Coffee: The New Health Beverage?

Contradicting research I posted earlier this week, a story in this week's the New York Times suggests that coffee can possibly be a considered a beneficial beverage for health. The Journal of the American Medical Association has concluded that regular coffee consumption could be associated with a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver.

Why? The hot, black beverage contains antioxidants, which can neutralize pesky free radicals. Coffee also contains chlorogenic acid, which reduces blood glucose levels in animals. A typical serving of coffee contains more antioxidants than a typical serving of grape juice, blueberries, oranges and raspberries.

Experts caution that these studies focused only on black coffee, not on other "coffee drinks" such as Starbucks' "Frappucino" or mixed coffee drinks such as lattes and mochas. Drinking these types of coffee drinks for nutrition reasons is not advisable, because they can contain fat and sugar.

Medical professionals do agree that too much caffeine can have negative implications on the body. One study, published in January in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that the same amount of caffeine in two cups of coffee significantly decreases cardiac output to the heart when exercising at a high altitude.

Harvard scientist Rob van Dam and author of the study, acknowledged this to the Times: “I wouldn’t advise people to increase their consumption of coffee in order to lower their risk of disease,” Dr. van Dam said, “but the evidence is that for most people without specific conditions, coffee is not detrimental to health. If people enjoy drinking it, it’s comforting to know that they don’t have to be afraid of negative health effects.”

An Ounce of Prevention...

There's an old saying: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Research shows that in men, this is especially the case, since guys are generally more "hard headed" about getting medical input, often waiting until it's too late.

We need to care for our bodies a little more like we take care of our cars. After all, at the first sound of anything wrong with our cars, we have the hood up and we're checking it out. We ought to have the same attitude about our bodies.

So, guys, when it comes to your health—don't procrastinate!

Here are 11 tips I recently found for preventing common medical problems. Think of these as a checklist for good health.

1. Avoid tobacco and illicit drugs.
2. Exercise regularly.
3. Eat well.
4. Stay lean.
5. Limit alcoholic drinks to one or two a day (if any).
6. Avoid excess stress.
7. Wear a seat belt
8. Behave prudently to avoid accidents.
9. Minimize exposure to ultraviolet rays, radiation, chemical pollutants or other environmental hazards.
10. Use protection against sexually transmitted diseases.
11. Listen to your body, report any problems to your doctor, and get preventive medical care.

Coffee May Trigger Heart Attacks in Some People

New research is suggesting that coffee can trigger heart attacks in some people, within an hour. The report, which comes in the September issue of Epidemiology, says that those highest at risk are "light" coffee drinkers (those who drink only 1 cup a day). Other people at risk include inactive, couch potato types.

Based upon these findings, if you find yourself in one of these highest risk factors, you may want to consider quitting coffee completely.

It has long been demonstrated that caffiene causes short term increases in blood pressure, and also activity in the nervous system. Both of these conditions can contribute to a heart attack.