Coffee
Reduces the Risk For Type 2 Diabetes and Alzheimer’s
Disease
Every day, millions of Americans start the day
with a cup of coffee and they drink it mostly
for the same reason.
My
attitude's not real good until I've had some coffee
in the morning," said a coffee drinker.
But aside from a jolt of energy, there now may
be other reasons to drink coffee.
"Several years ago, the message was, 'oh
no, caffeine is bad, bad, bad'," registered
dietitian Lona Sandon. "Now more research
has come out and that doesn't seem to be the case."
Coffee is actually a complex brew, containing
antioxidants and other chemicals that have health
benefits. Researchers at Harvard say coffee lowers
the risk of Parkinson's disease and might prevent
gallstones in women. Additionally, European researchers
say coffee might reduce the chance of type-2 diabetes
and Alzheimer's disease.
It turns out that sipping coffee might even help
you burn a little fat. "Caffeine has been
shown to mobilize, open up, our fatty acid stores,
allowing us to break down fat and use that for
energy," Sandon said. However, for all of
coffee's possible benefits, there is just as much
research about its negative side effects. For
instance, studies have long shown that caffeine
in coffee is addictive.
Sandon says moderation is the key. "We hear
that about food. We hear that about exercise and
we definitely hear that about caffeine,"
she said. Dietitians also advise keeping an eye
on what you add to your coffee. Some gourmet drinks
loaded up with flavored syrups and whipped cream
can have as many as 500 calories and 40 grams
of fat.
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DID
YOU KNOW: Less than half of the
more than 11 million Americans diagnosed with
diabetes are meeting blood sugar goals. Worldwide,
less than 20 percent of the people with diabetes
have good metabolic control. Which are defined
by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as
an A1C<7.0 percent and by the International
Diabetes Federation (IDF) as an A1C<6.5 percent.
