Coffee is good for you -- and your brain.

[RonBoyd]

A group of international experts were organized to explore the effects of caffeine on the brain by guest editors Alexandre de Mendonça, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal, and Rodrigo A. Cunha, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of Coimbra and Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal.

The resulting collection of original studies conveys multiple perspectives on topics ranging from molecular targets of caffeine, neurophysiological modifications and adaptations, to the potential mechanisms underlying the behavioral and neuroprotective actions of caffeine in distinct brain pathologies.

A special supplement to the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, "Therapeutic Opportunities for Caffeine in Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Diseases," presents key findings based on substantial evidence from epidemiological studies and fundamental research in animal models.

The supplement was funded by the Associação Industrial e Comercial do Café. The entire issue has been made available on a no-fee basis at IOS Press - Journal Issue.

An example:

The findings of the previous studies are somewhat inconsistent, but most studies (3 out of 5) support coffee’s favorable effects against cognitive decline, dementia or AD. In addition, two studies had combined coffee and tea drinking and indicated some positive effects on cognitive functioning. For tea drinking, protective effects against cognitive decline/dementia are still less evident. In the CAIDE study, coffee drinking of 3–5 cups per day at midlife was associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD by about 65% at late-life. In conclusion, coffee drinking may be associated with a decreased risk of dementia/AD. This may be mediated by caffeine and/or other mechanisms like antioxidant capacity and increased insulin sensitivity. This finding might open possibilities for prevention or postponing the onset of dementia/AD.​

 

[Alan]

What a nice post to see while I am drinking my morning coffee - thanks for posting

 

[audreyh1]

I know coffee is good for me! It puts a big smile on my face every morning!

That's why I go to the trouble of ordering my beans from my favorite roaster (I may get back to roasting my own some day) and let my DH spend ridiculous amounts of $$ of primo coffee grinders, etc.

Audrey

 

[MasterBlaster]

Jack and the Magic beans...

 

[W2R]

Wonderful!! (as I gratefully suck down my one daily cup of half decaf, half coffee).

Guess this would give me an [-]excuse[/-] reason to increase my coffee drinking to 3-5 daily cups of REAL coffee. Ah, how heavenly that would be! I might never sleep again, though.

 

[lightspeed]

The problem with these observational studies is we never can be sure whether caffeine consumption just happens to be an association with less cognitive dysfunction, or if there is an actual causal effect. Nevertheless, I am going to continue drinking my coffee.

 

[audreyh1]

The two magic "beans" which we ferment, dry, and then roast for our pleasure: Coffee and Chocolate.

Coffee is actually the fruit pit of the coffee cherry. Origin - Ethiopia.

Chocolate beans come from a fleshy pod which is the fruit of member of the mallow family (like okra and hibiscus). Origin - Central America.

I don't know how I would live without either of them.

Audrey

I tasted a coffee cherry once in Hawaii. It tasted kind of like a white grape - small, fleshy and juicy but light flavor.

 

[W2R]

OK, after reading this thread I finished off the coffee pot. So there. I'm not even sorry about it (though I may change my mind around 3 AM tonight)

 

[CuppaJoe]

Is this the "what are you drinking" thread. The antioxidant super tea tmm First Blush organic white tea with 100% pure chardonnay juice. Got it sight unseen from the online grocer. Not bad but I though I was ordering a very cheap wine.

 

[W2R]

Is this the "what are you drinking" thread. The antioxidant super tea tmm First Blush organic white tea with 100% pure chardonnay juice. Got it sight unseen from the online grocer. Not bad but I though I was ordering a very cheap wine.

What a surprise that must have been!

 

[jacob]

It is by the beans of java hat thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion ...

It seems that usually whenever there is a controversy amongst professionals, the topic of the controversy turns out not to be that important, that is, if researchers can not figure out whether coffee is good or bad for you despite spending tons of research dollars on the subject, it likely does not really matter.

 

[Alan]

OK, after reading this thread I finished off the coffee pot. So there. I'm not even sorry about it (though I may change my mind around 3 AM tonight)

So, how did that pot of coffee affect you?

Was this you at 3am?

