Coffee, espresso, latte machiato........

[Rajiv]

Coffee, Espresso, Latte Macchiato

Guys, are u a coffee crazy?? Well, I am a coffee fan. I drink 3-5 cups of strong coffee or espresso daily sometimes I tremble with it. Coffee is still believed to be unhealthy however there are lot of new findings that claims coffee is healthy in many aspects. So I have collected some articles which will encourage u to buy some coffee. I prefer lavazza n segafredo..

Must be Gusto Italiano.......

[Rajiv]

Coffee may reduce liver cancer risk

DRINKING coffee might have at least one health benefit: reducing your risk of liver cancer.
A team led by Manami Inoue of the National Cancer Center in Tokyo analysed a 10-year study of 90,000 people in Japan. They found that middle-aged and elderly people who drank coffee daily had half the rate of a common liver cancer compared with less frequent consumers (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol 97, p 293). And the more coffee people drank, the lower the risk. It is not clear if decaffeinated coffee has the same effect, as few people in the study drank it. "There is caffeine and antioxidants in coffee. Maybe both or either are protective," says Inoue.
Meanwhile, a large US study found no association between drinking caffeinated tea and coffee and the incidence of colon or rectal cancer (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol 97, p 282). But people who drank decaf had less rectal cancer - perhaps because they lead a healthier lives, suggest the researchers.
Despite their ubiquity, the long-term effects of coffee, tea and caffeine remain uncertain (New Scientist, 29 January 2000, p 30). Inoue says people certainly should not change their drinking habits on the basis of her study alone. When it comes to liver cancer, it's more important to be screened for hepatitis, she says. "That is the biggest risk factor."

[Rajiv]

Decaffeinated coffee may be harmful to heart

Decaffeinated coffee may have a harmful effect on the heart by increasing the levels of a specific cholesterol in the blood, researchers say. Their explanation is that caffeine-free coffee is often made from a type of bean with a higher fat content.
Robert Superko, at the Piedmont-Mercer Center for Health and Learning in Atlanta, Georgia, US, and colleagues looked at the effects of coffee on 187 people. The group was split into three similar-sized groups for the three-month study: one group drank three to six cups of caffeinated coffee per day; one drank three to six cups of decaffeinated coffee per day; and a control group drank no coffee. US coffee drinkers drink an average 3.1 cups of coffee per day.
The researchers analysed blood samples from the groups before and after the study to determine the levels of cholesterol and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) in the blood – key indicators of heart disease risk.
To their surprise, the researchers found the decaffeinated group had experienced an 18% rise in NEFAs in the blood and an 8% rise in apolipoprotein B – a protein associated with a cholesterol linked to cardiovascular disease. This was not seen in the other two groups.
“I believe it’s not caffeinated but decaffeinated coffee that might promote heart disease risk factors,” Superko says. “The heart risk is not great – the fatty acids can be burned off easily by exercising. But someone with high-cholesterol, who drinks four or five cups of decaffeinated coffee a day, might want to think about cutting down.”
Healthy option?

When the researchers analysed the coffees used in the study, they found that the caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees were made from a different bean. The decaffeination process extracts the compounds that give coffee flavour, so it is often made from a stronger flavoured bean, called Robusta. Caffeinated coffees are usually made from a bean called Arabica.
“The chemical composition of the two beans is very different. Robusta contains a much higher content of fats, called diptenes, which stimulate fatty acid production in the body,” Superko told New Scientist.
“The coffee industry is selling more and more decaffeinated coffee because people think it’s healthier, but if you have high cholesterol, it may not be.”
Not so simple

However, the team also found changes in another type of cholesterol called HDL2, high levels of which are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Although the average level of HDL2 did not differ between the three groups, it did change significantly within the decaffeinated group depending on the participants’ weight, as represented by their body mass index (BMI).
Overweight people – with a BMI of more than 25 – saw their HDL2 increase by 50%, whereas those with BMI less than 25 showed a drop in HDL2 of about 30%. “It is not a simple story of one type of coffee being good and the other bad,” Superko says. “Those who are overweight but have normal apolipoprotein B levels might consider the potential benefit of drinking decaffeinated coffee over caffeinated coffee.”
A spokesperson from the British Heart Foundation cautions that the study was quite small and short-term. “It is too soon to draw any firm conclusions about the use of coffee to reduce risk of heart disease,” she said. “And the study examined the effects of drinking three to six cups of coffee daily, so it is not relevant to those people who enjoy a coffee once or twice a day.”
The research was presented at the American Heart Association Sessions 2005, held in Dallas, Texas.

[Rajiv]

Coffee's effects revealed in brain scan

Coffee improves short-term memory and speeds up reaction times by acting on the brain’s prefrontal cortex, according to a new study.
Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine how coffee activates different areas of the brain in 15 volunteers.
“Caffeine modulates a higher brain function through its effects on distinct areas of the brain,” explains Florian Koppelstätter, who carried out the research with colleagues at the Medical University at Innsbruck, Austria.
Prior to testing, the group fasted for 4 to 6 hours, and abstained from caffeine and nicotine for at least 24 hours. Then they were then given either a cup of strong coffee – containing 100 milligrams of caffeine – or a caffeine-free placebo drink. After 20 minutes all participants underwent fMRI scans while carrying out a memory and concentration test. A few days afterwards the experiment was repeated under the same conditions but each received the other drink.
Executive memory

During the memory tests, participants were shown a fast sequence of capital letters, then flashed a single letter on a screen and told to decide quickly whether this letter was the same as the one which appeared second-to-last in the earlier sequence. They had to respond by pressing a “Y” for yes or “N” for no.
“The group all showed activation of the working memory part of the brain," Koppelstätter explains. "But those who received caffeine had significantly greater activation in parts of the prefrontal lobe, known as the anterior cingulate and the anterior cingulate gyrus. These areas are involved in 'executive memory', attention, concentration, planning and monitoring."
“This type of memory is used when, for example, you look up a telephone number in a book and then mentally store it before dialling,” he adds.
Pick-me-up

Koppelstätter stresses that the study is preliminary and that he has yet to discover how long the memory effects last or what other effects coffee has on brain function. He adds that the long-term impact of caffeine use is also an important consideration.
But he says the study shows that coffee has an effect on specific brain regions involved in memory and concentration that tallies with anecdotal evidence of the drink's “pick-me-up” effect.
Caffeine is known to influence adenosine receptors which are found throughout the brain on nerve cells and blood vessels. It is thought that the drug inhibits these receptors and that this excites the nerve cells in the brain. “This may be the mechanism involved,” suggests Koppelstätter.
The research was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

[GUNNER]

thanx for sharing.....me too drink a lot of coffee

[Rajiv]

COFFEE is responsible for as much as a third of daily consumption of the cancer-causing chemical acrylamide, research by the United Nations has found.
The study reveals that coffee may give those who drink it anything from 13% to 39% of the acrylamide they consume — only chips and crisps are responsible for greater quantities on average.
NI_MPU('middle');Acrylamide is produced during cooking, particularly high-temperature processes such as frying and roasting. Some of the highest levels are found in chips, crisps, biscuits and bread, but it has now emerged that roasting coffee beans also produces significant amounts.
“The original concern with acrylamide was related to french fries, chips and crisps. Continued analysis of other food products has shown that they contribute to overall exposure as well,” said Dr Angelika Tritscher, a scientist with the committee that conducted the study.
The new research has been carried out jointly by two UN agencies — the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation. It uses data from 17 countries, including Britain, to build up a picture of the amount of acrylamide consumed by people with a range of eating habits. Those who consume fresh, boiled or steamed food generally consume far less than people who eat fried or roasted meals.
Acrylamide has been used in industrial applications such as production of water purifying chemicals since the 1950s. In 2002 Swedish researchers found high levels in some foods. Experiments on laboratory animals have shown acrylamide in large amounts can cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Since 2002 several studies have been undertaken into acrylamide in food and its possible dangers, although not all experts agree it is hazardous to people in the amounts usually consumed.
A report commissioned by the National Toxicology Program in America concluded: “Considering the low level of estimated human exposure to acrylamides (we have) negligible concern for adverse reproductive and developmental effects.”
The UN research will be discussed in April by the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants, an international standards body.
The research does not assess the health risks of acrylamide, but a separate series of studies is under way to investigate this. One of the largest studies is a European Union project looking at possible links between the chemical and breast cancer.
In Britain the Food Standards Agency is working with the EU and the food industry on guidelines to help cut the level of acrylamide produced in manufacturing.
The level of acrylamide in a cup of coffee depends on how strong it is and how the beans are roasted. There is little difference between concentrations in instant and ground coffee — both about 290 micrograms per kg — because the chemical is a product of the roasting of the beans rather than any subsequent processing.
The level of roasting makes a difference, however. Separate research has established that acrylamide levels peak in medium-roast coffee, are lower in the half-roast variety and drop off when beans become dark roast.
Many scientists in Britain say that until the risk posed by acrylamide can be assessed with greater confidence it might make sense to consume as little as possible. “There is no doubt it (acrylamide) has been identified as carcinogenic in animal models, so the best advice is precautionary, to minimise exposure,” said Professor Vyvyan Howard of the school of biological sciences at Ulster University.

[Rajiv]

COFFEE is responsible for as much as a third of daily consumption of the cancer-causing chemical acrylamide, research by the United Nations has found.
The study reveals that coffee may give those who drink it anything from 13% to 39% of the acrylamide they consume — only chips and crisps are responsible for greater quantities on average.
NI_MPU('middle');Acrylamide is produced during cooking, particularly high-temperature processes such as frying and roasting. Some of the highest levels are found in chips, crisps, biscuits and bread, but it has now emerged that roasting coffee beans also produces significant amounts.
“The original concern with acrylamide was related to french fries, chips and crisps. Continued analysis of other food products has shown that they contribute to overall exposure as well,” said Dr Angelika Tritscher, a scientist with the committee that conducted the study.
The new research has been carried out jointly by two UN agencies — the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation. It uses data from 17 countries, including Britain, to build up a picture of the amount of acrylamide consumed by people with a range of eating habits. Those who consume fresh, boiled or steamed food generally consume far less than people who eat fried or roasted meals.
Acrylamide has been used in industrial applications such as production of water purifying chemicals since the 1950s. In 2002 Swedish researchers found high levels in some foods. Experiments on laboratory animals have shown acrylamide in large amounts can cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Since 2002 several studies have been undertaken into acrylamide in food and its possible dangers, although not all experts agree it is hazardous to people in the amounts usually consumed.
A report commissioned by the National Toxicology Program in America concluded: “Considering the low level of estimated human exposure to acrylamides (we have) negligible concern for adverse reproductive and developmental effects.”
The UN research will be discussed in April by the Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants, an international standards body.
The research does not assess the health risks of acrylamide, but a separate series of studies is under way to investigate this. One of the largest studies is a European Union project looking at possible links between the chemical and breast cancer.
In Britain the Food Standards Agency is working with the EU and the food industry on guidelines to help cut the level of acrylamide produced in manufacturing.
The level of acrylamide in a cup of coffee depends on how strong it is and how the beans are roasted. There is little difference between concentrations in instant and ground coffee — both about 290 micrograms per kg — because the chemical is a product of the roasting of the beans rather than any subsequent processing.
The level of roasting makes a difference, however. Separate research has established that acrylamide levels peak in medium-roast coffee, are lower in the half-roast variety and drop off when beans become dark roast.
Many scientists in Britain say that until the risk posed by acrylamide can be assessed with greater confidence it might make sense to consume as little as possible. “There is no doubt it (acrylamide) has been identified as carcinogenic in animal models, so the best advice is precautionary, to minimise exposure,” said Professor Vyvyan Howard of the school of biological sciences at Ulster University.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...986413,00.html