Elmer United Methodist Church
  21 South Main Street, PO Box 375,  Elmer, NJ  08318 
  Phone:  856-358-0135      Fax:  856-358-9295
  Email:  ElmerUMC@ElmerUMC.org
 

  

                                           
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Last Updated
02-01-12

 

 

 

Parish Nursing

HEALTHCARE Ministries
THE HEALTH PROS AND CONS OF COFFEE

   It seems that more and more studies are reporting health benefits from drinking coffee. Moderate coffee drinking--between one and five cups daily--may help reduce the risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, as well as Parkinson’s disease. Coffee’s antioxidants may prevent some damage to brain cells and boost the effects of neurotransmitters involved in cognitive function.  Some researchers say that as coffee or tea intake rises, the incidence of glioma, a form of brain cancer, tends to drop. Compounds in the brews could activate a DNA-repairing protein in cells, possibly preventing the DNA damage that can lead to cells becoming cancerous.

   Studies link frequent coffee consumption with a lowered risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  Some studies show that people who drink 1-3 cups of coffee a day have lower rates of stroke than non-coffee drinkers.  The antioxidants may prevent inflammation’s damaging effects on arteries.  But drinking 5 or more cups a day is associated with higher heart disease risks. It appears that coffee lowers the incidence of cirrhosis and other liver diseases. It also inhibits cancer cells in the liver.

   Coffee can be a sleep-stealer. It takes six hours for the caffeine to clear your system.  It can also cause irritable jitters. You may need your coffee fix every day just to reach your baseline level of alertness.

   Since caffeine can pass into breast milk, nursing moms should cut down if their babies are restless or irritable. Is it “safe for pregnant women to drink one cup of coffee a day?” There has been a lot of controversy over the possibility a high intake of coffee could increase the risk of miscarriage.

   Boiled or unfiltered coffee contains higher levels of cafestol, a compound that can increase blood levels of LDL (bad cholesterol). Choose filtered methods instead, such as a drip coffee maker.

   Coffee can be fattening when you add sugar and cream. Starbucks Grande sized coffee mocha with whipped cream has 400 calories.   If a diabetic is having difficulty controlling his blood glucose, he might try decaf. Basically, the key is moderation.  A Harvard study found that for the general population, evidence suggests that coffee drinking doesn’t have any serious detrimental health effects. People think of coffee as only a vehicle for caffeine. It is a very complex beverage with hundreds of different compounds in it. If you would like to have more information write to the Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115 – or you could find harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/coffee or other sources on the internet.

 “Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”  I Cor. 6:20
Bonnie Kanady, RN