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Coffee A Health Drink?

Yocto Yotta wrote to mention an article from The Independent which would seem to indicate that coffee has numerous health benefits, and could be construed to be a 'health drink'. From the article: "'A study has found that coffee contributes more antioxidants - which have been linked with fighting heart disease and cancer - to the diet than cranberries, apples or tomatoes...[antioxidants in coffee] have been linked to a number of health benefits, including protection against heart disease and cancer. Studies have associated coffee drinking with a reduced risk of liver and colon cancer, type two diabetes, and Parkinson's disease.'"

14 of 404 comments (clear)

  1. That explains... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... Why computer programmers and other cube dwellers are always the picture of health and fitness!

    1. Re:That explains... by skingers6894 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No, you are looking at that the wrong way. The coffee is what is keeping these incredibly unhealthy people in cubicles alive!

    2. Re:That explains... by ozmanjusri · · Score: 5, Funny

      The coffee is what is keeping these incredibly unhealthy people in cubicles alive!

      Well, let's face it, if wasn't for the shakes, they wouldn't be getting any exercise at all.

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  2. Yellow Teeth by panaceaa · · Score: 5, Funny

    In addition, the yellow teeth you get will prevent you from getting STDs!!

    As if us Slashdotters need any additional help with that :).

    1. Re:Yellow Teeth by moro_666 · · Score: 5, Informative

      actually getting yellow teeth barely is any real concern for the health (it may look ugly but it doesnt kill you)

      you should be althrough worried for the calcium levels that you affect with drinking coffee. in many studies coffee has been proved to be responsible for increasing calcium extraction from human body, therefor your teeth and bones will get weaker. this seems to be an individual dependant case however, not everybody is affected in the same range.

      see this link

      http://www.cosic.org/coffee-and-health/bone-health

      drinking enough milk will compensate this anyway, so if you are a real caffeine addict, just make sure you drink enough milk to keep the bones&teeth healthy and wash your teeth enough to keep em white. this way you wont break your bones while raising the coffe cup and wont need to go to dentist after your cup has accidently collided with your teeth.

      i love coffee, and there is nothing that keeps me from drinking it. concidering the chances that *vogon* ships may be out here by next thursday doesnt make really worried about the fact that my teeth may get yellow. (i dont like thursdays, seriously i dont like them!)

      ps. people who drink caffeine coffee should have their head examined.

      --

      I'd tell you the chances of this story being a dupe, but you wouldn't like it.
  3. See by OneArmedMan · · Score: 5, Funny

    ihavebeensayingforyearsthatdrinkinglotsofcoffeeisa goodthinganditsnothingtoworryabout. /Deeeep breath /twitch twitch

  4. the worst are always good for you in some ways. by silverkniveshotmail. · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Is it just me or is this sort of thing said about everything we're told is bad for us every once and a while? I remember a while back i even heard people saying that cigarettes helped with alzheimer's or something here it is
    Alzheimer's delayed by cigarettes

    1. Re:the worst are always good for you in some ways. by uighur · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The article doesn't quite say coffee is good for you. All it says is "Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other dietary source. Nothing else comes close," The real Slashdot headline should've been "Americans don't eat enough fruits/vegetables". but that wouldn't have been sensational enough.

  5. Moderation by ZeroExistenZ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Well, study showed the same about alcohol.
    It doesn't mean getting drunk every day is a healthy thing to do, as is maintaining a caffeïne addiction. Moderation in things is key I believe.

    I just know that quitting the whole coffee-addiction had benefits for me personally.

    --
    I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
  6. Re:Didn't see that coming by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Espresso, not expresso.

  7. Crunch time programmers sickly as ever by Finkbug · · Score: 5, Insightful

    From the article,

    "A study has found that coffee contributes more antioxidants - which have been linked with fighting heart disease and cancer - to the diet than cranberries, apples or tomatoes."

