Good news java junkies- not only is coffee not very
addictive,
along with its caffeinated cousins tea and cocoa,
it appears to offer several potential health
benefits, according to new research presented at
the national meeting of the
American Chemical
Society.
French researchers reported that caffeine has no
affect on the
area of the brain involved with addiction at doses of
one to three
cups of coffee per day. Astrid Nehlig, Ph.D., of the
French
National Health and Medical Research Institute
conducted
research with laboratory animals that confirmed that
while
moderate does of caffeine contribute to increased
alertness and
energy, dependence does not occur at those levels.
In this respect, caffeine appears to act differently
from
amphetamines, cocaine, morphine or nicotine, Nehlig
says. These
drugs are known to trigger functional activity in the
shell of the
nucleus accumbens, the part of the brain responsible
for addiction
even at low doses, she says.
In a related presentation, researchers from the
University of
Bristol reviewed a decade of research into caffeine's
influence on
cognition and mood. The survey revealed that a cup of
coffee can
help in the performance of tasks requiring sustained
attention, even
during low alertness situations such as after lunch,
at night or when
a person has a cold.
Tea drinkers also got some good news. Researchers from
the
Japanese Food Research Institute reported new data
about a major
group of compounds in green tea called catechins.
These compounds
have anti-oxidative, as well as antibacterial and even
antiviral
potency, the researchers noted.American researchers
reported that
these same compounds inhibited atherosclerosis, or
hardening of the
arteries in hamsters during a 10 week dose-response
experiment.
Both green and black tea lowered lipids and lipid
oxidation in the
hamsters, even at very low dilutions, according to a
University of
Scranton investigator.
Possibly the best news of all is that even chocolate
has previously
unexpected potential health benefits. In one study
presented at the
conference, researchers reported that cacao liquor, an
ingredient
of chocolate and cocoa, contains antioxidative
polyphenolic
substances. In animal studies, these compounds showed
anti-ulceric
activity in rats, as well as an inhibitory effect on
tumor promotion
in mouse skin. A related in vitro study suggested that
these
polyphenolic compounds, specifically the procyanidins
and
oligomeric procyanidins that contribute to the flavor
of chocolate
and cocoa, may also offer cardiovascular benefits.
Chocolate appears to be a particularly good source of
antioxidants,
reported by Joseph Vinson, Ph.D. His work suggests
that the quality
and quantity of the antioxidants in chocolate is very
high relative to
other common foods and beverages such as black tea,
red wine,
apples, raisins, pinto beans and other plant products.
Dark
chocolate contained four times the level of polyphenol
antioxidants
compared to kidney beans, which have one of the
highest levels
found in fruits or vegetables. Cocoa powder was even
higher,
containing seven times the amount of antioxidants
found in the
beans.
(Sean Henahan, Anaheim, CA 3/24/99)
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[log in to unmask] (Liza May)
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