 

[TromboneAl]

Medical News: NIH Panel Provides No New Clues for Unraveling Alzheimer's Disease - in Neurology, Alzheimer's Disease from MedPage Today

 

[W2R]

So, how did that pot of coffee affect you?

Was this you at 3am?

Unfortunately, yes (cute emoticon, though! ). I didn't get to sleep until after 3 AM, and then I had wild and unsettling dreams. Only slept for six hours, too.

Serves me right. (sigh) Ah, but that coffee was divine.

 

[Alan]

Medical News: NIH Panel Provides No New Clues for Unraveling Alzheimer's Disease - in Neurology, Alzheimer's Disease from MedPage Today

No real science please - we love our coffee

 

[MasterBlaster]

Coffee Doesn't Cause Dain Bramage

I drink lots of coffee and it hasn't caused any dain bramage at all !

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I am glad it is good for me. It is tearing the heck out of my throat.

 

[HFWR]

I know coffee is good for me! It puts a big smile on my face every morning!

That's why I go to the trouble of ordering my beans from my favorite roaster (I may get back to roasting my own some day) and let my DH spend ridiculous amounts of $$ of primo coffee grinders, etc.

Audrey

Not sure if it's good for me, but it's certainly good for those who have to be around me in the morning...

 

[Orchidflower]

I know coffee is good for me! It puts a big smile on my face every morning!

That's why I go to the trouble of ordering my beans from my favorite roaster (I may get back to roasting my own some day) and let my DH spend ridiculous amounts of $$ of primo coffee grinders, etc.

Audrey

I've never known anyone to roast their own beans before. Impressive..but how is it done? And where do you buy the beans to even roast??

 

[jacob]

I've never known anyone to roast their own beans before. Impressive..but how is it done? And where do you buy the beans to even roast??

Google for "green coffee beans" if you want to buy in bulk. Otherwise head down to a coffee shop and convince them to sell you some green beans.

They are roasted much like popcorn (but without the oil). You can use a pan with a lid (the hulls pop). Shake often. For more consistent results use a hot air popcorn machine. After a few minutes (about 3-5) the beans will turn brown. Keep roasting until you reach the desired color: medium, dark, etc.

Now cool them rapidly. The easiest way is to put them in a colander and head outside. Shake the beans in the colander to get the hulls to fly away. Alternative pour them between two bowls. Works better when windy. You're done.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I have a friend who roasts her own beans. Me...I buy beans once in awhile from a local coffee house where the owner roasts the beans on the premises. I grind them there, too. I have a Capresso grinder in a box in my garage. I don't feel like having one more appliance in my kitchen. I cook a bit from scratch for myself once or twice a week. That's as much of a domestic goddess as I want to be at this point in my life. I drink two or three cups of high test in the morning and don't know how I would get out the door without it. I didn't drink coffee at all until I was 29. After my son was born, I needed a pick-me-up in the morning and fell into my husband's coffee habit.

 

[RonBoyd]

I've never known anyone to roast their own beans before. Impressive..but how is it done? And where do you buy the beans to even roast??

I have not tried this and have been told that the results are quite inconsistent -- others, however, swear by it:

Roasting Coffee in a Popcorn Popper

 

[MichaelB]

Any coffee [-]addicts[/-] lovers try this one yet?

Kopi luwak (Indonesian [ˈkopi ˈlu.ak]), or civet coffee, is coffee made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) and other related civets, then passed through its digestive tract.[1] A civet eats the berries for their fleshy pulp. In its stomach, proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids. Passing through a civet's intestines the beans are then defecated, having kept their shape. After gathering, thorough washing, sun drying, light roasting and brewing, these beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness, widely noted as the most expensive coffee in the world.

Only $160 per pound, here Kopi Luwak Coffee Online Shop - The World's Rarest Gourmet Coffee from Indonesia

 

[Amethyst]

Next, someone will inform us that they saved a bundle by feeding the beans to their dog and "harvesting" the results

Any coffee [-]addicts[/-] lovers try this one yet?
Only $160 per pound, here Kopi Luwak Coffee Online Shop - The World's Rarest Gourmet Coffee from Indonesia