    The key bit here is "to the diet". This doesn't make coffee a health food, it means the collective we don't eat enough of the healthy stuff. Yet another misrepresentation of research and thanks to Slashdot for picking it up. I eagerly await the modded funny posts.

    --
    Feeling so good natured I could drool
  8. Take with a pinch of cocoa by Sinner · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The study was funded by the American Cocoa Research Institute. Make of that what you may.

    Compared to a lot of the "alcohol is good for you" hype that I've seen, the article is actually pretty balanced. Still, this kind of thing makes me uncomfortable.

    --
    fish and pipes
  9. One word by JanneM · · Score: 5, Funny

    Too much of a good thing is NEVER beneficial. ... Except sex, that is.

    Chafing.

    --
    Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
  10. Perspective - the true price of coffee by beforewisdom · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I am getting to the end of rather frightening bout of insomnia. It never happened to me before in my life and seems to be on its way out, but I was up for almost 2 weeks straight without getting more then 2 hours of a sleep a night.

    In the process of getting over it I learned that a massive number of people suffer ( silently ) in North America and the UK from chronic insomnia. I don't mean an occasional night without sleep that is slept off the next day, but chronic troubles getting and staying asleep.

    A large number of reasons are lifestyle related. Caffeine use, being over-weight, bad sleep habits, and the way many of us live our lives.

    As the article for this thread shows a lot of Americans like to drink a lot of coffee.

    Americans also take in a significant amount of "hidden" caffeine through iced tea beverages, chocolates, cocoa, soft drinks ( 2 sodas == 1 cup of coffee ) and other drinks. Often Americans will consume these significant caffeine sources at later times in the day when they would not dare to have coffee or hot tea.

    Coffee, on a regular basis, over years is also very hard on the human stomach and contributes to an early decline in digestive power which leads to a tougher time getting the nutrients a human body needs.

    It is also a very environmentally destructive crop, severely depleting the soil where it is grown. A friend told me that South American farmers call it the "Vampire Crop".

    If you want a concentrated source of antioxidants without caffeine try taking a tablespoon of organic ( to avoid getting pesticide residues ) citrus zest ( finely grated peel - the part of the peel with the color ) a week:

    http://www.prevention.com/article/0,5778,s1-3-71-1 08-5616-1,00.html?

    Fresh aromatic herbs area also a good source of concentrated antioxidants and cancer fighters. Use basil. It is cheap in season. It is basically a weed, is easily grown in a garden or in a pot in an apartment.

    Eating cruciferous vegetables like the broccoli in Chinese food ( yay! ) will give you plenty of antioxidants. Other cruciferous vegetables that help are cabbage, collards, kale, mustard greens etc.

    If you have regular trouble sleeping either with falling asleep, staying asleep, spontaneously getting up early, or not feeling rested see either a neurologist or a pulmonologist to rule out physical causes. Sleep apena is the number one physical cause and is mostly due to the weight problem Oceania is experiencing. People accumulate so much excess weight that some of it ends up in the throat region with the result of tissue sagging downwards while they sleep temporarily blocking their flow of air. The flow is unblocked with the brain forcing a brief awakening, often many times a night, often without the person knowing. Being overweight is not the only cause of sleep apena, but it accounts for the vast majority of cases.

    The methods used to treat sleep apena are not pleasant. Avoid surgery. It has been found to only be 25% effective. However, losing weight can be very effective from individual to individual.

    Like I wrote earlier most of sleeplessness is lifestyle related.

    In other areas of our lives bad habits and stress are keeping many, many people awake.

    Only use sleep medications in the short term.

    Many are addictive and many ( not all ) only provide benefits for several weeks, this is true even for many of the prescription drugs.

    Cognitive therapy has proven to be more effective than drugs in managing insomnia over the long term. It is cheap, shows results quickly and can be often be done on one's own after a little help.

    One of the best books about improving sleep, getting rid of insomnia and getting off of medication for sleep was written by a Harvard psychologist who developed and studied his program over the course 10 years.

    It combines the most effective( and prove