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"Coffee contains hundreds of compounds and one of the most exciting discoveries is the significant presence of antioxidants within coffee beans."
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| Coffee and Antioxidants |
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There is considerable literature on the effects of caffeine on performance.
Coffee is the major source of caffeine for most people, which suggest that
consumption of coffee will have beneficial effects.
However if you ask any discerning coffee drinker what the perceived health
benefits of drinking coffee are, and most will ask in return, "What health benefits
?". Understandable, as during the past 20 years we have seen and heard many
negative messages concerning coffee and caffeine intake. However, new research from
the Institute for Coffee Studies at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in
Nashville, USA, is giving us another perspective.
At the World Coffee Conference in London in 2001, Professor Peter Martin,
Director of the Institute for Coffee Studies (ICS) confirmed that:
"[The] latest scientific evidence indicates that in moderation (2 - 4 cups per
day) not only is coffee not bad for you, it may offer some health benefits".
Vanderbilt University, which is recognized worldwide as a centre of academic
excellence, undertakes through the ICS, scientific investigations to identify
both the potential health benefits and therapeutic uses of coffee as well as
elucidate some of the fundamental mechanisms involved.
Coffee contains hundreds of compounds that may help with research into some of
the most prevalent diseases of our time and one of the most exciting discoveries
is the significant presence of antioxidants* within coffee beans.
Antioxidants are proven to help mitigate the chances of heart disease and
cancer (the two biggest killers in the UK today). "We are only just beginning to understand the potential health benefits of some
of the hundreds of compounds in coffee as most studies have previously focused
on caffeine, ” said Professor Martin.
The International Coffee Organization is also aware, for example, of results
from other studies that clearly demonstrate that coffee contains up to four times
the antioxidant** levels found in tea.
"The prospect that coffee could reduce the risk of death from heart disease is
an important and exciting lead for further study, ” said Professor Martin.
*Antioxidants are known to protect against “oxidative stress” by “mopping-up”
damaging free radicals that are implicated in cancer, heart disease,
degenerative brain disorders and ageing.
** Comparison of the Antioxidant Activity of Commonly Consumed Polyphenolic
Beverages (Coffee, Cocoa and Tea) Prepared per Cup Serving. J. Agric. Food Chem, 49,
3438 -3442, 2001
For further information, visit References
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