Posted on 06/29/2010 6:08:21 AM PDT by GonzoII
There is a good deal of debate about the health effects of caffeine, and whether these effects are primarily positive or negative. Caffeine, particularly in coffee, has been studied closely to determine where it may be of benefit, and where it may cause undesirable effects.
Health benefits of caffeine
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's is caused by the loss of brain cells that produce a chemical messenger called dopamine. According to a researcher from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, people who drink coffee or consume caffeine regularly have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease. The research put forth that the mice that had first been given caffeine equivalent to moderate amounts of coffee in humans lost fewer neurons than those not given caffeine.
Caffeine also seems to protect human brain cells. In a meta-analysis that pooled 13 studies, drinkers of regular coffee - but not decaf - had a 30 percent lower risk of Parkinson's disease than non-drinkers. There are at least six studies indicating that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson's, with three showing the more they drink, the lower the risk.
The theory is that caffeine reduces the amount of neurotransmitters produced by the brain, transmitters that may cause damage to surrounding brain tissue. The actual action of caffeine in the brain is not known. It may also interfere with uptake of other transmitters, allowing the levels of dopamine to increase.
Gallstones
(Excerpt) Read more at themysteryworld.com ...
All these coffee studies. “Good for you”, “Not good”, “Helps this”, “Hurts that”. All I know is my Mother has been drinking 2 pots of black Maxwell House a day for 70 years and she’s 83. My Dad drank a pot or more a day and lived to 85. Everything has some good and some bad.
Remember how the experiments with the mice bred to develop Alzheimer's Disease, that caffeine REVERSED it?
Early articles about this said that human trials were going to begin, but that's been quite some while ago.
*ping*
I don't remember.
/johnny
Moderation in all things, especially moderation.
Remember how the experiments with the mice bred to develop Alzheimer's Disease, that caffeine REVERSED it?Sure, but who cares whether mice recover from Alzheimer's? ;')
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