Question Time

[Bluerose]

I have a friend who says that I drink too much coffee. I take it black with no sugar and might have four or five cups of coffee a day. She says tea is better for you but I find this hard to believe. Anyone have any information on this type of thing?

Feel free to put your own questions out there too.

[really]

I like Coffee too.

I like it with Sugar & lots of Cream.

I've been told by Dr.'s its bad for me.

I was told if I must drink it then drink no more than 2 cups of Decaf with no sugar or cream.

They said the best thing for me would be Decaf Green Tea.

I like Earl Grey Tea w/sugar and cream.

[David O]

Good morning Bluerose and really,

This reminds of the latest research on cell phones and cancer. A paper was just published this past 2 weeks which suggests that in mice, cell phone radiation reduces the risk of Alzheimers, too. It seems to never end.

The jury is still out, and by the way, I like my coffee like motor oil-- thick! 1/4 cup coffee, 1 cup creamer, 2 cups sugar, 4 cups Vanilla, more sugar, more creamer, more Vanilla, a bit o nutmeg and cinnamon and if I'm inspired, even a bit of rat poison or Raid!!! AT least that's my wife's version of my coffee habits.

In reality, the jury is still out, but what we do seem to know is that coffee filtered via paper removes oily Ditarpenes (a hydrocarbon chain harmful to the body-- and if you wanna know more about this chemical, read up, it'll sicken you), which are correlated with coronary heart disease. Despite this, there is much more evidence that some coffee may reduce the risks of Alzheimers, heart disease, diabetes type II, cirrhosis of the liver, and likely other things we don't know about well. But it can also cause some anemia among pregnant women. Anyway, there's too much in the literature to recite here.

However, just as an aside, coffee is known by scientists to contain >1000 rodent carcinogens according to some studies. Can you drink too much coffee-- we have what is called caffeinism, a name given to that condition where coffee can result in increased anxiety and even look like the manic symptoms of hyperactivity, racing thoughts, jitteryness, nervousness, etc.

4-5 cups of coffee is a bit high, but every person is different and race plays a role I think. Some racial groups metabolize medications/drugs quicker than others, so this may be a factor also. Weight can also play a role.

Overall, if your functioning well on 4-5 cups, you're probably OK, although most MD's would ask you to cut back to 1-2 cups (this would be my suggestion).

Good luck and I hope this helps some (by the way I'm on my 2nd cup of coffee flavored motor oil).

David

[malign]

What the research has not yet clarified is the related question:

When a rodent uses a cellphone, who does he call? :-)

I despise the taste of coffee, and I drink at least 2 cups a day, just for caffeine. I'm one addicted lab rat.

[IrmaJean]

I can't drink caffeine at all. Gives me spells of tachycardia. Sometimes I think it would be helpful for 3:30 AM shifts, though. If I have any it's decaf, with lots of milk and sugar.

[David O]

What the research has not yet clarified is the related question:

When a rodent uses a cellphone, who does he call?:eek: :-) EVERYONE LIKES A LITTLE ASS, NO ONE LIKES A SMARTASS!!!!!

I despise the taste of coffee, and I drink at least 2 cups a day, just for caffeine. I'm one addicted lab rat.

[danni]

I had to give up coffee about 6 months ago due to bleeding ulcers that I'm still dealing with. The withdrawal headache lasted two weeks!!!

I didn't measure my coffee intake in cups....I measured it in pots!! (about 3 a day) I was wired but I got a lot done!!!

Oh...and mark..... from one smartass to another only the elite rodents have cell phones.....They're calling those PETA dudes to report forced caffiene intake!! Duh...

[malign]

{I shall one day have vanity license plates that say:

YYYY S

That's "wise ass", in case it wasn't obvious.} :-P

"Pots"? My hands would shake too much to type.

[goose]

I love my tea, not any particular flavour, just the bog standard tea-bags that come from the supermarket.

I hate coffee, I hate the smell of coffee or anything flavoured with coffee.

A cup of tea is always the first response to any crisis ~ and it helps (no scientific evidence for this )

Goose

[really]

Oh Goose I love the smell of freshly brewing coffee - oh la la.

malign! you are just so fricking funny there goes that gift again. I swear you've got me laughing. you're going to make me live longer. *snickers*

[Symora]

Coffee is the nectar of the Gods! I do love my coffee, with lots of frothed hot milk. It makes life worth living... I do find it can keep me awake if I have one too late though....

Here is what I found from a caffeine perspective ...

Caffeinated drinks

Many popular drinks contain the stimulant caffeine. It has a bad reputation, but what effects does it really have and does it bring any health benefits?

