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Coffee, a functional food, may lower risks of colorectal cancer, diabetes, asthma – while keeping you alert and thinking clearly
New York, NY – Nov. 1 – “Perhaps no substance has been the subject of more conflicting media and scientific reports in recent years than coffee/caffeine. So, is a cup of coffee bad for you or not?” Dr. James R. Coughlin posed this question to a group of science and health editors today.
Then he answered it: “Well, the good news is that most of the bad news you’ve been hearing is wrong, and there are actually some very nice beneficial effects of coffee consumption.”
The food safety and nutrition scientist spoke at a symposium, Coffee: Breaking News about Health, Fitness and Performance, held at the Reebok Sports Club here. Dr. Coughlin told the editors about functional foods, explaining, “Strictly speaking, all food is functional – in terms of caloric energy, nutrients, maintaining health, providing a pleasurable experience, etc.” He defined functional foods as “whole foods and beverages, and individual bioactive ingredients that are integral components of the diet and that contribute added health benefits beyond the traditional nutrients.” Disease reductions may occur if these foods/ingredients are eaten regularly as part of a healthy diet.
The scientist told the group that although there is no officially accepted definition of functional foods, the literature is already vast and growing exponentially. He went on to explain that many functional foods have health claims that were approved by the FDA, such as fruits and vegetables and cancer, soy protein and heart disease, as well as “qualified” health claims, such as antioxidants and vitamins and cancer, nuts and heart disease.
Common functional food ingredients are antioxidants, amino acids/proteins, herbals and botanicals, probiotics and prebiotics, fish oils (omega 3’s), soy constituents, and non-calorie sweeteners.
“Going back decades, there have been almost 20,000 published studies on coffee and health,” Dr. Coughlin said, “because of the widespread consumption across the entire population, worldwide, multi-aged, male and female. More than 50%-60% of the population drinks coffee every day. Scientists get grant money to study such widely consumed foods and beverages. And they want to study something that’s interesting, where there is a great deal of consumption, a substance that has been looked at in relation to almost every human disease. They look at the disease that they are expert in, and see if their research population applies. That’s the beauty of science; you see an effect and you try to figure out what’s causing it.”
He went on, “In recent years there has been a lot of good news about coffee and health; in fact most of the bad news you hear about coffee is wrong. For example, a firm consensus is developing that coffee consumers have a 25% reduced risk of colorectal cancer. There are many solidly published studies on this now.”
Dr. Coughlin described caffeine’s pharmacological effects: “Depending on amount and duration, caffeine enhances central nervous system functions of alertness, vigilance, and arousal, and it reduces fatigue. It improves cognitive performance, increases the body’s capacity for muscular work and exercise, and increases diuresis and blood flow in the kidneys. Caffeine relaxes smooth muscle, especially bronchial muscle, and even produces a slightly higher metabolic rate.” He told the editors that studies show that because of the effect on bronchial muscle, adults who drink coffee have 25% less asthma than non-coffee drinkers.
“There is a long established history of the safe use of coffee, and the newest detailed studies and re-examinations of old issues have been quite reassuring,” Dr. Coughlin noted. “Coffee and caffeine should already be recognized for their positive health benefits and potential functional food attributes. You can forget about coffee being bad for you, it’s actually good for you.”