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Drink Decaf and Die
jose parinas writes "Decaffeinated -- not caffeinated -- coffee may cause an increase in harmful LDL cholesterol by increasing a specific type of blood fat linked to the metabolic syndrome, hints a new study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2005."
From the article:
quote:
"Whether coffee has caffeine is not the only thing that differentiates caffeinated from decaffeinated types," Superko said. "Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees are often made from different species of beans. Caffeinated coffee, by and large, comes from a bean species called coffee Arabica, while many decaffeinated coffees are made from coffee Robusta. The decaffeination process can extract flavonoids and ingredients that give coffee flavor. So decaffeinated brands usually use a bean that has a more robust flavor."
/ end quote
Robusto is named not because it has a more robust flavor than Arabica, but because it is a hardier species. In fact, the taste of robusto coffee is so heinous that only people without the sense to drink freshly ground coffee are susceptible to this travesty. I suppose that also includes decaf drinkers, but it also includes those who drink freeze dried coffees and mass produced brown powder that comes in cans.
To be blunt, Starbucks coffee would actually be a step up in quality from robusto beans.
Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.
Surely decaffeination is a potential cause of cancer?
If you don't want the caffeine, why not drink water?
Get the EULA T-shirt
There are documented cases where people have died from the ingestion of nicotine (generally in the form of nicotine pesticides). In adults, the lethal dose has been quoted as 40-60mg (although not well documented).
However with those facts aside, nicotine is of course not the only toxic chemical inhaled from cigarettes, so whether the cigarettes contain nicotine or not is moot. (yes, yes... I am aware the parent post is tongue-in-cheek, but have decided to answer to it anyway).
FTA:
The Coffee and Lipoprotein Metabolism (CALM) study included 187 people, randomized to three groups: one that drank three to six cups of caffeinated coffee a day; another that drank three to six cups of decaffeinated coffee a day; and a third, the control group, that drank no coffee.
IMHO, I don't think this is a large enough set to draw accurate data from, as an initial study, these results should lead to further tests - but it seems to me, too early to apply wide sweeping statements - hey, but this is what the press is good at - right?
Wasn't there a study a few years ago that proved oxygen was bad for us? increased radicals causing cellular breakdown and ageing... As a New Years resolution, try giving that up!!
To be is to do - Descartes. To do is to be - Sartre. Dooby dooby do - Frank Sinatra.
[nitpick mode] Vitamin C is ascorbic acid, but not every form of ascorbic acid is vitamin C. [/nitpick mode]
Parent replied:hydrogen
Problem is, once you bind the hydrogen it's trans fat and no longer vegetable oil - it's gone from super yummy and healthy to ugly grey goo that happens to be one of the unhealthiest things you can eat.
Personally, I prefer to make my sandwiches with hommus and dip my bread roll in fresh olive oil.
*#*#*#*#*#******* I love peanut butter sandwiches!
Especially that it's doubly redundant: No coffee is ever caffeinated.
Coffee, as opposed to "caffeinated drinks" contains natural caffeine, different doses depending on brand, preparation, etc. but I haven't heard yet of coffee that would have to be caffeinated. Decaffeinated coffee on the other hand is subject to decaffeination, process opposite to caffeination - removing the drug.
Anagram("United States of America") == "Dine out, taste a Mac, fries"
Di-hydrogen monoxide is the main cause of death in drowning. Di-hydrogen monoxide, in large quantities, can harbour aggressive biological agents ("sharks") that can be lethal to your health.
More seriously, I was told some college students had a challenge on who could drink most water. Similar competition with beer normally result in someone dropping drunk, but with water no such effect appeared, of course. So, someone discovered the hard way that there is a lethal dose of water, about 20 liters, beyond which synapses lose their conductivity due to dilution, and you die of heart failure. Can't really be sure on most details and this could be a urban legend, but in general there is always a quantity of anything that will kill you.
Victims of 9/11: <3000. Traffic in the US: >30,000/y
It is a common misconception that darker, stronger coffees have more caffeine. Actually the lightest roast coffees have the most caffeine. In fact espresso roast, pound for pound, has less caffeine than regular coffees. It is only the brewing process that makes the drink more caffeinated than regular coffee. This fact doesn't contradict you're theory, but you might find decaf roasted dark for reasons other than flavour
As a former barista at a Starbucks competitor, I have to disagree. While Starbucks coffee might not be the premium coffee on the planet, it is no worse (and oftentimes, better) that competing specialty shops. Granted, you are right about people adding so much to the coffee that it becomes a dessert rather than coffee. Still, I can get a good Americano or French press at Starbucks too... and they pull the shots properly, unlike a few other places around here.