Effects of caffeine

Caffeine acts as a stimulant to the heart and central nervous system, and is also known to increase blood pressure in the short term, although there's no conclusive evidence of long-term effects on blood pressure.

The effects on blood pressure are most likely when caffeine is taken in excessive quantities or by people who are highly sensitive to it. People who are hypertensive (have habitual high blood pressure) are advised to avoid caffeinated drinks, and pregnant women should limit their intake of caffeine to less than 300mg a day.

Food Caffeine content

Coffee (mg/cup)

Instant 61 to 70

Percolated ground 97 to 125

Tea (mg/cup) 15 to 75

Cocoa (mg/cup) 10 to 17

Chocolate bar 60 to 70

Cola drinks (mg/12oz can)

43 to 65

Caffeine has been shown to have very modest effects on increasing metabolism, and is sometimes added as an ingredient to weight loss pills. These pills often make claims about speeding metabolism to 'effortlessly melt' excess fat, but in reality the amount of calories that slimming pills containing caffeine would actually burn is very small.

Caffeine may also suppress appetite, but without making other changes to your diet and lifestyle caffeine is unlikely to make a significant difference to your weight.

Coffee

Coffee has been linked with a number of the risk factors for coronary heart disease, including increased blood pressure and raised blood cholesterol levels. But no relationship has been found between drinking coffee and the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease.

Coffee may be beneficial in some areas of health - for example, research has found it may reduce the risk of developing gallstones and kidney stones.

It's difficult to suggest a safe limit for coffee intake because of the huge variation in caffeine content across different brands and an individual's sensitivity to the drug. People with high blood pressure and pregnant women are advised to limit their caffeine consumption.

For the rest of the population, there's no evidence coffee does any long-term harm. Caffeine does have a very mild diuretic effect but, drunk in moderation, you don’t need to increase fluid intake to any significant degree as the loss of fluid is very minimal.

Tea

Tea contains some useful minerals such as zinc, manganese and potassium, and scientists are researching its potential to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and some cancers.

Tea contains antioxidant substances called flavonoids, which have been shown to help slow or inhibit the chemical reactions thought to take place during the development of coronary heart disease.

Green tea

There's also a lot of interest in the health benefits of green tea, particularly in relation to cardiovascular health. Again, this is due to flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants found in high concentrations in both green and black teas. The concentration of these compounds depends on how long the tea has been brewed, but can range from 125mg to 140mg.

Some studies have compared the concentration of these antioxidant compounds to that found in fruit and vegetables. Flavonoids bring potential benefits to heart health, as well as possible reductions in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.

Caffeine and iron absorption

Both tea and coffee contain polyphenols that can bind to iron, making it difficult for our bodies to absorb. Avoiding tea and coffee during and around mealtimes is important for people at risk of iron deficiency.

This article was last medically reviewed by the MRC Human Nutrition Research in July 2008.

First published in March 2001.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/healthy_living/nutrition/healthy_caff.shtml#caffeine_and_weight_loss

[mscat]

Love my coffee, however, ever since I bought my expresso maker , that is my baby i have a morning ritual, make my cup of expresso, with milk , sometimes , a mocha drink with froth and the works, including whipping cream.

I sit at the desktop and this is what I do every single morning. My next door neighbor has told me how good my coffee smells , it is that strong. I only have to drink one cup a day and boy, I am rearing to go.

My brother use to tease me , and call it mud, that I was consuming. Ah well, I just love it.

Than , a nice smoke afterwards , is all I need to be a calm , person. How I was raised , the family never drank coffee. So if I visit them ,i'll bring a thermos full of "my" special drink.

Of course I'll take am meds too, with water. With this all added to my system, how could I not be happy ?

[Bluerose]

Thanks people. And thanks Symora for all that information. I don't sleep much anyway and since I'm up most of the night and most of the day, I don't feel 4 or 5 cups of coffee to be too much. I still don't think tea is any better or any worse for us than coffee.

[LostSouls]

im a tea person myself, and coffee if you drink alot is bad for you and not near as effective they done a new study on it not long ago, im assuming why they say and apparently proved a small cup of coffee is better and more effective than a large let alone several is because you dont get to a high of a level and then come down real hard where you feel as you did before you drink it if not worse where as a small would wake you up make you alert and focused and kinda keep you there because you dont come down as hard if at any really...thats my thoughts on the subject but yea im not a coffee drinker, ice cold tea is my thing and dr. pepper its all i drink...my dad on the other hand he drinks a whole pot in the mornins and drinks tea in the afternoons and evenings because of the health benefits from it.