| Coffee |
If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, or heart ailments, should you drink coffee? No one really knows for sure how beneficial or harmful coffee is, so it is hard to say. Without more conclusive evidence, it comes down to a personal choice.
Some experts believe that coffee is bad for your health because it can lead to heart disease, hypertension, cancer and addiction. Other experts believe that coffee is a wonderful antioxidant, which can improve or repair cells in our bodies and can lower our bad cholesterol.
In every research study we reviewed, all seemed to indicate that if you had diabetes, you probably should stay away from caffeinated coffee and drink decaf coffee instead - except for one study which resulted in test subjects drinking caffeinated coffee and lowering their risks of Type 2 diabetes.
What we do know about coffee is that chemicals and carcinogens occur naturally in the making of coffee. They include: acetaldehyde, acetic acid, acetone, atractylosides, butanol, cafestol, palmitate, chlorogenic acid, dimethyl sulfide, furan, furfural, guaiacol, hydrogen sulfide, isoprene, methyl, glyoxal, propionaldehyde, pyridine and 1-3-7-trimethylxanthine. This creates quite a tasty brew.
If you buy non-organic coffee, there is a good chance that you will also be drinking trace amounts of pesticides and other chemicals. Consuming coffee moderately, however, does not elevate a person’s risk of developing cancer, because our body detoxifies small doses of these chemicals found in food.
There is a debate between filtered and non-filtered coffee and decaf and caffeinated coffee. Most of the research is still inconclusive, but what we do know based on the extensive research already done is that coffee affects people differently; like everything else, what might be good for you might not be so good for someone else.
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| melsQuiz answer |
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| melsBuzz |
- In a recent study conducted at the University of Scranton, researchers found that coffee is the No. 1 source of antioxidants in the American diet, with black tea coming in second. Fruits and vegetables are considered to be the best source of antioxidants, but this study shows that coffee is the main source. Also, that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee appear to provide similar amounts of antioxidants. The research regarding coffee and diabetes is inconclusive, so I would side with drinking coffee moderation.
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| melsAdvice |
- If you are going to drink coffee, drink organic coffee and coffee produced from high quality beans.
- It is probably best to drink filtered coffee versus unfiltered coffee
- If you drink espressos, it probably doesn’t matter whether or not your coffee is decaf or caffeinated, but if you drink regular drip coffee, I’d go with decaf.
- Even though French press coffee is delicious, I’d avoid it if you have high cholesterol and diabetes
- Take your diabetes seriously. If you are going to drink lots of coffee, make sure the rest of your diet is balanced
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| DidYouKnow? |
- In one study, people who drank 6 or more cups of coffee per day had increased their bad cholesterol levels. Upon closer examination, nearly all the increases of cholesterol were tied to unfiltered coffee
- According to the CDC, heart disease and stroke account for about 65% of deaths in people with diabetes
- Too much caffeine can cause: rapid heartbeat, irritability, insomnia, indigestion, dizziness and dehydration.
- In one coffee study, drinking lots of caffeinated coffee - at least 4 cups per day - curbed Type 2 diabetes by almost 25%
- The problem with all the diabetes studies is that every diabetic has different health issues, body chemistries, and reacts differently to different foods and sugars, so it’s hard to make any true comparisons or conclusions.
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| melsTips |
- Drink coffee in moderation, and with diabetes, drink only decaffeinated
- Avoid the sugary and dairy-laden coffee drinks found at your favorite coffee house.
- Before using a sugar substitute, know exactly what’s in the sugar substitute. You might be better off with real sugar
- Drink your coffee immediately after brewing. This is when it has the best flavor.
- Try to avoid non-dairy creamers because many contain coconut oil, which is a saturated fat. Use low-fat or non-fat milk, soy milk, rice milk or almond milk instead
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| melsQuiz |
- Most health experts agree that anyone over the age of 12 should limit their caffeine intake to _______ mg per day.
- Approximately how many ____ mg of caffeine are in one cup of coffee?
- True or False? Coffee contains more caffeine than soda.
- Approximately what percentage of Americans drinks coffee on a daily basis?
- If you have diabetes, maintaining control of what two things are essential for your good health?
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| melsQuiz Answers |
- 400-450 mg
- 80-130 depending upon preparation
- True
- 80%
- blood glucose levels and insulin levels
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