The prioes are, alas, competitive too.
Nothing is bad in moderation. Or at least worrying about. Drink water most of the time and I doubt you have to worry what the occasional cup of coffee, wine, hard liquor, soda does to you.
I repeat simple common sense - drink water most of the time. It seems nothing else is safe these days. Some weeks it comes out that red wine/coca-cola/coffee is good because of X and then the next week it's bad because of Y.
Above all - don't drink the shit that has 'corn syrup' or 'high fruchtose corn syrup' or whatever 'syrup' in it. It'll just get you diabetes faster. This includes most sweet drinks not diet. Like Starbucks Frappacinos at the next 7-eleven.
I'm serious about water. Up to 50 years ago, most people had water most of the time. It's good for you body and there is nothing for your kidneys/liver has to filter. Now, I know people who wouldn't look at a glass water - much less have one for days on end - instead ingesting endless gallons of soda. I hate to see their health 20 years down the road.
It's probably going to get worse in the future as this generation are accustomed to the friendly coca-cola vending machines besides the non-working water founta in schools these days.
Coffee is bad because it encourages you to consume more calories through milk and sugar, plus it has caffiene and the various crap that goes with it. I think caffeine is more of a addiction - I seen people who never had coffee before turn into caffeine addicts who needed a cup 'to wake up' and then one at lunch and then another at 4pm. I wouldn't care but they actually became cranky if they didn't get their fix.
Not that I don't like a good cappacino at lunch myself. But if common sense prevailed and people didn't have an insatiable want of drinking something more 'tasty' or sugary or exotic or whatever at every turn - I doubt reports of this kind would worry anybody.
*I'd say unsweetended green tea is okay too in mass quantities but then there will be a report out next week:)
http://coffeefaq.com/coffaq9.htm#Americano
If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
I'm curious to know what you think an "Americano" is. Just in case an Americano ever asks me for one...
Not to speak for the parent, but an Americano is a shot of espresso with 6-8 oz. of steamed (hot) water added. Definitely a lot more "forgiving" cup of coffee than a straight espresso and much nicer than a dripped or pressed cup. I usually have one in the morning after my ristretto. Nice to have cup that lasts longer than it takes to make. But wouldn't you know, the first really good espresso shot that I've pulled this week happened to be for an Americano. Sigh...
I've got to agree, if you've had a fresh-roasted, carefully prepared coffee, Starbucks just sucks. Ditto for all of the extra crap. No, I -don't- want "French Vanilla" in my coffee!!!!
A house divided against itself cannot stand.
If NHS information leaflets are anything to go by, a similar problem is quite common in ecstacy users. They believe they are becoming dehydrated and panic (after reading the other NHS leaflet about becoming dehydrated when taking ecstacy), and drink a great deal of water for the rest of the night without taking in any sodium. The overhydration leads to swelling of the brain and coma. Of course, this is a government drugs health warning we're talking about, and I believe that the ecstacy itself has a role to play (rather than just the water).
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
Not an urban legend - drinking large amounts of water can indeed be fatal.
Hyponatremia is probably the effect you were thinking of - but excess water can cause other serious problems also.
Links here and here
IN overweight people, decaf drinking was associated with increase of good cholesterol, so they might benefit from decaf. Thin and normal-weight people saw a decrease in good cholesterol, so they might want to avoid decaf.
This is, of course, much more complex than "Drink decaf and die". So it's probably hopeless to try to get the real message across.
Smoke away- but please crawl into a field when you die-- don't drive up the cost of health care for those who need it for non-preventable, legitamite purposes.
Smoking
May help prevent Alzheimer's and makes you slimmer. So smoke away- but when you die of lung cancer, please crawl out into a field somewhere and die a not so peaceful, quick death there. We'd rather that than have you chew up medical resources dying a long and slow death in hosptital. This drives up the cost for the rest of us who might need it for non-preventable things.
Talk to physicians and they'll tell you there are few things you can put in your mouth that are worse for you than a cigarette. But it's not all doom and gloom. Smokers are at least doing their bit to slow down the runaway obesity epidemic that is sweeping through the western world. "In many studies, you often find smokers are slimmer. We've certainly seen it in our studies," says Jodi Flaws at the University of Maryland school of medicine. "Some people think it's due to certain chemicals in cigarettes somehow making them burn more calories, but others believe it suppresses appetite. It may well be both."
