One of the stories about the origin of coffee tells us that one monk told the sheep herder who discovered the coffee cherries that coffee is the devil’s fruit. Monk went so far as to ban sheep herder from touching the bushes again. Given the many health benefits that today’s researchers have identified in the coffee, give us more of that forbidden fruit.
The millions of people around the world who buy and consume coffee do so for many reasons. Some need the caffeine jerk, others do it just because it tastes especially in gourmet coffee types, and still for some, it is both a habit and a ritual. But in its centuries of history and tradition, it is only in recent years that people are starting to recognize the health benefits of coffee.
Moderate consumption is the key, and that means two to three cups of coffee a day. The recognized benefits are that coffee helps:
increase alertness and fight fatigue,
reduce the risk of colon cancer, reduce the risk
for Parkinson’s disease, and
reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
But a recent article in WebMD website tells us that a Harvard study concludes that having six cups or more of your favorite java reduced the risk of diabetes by 54% in men and 30% in women. But the researchers themselves advise that the results should be taken with a grain of salt. The effect of caffeine differs from one person to another depends mainly on how it is absorbed by a system.
Another researcher from Vanderbilt University tells the same website that their studies have shown that the reduction in risk of Parkinson’s disease is directly related to higher caffeine content. The researcher adds that Parkinson’s drugs now being developed that contain a derivative of caffeine on the evidence taken from his studies.
And so is the fact that coffee contains antioxidants. Antioxidants occur naturally in fruits and vegetables and help fight free radicals in the body. Normal body functions produce these free radicals, which in turn can cause cell damage that leads to cancer risks. It has been proven that in the case of coffee drinks contain the highest amount of antioxidants, more than four times the tea. One of the antioxidants found in coffee is chlorogenic acid which contributes to insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism, thus fighting diabetes.
It is clear on this point that the health benefits from your favorite cup of java are many. But to take advantage of them is not necessarily automatic. One should ask if their body can withstand six cups of coffee a day as suggested by the study mentioned above.
In excessive doses, caffeine can increase nervousness, hand tremors and palpitations. Pregnant women and heart patients is also important to stay away from coffee. For most healthy people, studies have shown no adverse effects. The bottom line is that it is always good to do things in moderation.
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