Coffee. Many of us start the day with it’s delicious aroma, soothing warmth, slight bitterness and the much wanted zap of caffeine.
It sometimes gets a ‘bad reputation’, quite undeservedly. The medical literature is full of papers on the positive associations between good health and moderate consumption of various coffees and teas. The most ‘common myth’ about coffee is that it ‘dehydrates you’. This myth is so pervasive it makes you think that people in a drought would do themselves a disservice if coffee was the only fluid they could drink. Coffee is indeed a diuretic – meaning you lose more than the expected amount of water relative to how much you take in – but you are still taking in and retaining water in much greater amounts than you’re losing due to that ‘diuretic effect’. I’ll be picking this and other hydration myths apart later this spring.
One of the most recent studies on coffee (and green tea) reiterates another health benefit of the beverage – it appears to help cut the risk of stroke. Eighty three thousand people were followed for thirteen years who have one cup per day appear to have a 32% reduction in risk for an intracranial haemmoraghic stroke (when a blood vessel in the head breaks and bleeds), and a 20% reduction in the risk for any other kind of stroke. Similar effects were found for green tea, however green tea drinkers were significantly more likely to exercise – so it is unclear if the risk reduction is because of the exercise or because of the green tea.
In addition, another recent publication looked at sweetened beverages and their diet versions – and found a reduced risk of developing depression compared to those other beverages. Out of interest – diet versions of juices and soft drinks were associated with higher incidence of depression than the non diet versions. Coffee won out over both – it reduces depression risk.
Is Coffee Good For You? – How Stuff Works
Over 400 billion cups of coffee are drunk globally each year, so it’s important to establish what impact coffee has on our health.
A Daily Habit Of Green Tea Or Coffee Cuts Stroke Risk – NPR (blog)
NPR (blog)A Daily Habit Of Green Tea Or Coffee Cuts Stroke RiskNPR (blog)Whether it’s green tea that warms you up, or coffee that gives you that morning lift, a new study finds both can help cut the risk of suffering a stroke. The study, published in …
Coffee Linked to Depression? It’s Just a Myth! | Life on the Rim Blog
https://www.theroasterie.com2/20/13
Reaching for a can of diet soda just to get your caffeine fix? You may want to rethink that decision! A recent article examined data culled from 263,900 adults ages 50-71 and how drinking diet soda may be linked to depression …