Drastically upping your chances of cancer and heart disease might not be the best way to avoid obesity, but it's certainly easier than running round the block.
Scientists have also found evidence that smoking might, in some circumstances, help prevent the onset of various dementias. Many dementias go hand-in-hand with a loss of chemical receptors in the brain that just happen to be stimulated by nicotine. Smoking seems to bolster these receptors, and smokers have more of them. The theory is that smokers may then have more to lose before they start losing their minds. "It does seem that nicotine has a preventative effect, but the problem is that the other stuff in the cigarette tends to rot everything else," says Roger Bullock, a specialist in dementia and director of the Kingshill Research Centre in Swindon. So if your time is nearly up anyway, and you have somehow managed to steer a course past the Scylla and Charybdis of heart attacks and tumours, smoking might just help you retain your marbles.
There may actually some truth to the "sunscreen causes cancer" theory, although to my knowledge nothing conclusive has been proven outside of a laboratory environment (disclaimer: I have studied and researched this topic in some depth).
PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid) used to be a common ingredient in sunscreens, and has been found to mutate cells. It has generally been removed from sunscreens nowadays anyway, ostensibly because it caused allergic and/or photosensitive reactions in some people.
Metal (usually zinc or titanium) dioxides have been the "flavour of the month" since, as they excel at reflecting UV light and are less irritating to the skin. However, some studies suggest that the photocatalytic properties of these oxides may potentially result in mutations of contacted skin cells.
Having said all that, going out in the sun without sunscreen is still orders-of-magnitude more likely to result in cancer.
A friend of mine in school damaged her brain drinking water to try and pass a drug test. No joke.
you can have my violent video games when you pry them from my cold, dead hands.
Prime UID Club
LDL, in and of itself, may not be harmful. Oxidized LDL, particularly
oxidized Lipoprotein-A, is quite damaging to arterial walls. An amino acid called Homocysteine *may* play a role in this: http://www.homocysteine.com./
Others have asserted that high triglyceride is an independant factor as well. Considering what I've seen in my own family, I'd say it could be any or all of the above.
My father has low LDL, low triglyceride, and high HDL. Low cardiac risk ratio. Has high homocysteine. Has had two bypass operations.
My mother has high Triglyceride, high LDL, low HDL, and normal homocysteine levels. Has had three bypass operations.
My aunt has high LDL, low HDL, and *very* low homocysteine. She's 87 and has never had heart trouble.
I think that in all likelyhood, high LDL levels (that are mostly Lp-A) are probably dangerous alone, and especially so if there's an oxidizing factor present. High HDL definitely looks protective, as long as other factors (high homocysteine) are not present. High homocysteine may be able to cause "low" levels of LDL to clog your arteries.
Certainly, more study is needed that includes factors other than just LDL.
My $0.02.
I drink my coffe because it has caffeine in it.
Dude, have you considered just buying caffeine pills ? Or alternatively,you should try guarana/caffeine pills from GNC or alternatively to that, have you tried coffee from a local shop that roasts their own bean, i.e. have you tasted "good" coffee (NOT Starbucks, of course) and didn't like it, or didn't care?
I think you're missing something here. If you pull a long shot of espresso to make an Americano you're doing it wrong and you'll get dishwater since you're overextracting the coffee in your group head. To get a good Americano you pull a normal espresso, then pour it into a larger cup and add hot water. This gives you something with some of the flavor of a good espresso, diluted for someone who likes big gulps.
The health risks of trans fats do not prove that "processed" food is bad, unless you narrowly define "processed" to mean "partially hydrogenated".
Actually a huge percentage of processed foods contain transfats (or at least they did), so there was a tremendous correlation. However that was just a sample of a wider trend, which is that when people screw with food, it usually has negative consequences.
Actually there are TWO budweiser drinks, one American one... some other country that I can't remember (although this is probably the right one so it would be Czech). I'm guessing this is why Bud did the whole 'genuine bud' thing to make the difference quite obvious.
I wouldn't drink the non American one - it's not great. Although to be honest I'm not too fussed about 'the king of beers' either - I'd rather have one of these.
Isn't food science wonderful? {Thank you Alton Brown.)
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
A very common solvent used for decaffeination is CO2 which leaves absolutely no traces of the solvent in the product, since it turns to gas at normal pressures. (compressed to a pressure such that it has liquid properties - for more info, google Super Critical Fluid Extraction)