HEALTHY LIVING Perks and Pitfalls BY VERA TWEED C
offee is the most popular beverage among American adults — more so than water, tea, or soda — and
this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “Regular coff ee drinkers live
longer and actually have a lower incidence of heart disease, diabetes, depression, and stroke,” says cardiologist Peter Kistler, head of clinical electrophysiology research at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia. Research also shows that coff ee
drinkers have better liver function and less risk for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, gallstones, obesity, and some cancers. Kistler’s studies tracked nearly
450,000 initially healthy British adults between the ages of 40 and 69 for 12 years. Brews made with regular ground
coff ee produced the greatest risk reduction, but instant and decaf coff ees were also therapeutic. Aside from caff eine, coff ee contains
more than 100 active components that are believed to be responsible for its health-enhancing eff ects. How much coff ee should you drink? “Two to three cups per day appears to
remove the oils. Unfi ltered coff ee can contain
of Coff ee A cup of joe is good for you — but keep an eye on your cholesterol. ::
be the ‘sweet spot,’ and not more than fi ve cups,” Kistler tells Newsmax. And, he adds, those who already have heart disease can still enjoy a cup of java. But there is an exception. A Japanese study found that people with severe hypertension — blood pressure of 160/100 mm Hg or higher —
should limit coff ee to one cup daily.
More than that,
researchers concluded, may double the risk of death from heart disease, compared to non-coff ee drinkers.
CHOLESTEROL PITFALL Aside from coff ee’s many benefi ts, both regular
and decaf coff ee can raise cholesterol.
Although there is no actual
cholesterol in coff ee, it contains two oils, kahweol and cafestol, that can increase cholesterol levels. The oils can be removed by
brewing coff ee with a paper fi lter. However, brewing with a metal fi lter, such as in a French press and many newer coff ee makers, does not
Brewing Methods and Cholesterol P
aper filters remove cholesterol-raising oils and should be used when possible.
Traditional coff ee makers: Drip and pour-over coff ee
Unfiltered coff ee can
contain about 30 times the amount of the cholesterol-
raising oils as a paper-filtered brew.
about 30 times the amount of the cholesterol-raising oils as a paper- fi ltered brew. But levels of these oils are not high in instant coff ee, and espresso falls somewhere in between.
MEDICATIONS AND AGE
Coff ee can interact with medications, causing unwanted side eff ects, says James Muchira, Ph.D., assistant professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
These can include caff eine jitters, anxiety, or more intense medication side eff ects.
This can happen when a medication, including some heart drugs, mood regulators, and
anticonvulsants, is metabolized by the same parts of the liver as caff eine. “Because they
compete for the same receptors, the action of the
liver may be impaired,” Muchira tells Newsmax.
Consequently, the drugs and/
or caff eine in coff ee may take longer to pass through your system, causing unpleasant eff ects.
In addition, says Muchira, because
liver metabolism decreases as you get older, you could experience caff eine- related sleep problems or anxiety while drinking the same amount of coff ee you previously did.
makers always use paper filters. French press: Paper filters are available for French press,
percolators, and moka pots (stovetop espresso makers). Single-serve coff ee makers: Paper filters can be added to AeroPress, Vertuo, and Keurig refillable K-cups.
84 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | APRIL 2023
CUPS/SEBRA/SHUTTERSTOCK / FRENCH PRESS/NATA-LIA/SHUTTERSTOCK
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