FOR COFFEE DRINKERS, the medical news out of Scandanavia this week is good.
Swedish and Danish researchers have released the results of a 21-year study that tracked the coffee consumption of about 1,500 men and women and the frequency of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in the study group. The result indicated that people who drank three to five cups of coffee a day were 65 percent less likely to develop dementia than those who drank two cups a day or less.
The study was small and the researchers did not suggest any mechanism by which coffee might protect the brain from the terrifying diseases of age, but the numbers were reassuring.
The reputations of coffee and of caffeine in general have been losing ground lately among people who seem to believe that precisely the right diet will allow them to live forever. Caffeine has never been competition for tobacco in the evil-consumables sweepstakes, but it is on a par with refined sugar.
Chocolate used to rank about the same, before studies began reporting that consuming a little dark chocolate every day was downright healthy. In the minds of people who had been denying themselves chocolate — or not denying themselves but feeling guilty about it — chocolate was instantly rehabilitated. Just as going shopping has been considered patriotic, chocolate bars and truffles have become almost a health food.
Now that there is a chance that coffee can promote — or at least help maintain — brain health, expect to find a number of people drinking more coffee “because it’s good for me.”
But Dr. Miia Kivipelto, a Swedish professor of neurology who was the lead author of the study, told the New York Times that the study does not say that.
“This is an observational study,” Kivipelto said. “We have no evidence that for people who are not drinking coffee, taking up drinking will have a protective effect.”
The good news is that researchers may be on a path to learn something more about dementia and Alzheimer’s. It is always possible that caffeine or some other component of coffee does have the effect countering the development of those terrible ailments. Finding out if that is so will take some time. It would take even more time to find out just how the process worked. But, at the end, doctors would know more about the causes and treatment of diseases that rob people of their precious sense of self.
For now, coffee is not a medicine. It is what it always has been — a mild social drug that helps put an edge on the day and fights fatigue. It is perhaps the least objectionable widespread addiction in modern society.
Of course, drinking coffee by the gallon is silly, but a cup to perk you up is often a good idea.
You know what’s really good with a cup of coffee? A little bit of chocolate.
Give yourself a treat.
Happiness09 (anonymous) says...
That's wonderful, but I've never been able to get past the smell let alone drink it.
January 27, 2009 at 3:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...
I am lovin' this article. So many happy topics. Coffee, of course, needs the help of chocolate syrup, so--happy ending!!!!!!
It does kind of make me wonder how much sooner the dementia of some family members would have occurred if not for all the coffee they consumed...............but then I think of coffee and chocolate and...............I need a mocha latte with an extra espresso shot.
(Observation, those energy drinks are fine for adults, bad for kids....seriously, please read the linked article)
January 27, 2009 at 10:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
I can't believe the medical miracle isn't Pres. Obama!
Seriously though, back in my day we didn't have COFFEE, we had Mountain Dew and we liked it. We liked it fine. Oh wait we had coffee, it's just that it tastes so bad that we didn't drink it.
January 27, 2009 at 11:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...
Seriouslyfolks:
Sometimes it's very hard to tell if you are using the word "seriously" as an adverb, or if you are just talking to yourself. Let's see--not a coffee drinker..........dementia.....................Oh, I see. Never mind. ; )
January 27, 2009 at 11:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...
Who else would I be talking to? HEY WAIT! You mean there are other people!?!?
January 27, 2009 at 11:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HEALTHYCHOCOLATELOVER (anonymous) says...
The article does not say whether the type of coffee they used, ie: Brewed or instant. Knowing the Scandinavian people,I assume it would have been freshly brewed. The difference here is that instant coffee contains many chemicals, and freshly brewed contains an amount of antioxidants, and so does dark chocolate.
It is antioxidiants that that help fight disease in our bodies, which leads me to chocolate. Not all chocolate is created equal! Dark chocolate is far superior than its dairy cousin because it contains antioxidants and less of the sugar and milk. However, because of the way in which it is processed most of the goodness of the antioxidants are lost. The good news is that there is a Healthy Chocolate that is made by a patented process that has far more antioxidants than any other food and it doesn't contain any bad ingredients. So, with fresh brewed coffee and 3 small servings of healthy chocolate a day, you can enjoy wonderful health benefits! I am one of the lucky ones to have discovered this! I'm not a medical person but I have done a great deal of research on the internet so that I can enjoy maximum health! Have a great day everyone!
January 28, 2009 at 4:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
So are you going to tell us where to get this "healthy chocolate" or are you just going to keep it all for yourself?
January 28, 2009 at 9:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Xocolate (anonymous) says...
The Healthy Chocolate is Xocai. It's such an awesome product and taste WONDERFUL! The company has taken every measure to insure the maximum amount of antioxidants are retained. You can learn more at MyFitChocolate.com or email me at chocolatedollars@gmail.com
February 9, 2009 at 7:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )