[Villages PL]

The headline (in really big bold print): Don't forget your coffee
Then a smaller headline under it: New study shows caffeine helps memory

1. Do you drink coffee?

2. Do you remember any details of the study that the article was based on?

3. What was the "take home" message of the article?

4. What important conclusions did you come to as a result of the study and/or article?

5. Did you feel that anything was missing?

6. What was your overall impression?

[rubicon]

Experts not only are saying coffee is good for your memory but also for your heart. Again we have a total reversal from the experts.

My wife and I did not like the taste of coffee until we turned 30 or so. I'm told that is a common experience. i drink two cups in the morning while my wife has a third at night.

[TrudyM]

Glad to hear they have decided it's ok, but I would drink it anyway. If you cut me I think I might bleed coffee. I drink about a half a pot or more a day. In Seattle there is a barista just inside or on the sidewalk within steps of any store, or gas station for that matter. Doing the grocery shopping without my Starbucks or Tullys in my hand is just hard.

[jblum315]

Shucks, I've known that since I was 17 yrs old.

[manaboutown]

My pediatrician was horrified that I started drinking coffee at seven years of age. Incidentally, he died in his late forties from a heart attack having grown to the size Raymond Burr eventually reached. My parents would not allow colas or other soft drinks in the house but coffee and tea were always available. BTW, I have almost a photographic memory - must be the coffee. Who would have thought?

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by rubicon

Experts not only are saying coffee is good for your memory but also for your heart. Again we have a total reversal from the experts.

Which "experts" are we talking about? Coffee industry experts? Or, researchers funded by the coffee industry?

My wife and I did not like the taste of coffee until we turned 30 or so. I'm told that is a common experience. i drink two cups in the morning while my wife has a third at night.

I always liked coffee; I started drinking it at around age 8 or 9. But I stopped drinking it several years ago (5 or 6 years ago?) because I have "overactive bladder" and things like coffee, tea or watermelon cause a problem. They act like a diuretic on me.

But since I stopped, I learned some things about coffee that are both good and bad for health. I'm glad I stopped because the good aspect is something I don't need: antioxidants. I get more than enough from my plant based diet. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with antioxidants.

What's bad is the fact that coffee is highly acidic. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if one would combine it with other alkaline foods to help neutralize it but most people who like coffee also like many other acidic foods. If you can't do the neutralizing, your body will do it for you by leaching calcium from your bones. You may feel quite well while losing bone mass.

The most important thing I learned is that acidic foods promote cancer while alkaline foods help prevent cancer.

Note: Tomatoes and lemons are acidic but metabolize as alkaline, while meat and other foods may not seem acidic but will cause acidity.

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by Villages PL

Which "experts" are we talking about? Coffee industry experts? Or, researchers funded by the coffee industry?



I always liked coffee; I started drinking it at around age 8 or 9. But I stopped drinking it several years ago (5 or 6 years ago?) because I have "overactive bladder" and things like coffee, tea or watermelon cause a problem. They act like a diuretic on me.

But since I stopped, I learned some things about coffee that are both good and bad for health. I'm glad I stopped because the good aspect is something I don't need: antioxidants. I get more than enough from my plant based diet. Fruits and vegetables are loaded with antioxidants.

What's bad is the fact that coffee is highly acidic. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if one would combine it with other alkaline foods to help neutralize it but most people who like coffee also like many other acidic foods. If you can't do the neutralizing, your body will do it for you by leaching calcium from your bones. You may feel quite well while losing bone mass.

The most important thing I learned is that acidic foods promote cancer while alkaline foods help prevent cancer.

Note: Tomatoes and lemons are acidic but metabolize as alkaline, while meat and other foods may not seem acidic but will cause acidity.

Hi Villages PL: As I recollect the article was quoting Cardiologists. coffee has never upset my stomach nor my wife.

The problem associated with healthy eating advice is that there are so many experts who contradict one another and then reverse their roles a few years later. I suspect a conspiracy

[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by rubicon

Hi Villages PL: As I recollect the article was quoting Cardiologists. coffee has never upset my stomach nor my wife.

The problem associated with healthy eating advice is that there are so many experts who contradict one another and then reverse their roles a few years later. I suspect a conspiracy

The study was very narrowly focused on short term memory and wasn't even about coffee! No coffee was ever used in the study. They used 200-mg caffeine tablets. That's why I was asking to see what readers remembered. They might have remembered the headline in the newspaper: "Don't forget your coffee" I thought it was strange because "tea" was never mentioned in the article, even though regular tea contains caffeine too.

Also, what was missing was an exact comparison between the test group and the control group. All they said was that the test group "did well". They looked at images, then took the caffeine and had their memories tested the next day. We don't even know if it has any long term effect - beyond one day. (A previous study showed little to no improvement in memory.)

The reporter interviewed some Village residents: Some said they thought it was good for their memory and some said they doubted it was of any value for their memory - in general they thought: it all depends on the aging process.

My opinion: Caffeine functions as a stimulant and it increases your heart rate, thereby increasing blood flow to the brain. That extra blood flow to the brain may be what some people need if they have some narrowing of their arteries. So it may serve as a temporary boost but it's not a permanent fix for a poor diet. Coffee drinkers would be much better off if they concentrated on eating a heart healthy diet.