. Studies now show that women who drink four or more cups of coffee a day are less likely to develop high blood pressure than women who don’t. Coffee is good for you, especially for women.
There was even some evidence [that] women who drank lots of coffee - four or more daily cups of regular or decaf - faced a slightly lower risk for developing high blood pressure than those who drank little or none.

Link

Unless you drink decaf. Apparently, it’s not the caffeine that’s bad for you. Drinking decaf can lead to a rise in harmful cholesterol, and cause heart disease. So, coffee is bad for you, especially if you drink decaf.
Contrary to what people have thought for many years, I believe it's not caffeinated but decaffeinated coffee that might promote heart disease risk factors.

Link

Unless you want to boost anti-oxidants. Studies are now showing that all coffee, including decaf, is our number one source of anti-oxidants, which can fight cancer and diabetes. It’s not necessarily the best source, but it is high enough in anti-oxidants that it’s where we get most of ours. So coffee is good for you.
All coffee, whether a shot of espresso, a paper cup of Colombian laced with half-and-half, or an after-dinner decaf, is rich in anti-oxidants, which are also found in vegetables, fruits, tea and red wine.

Link

What gives? Coffee, like alcohol, has been praised and vilified by various scientific studies forever. Why can’t we make up our mind?

Is it economic? It could be; coffee is the second-most traded commodity in the world, after oil. Over six million metric tons of coffee are produced each year. If it was truly found to be bad, it could be devastating to the industry. I mean, look how everyone quit smoking when it was discovered to bad, and the way we all stopped driving when we realized how we were polluting the environment.

Is it the fun police? Hot coffee was created by the Arabs in 1,000AD. When it reached Rome, the Catholic Church denounced it as the devil’s drink, Satan’s gift to the Moslem infidels. It wasn’t until Pope Clement VIII tasted coffee in the late 1500’s that it was decided to be too good to be bad. The Pope blessed the coffee, and it was then approved. Perhaps bastions of Christianity still frown upon coffee, and would like to cleanse their congregations of it. Stranger things have happened.

Regardless of the reasons, and regardless of whether coffee is good or bad for you, one thing is true; coffee tastes good. It makes me feel good. I have a cup every morning during the week, and half a pot each morning on the weekend. This won’t stop, regardless of what the next new study says.

In fact, all this talk of coffee makes me want to go find another cup right now.

Later!

The fun facts on the history of coffee came from here.

8 comments:

Angeline Rose Larimer said...

Right! So, so long as I don't get pregnant again, my half a pot a day consumption has actually been good for me. Yippee!!! Because if I ever stop, I will have one H of a problem with the headaches. Maybe that's a chip in my head, implanted by the coffee industry.
ZAP--'uh-oh...need more coffee before the headache takes root...'
I LOVE COFFEE--even turtle flavored, as previously discussed.
*aren't turtle candies nuts/chocolate/caramel. Seriously, that's sounding really really good.

BTW, I would not be able to workout immediately after my coffee, because I would need to pee and do other things in the middle of the workout. So I wait, make my deposit, then replenish with H2O. Doesn't everyone have to do this?

tanagrame said...

Thanks for setting the record straight on the coffee controversy. Coffee is my life. Lattes are my paradise.

WM, I usually wait to pee in the woods.

alpharat said...

She's not kidding, either.

Jennifer said...

Caffeine is my pilot, nicotine is my co-pilot, and alcohol is my air traffice controller.

Guilt is the root of all disease.

Angeline Rose Larimer said...

Z--I'm putting that on my 'make your own fortune' fortune cookies.
(sound of gong)

You bikers! I was thinking you had bladders of steel.

stray_thoughts said...

This is my caffeine sob story...

I worshipped at the altar of caffeine excessively in the larval & pupa stages of my life. I drank freely from the fountain(pop) & suckled the (coffee)bean dry. It was a happy, jittery paradise where I frolicked through coffee houses & slept only when my fragile shell collapsed from fatigue. As a result, in the adult stages of my life, I am incapable of processing this most cherished stimulant. I have been excommunicated from the Church of the Coffee Bean. Any attempt to return causes headaches & severe pain. The only wisdom I've gained from this is...everything in moderation.

Screw that! Live it up while you still can! I still have my alcohol & cigarettes!

...cough...

This is my nicotine sob story...

Angeline Rose Larimer said...

Stray Thoughts...I am waiting for the Alpharat blog that says cigarettes are actually good for you, too.
My hubbie says they cure canker sores.

tanagrame said...

cigarettes aren't good for you???