WHAT IS COFFEE

The benefits of coffee: A Medical wonder?

The myths and the Truth.

1.??? Introduction

1.01

The story of how coffee became a beverage of global renown is sheltered in a lot of mystery and folklore. But the dominant theory or working thesis so far is of the goat herd Khalid. Legend has it that long ago in areas around the Arabian Peninsula, while tending to his goats, Khalid took a siesta and let his goats roam about eating whatever they found, however, upon waking up, he found that his goats were very active and energetic.

History is strewn with remarkable exclamatory attributes of coffee. In Uganda, it is stated that the caravan trade’s men were the first to discover the benefits of coffee as a better substitute to tobacco for staying awake and for an extra boost of strength throughout their exertions and journeys.

But, first; a brief background to the crop we have come to depend on and some people reaching to the levels of suffering from addictions of coffee or caffeine.

There could not have been an apt introduction to this treatise than a quote from professor Juha Kere of the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, one of the authors quoted herein this study from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) who remarked that “The caffeine in coffee is one of the most widely –consumed psychoactive substances in the world, but we know relatively little about how it affects neurons and their cellular function. Learning more about how caffeine affects our bodies at this level could help explain why coffee and caffeine seem to reduce risk of certain diseases, and improve memory and cognition.”

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2.??? A brief History and Background to this Treatise?

2.01

Coffee growing in Uganda begun as early as 1900, in 1914, European and Asian farmers established 135 coffee plantations covering 58,000 acres of land in Uganda, exclusively for export to the international market.? ??

There are two main types of coffee namely; Arabica and Robusta coffee. Uganda grows both species of the crop. Robusta coffee is indigenous to Uganda and grows at low altitudes of between 900-1300 meters above sea level, around the shores of Lake Victoria Basin notably in Central, Western, Eastern and South Eastern Regions of Uganda. Whilst Arabica, is believed to have been introduced in Uganda from Ethiopia; and unlike its distant cousin the Robusta, Arabica in Uganda is mainly grown at high altitudes of between 1500-2300 meters above sea level; that is on the slopes of Mt. Elgon in the East, Mt. Rwenzori in the West and Mt. Muhabura located at the border between Uganda and Rwanda and around the highland areas of the West Nile.?

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3.??? Literature Review/ Presentation and analysis of the Findings/ Summary

3.01

This particular section covers the benefits and various findings covering the medical and health benefits associated with drinking coffee.

These have been presented below:

3.02

?According to the Journal of Pain March 2007, two cups of coffee helps to cut pain. It was found that drinking two cups of coffee helped to cut post work out muscle pain by up to 48%.

3.03

Coffee reduces colorectal cancer risk.

Even moderate consumption of coffee can reduce the odds of developing colorectal cancer by 26%. This protective benefit increases with more consumption. According to a study by the University of Southern California Health Sciences; Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center of Keck Medicine of USC, that examined over 5,100 men and women who had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer within the past six (6) months, along with an additional 4,000 men and women with no history of colorectal cancer to serve as a control group.

Participants reported their daily consumption of boiled, instant decaffeinated and filtered coffee as well as their total consumption of other liquids. A questionnaire also gathered information about many other factors that influence the risk of colorectal cancer including family history of cancer, diet, physical activity and smoking. According to Stephen Gruper, MD, Phd, MPH, Director of University of South Carolina (USC). Norris Comprehensive Cancer Centre and senior author of this study; found that drinking more coffee is associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer and the more coffee consumed, the lower the risk. The study further states that coffee contains many elements that contribute to overall colorectal health and may explain the preventive properties.

Caffeine and polyphenol can act as antioxidants, limiting the growth of potential colon cancer cells.

Melanoidins generate during the roasting process have been hypothesized to encourage colon mobility.

Diterpenes may prevent cancer by enhancing the body’s defence against oxidative damage.

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3.04

Lower the risk of multiple sclerosis

Recent research showed that at least four cups of coffee a day may help protect against the development and reoccurrence of multiple sclerosis. In the study by the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and psychiatry, it was found that coffee prevents neural inflammation that possibly leads to the disease developing. ?

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3.05

Coffee drinkers have less risk of heart disease

Korean researchers found that study participants who consumed 3 to 5 cups of coffee a day were less likely to show the beginning signs of heart disease. In a study, Coffee Consumption and Coronary Artery, calcium in young and middle aged asymptomatic adults, by Yuni Choi, Yoosoo Chang, Seungho Ryu, Juhee Cho, Sanjay Rampal et al; in their cross sectional study that included 25 men : 138 women( mean age 41.3 years) without evident cardiovascular who underwent a health screening examination that included a validated food frequency questionnaire and a multi detector CT to determine CAC (Coronary Artery Calcium) scores. In this study large sample of men and women apparently free of clinically evident cardiovascular disease, moderate coffee consumption was associated with a lower prevalence of subclinical coronary atherosclerosis.

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3.05 ?

Protection against Parkinson’s

A specific genetic variation discovered by researchers at Linkoping University in Sweden, it was discovered that people who especially drink a lot of coffee, are more protected against Parkinson’s disease.

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3.06

The caffeine in coffee helps in many physiological effects;

?Increasing alertness, potential ability to reduce risk of neurodegerative disease, the enhancing effects on memory and cognition.

The institute for Scientific Information for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) researchers from Japan, Sweden, Finland and U.K conducted a study of caffeine induced perturbation of gene expression changes in a human neuronal cell model;

??????? i.??????????? Caffeine prompts connections.

The researchers stimulated neurons with normal consumption levels of caffeine over periods of one, three and nine hours. The results showed dosage-dependant activation of immediate early genes are genes after one hour. Immediate early genes are genes that respond rapidly often within minutes to cellular stimuli.

Some of these genes are linked to the immune system and others are linked to learning and memory.

The experiment revealed that caffeine up regulated some neuronal processes and down regulated others. Up regulation “boosts” the signal to a cell much like boosting radio signal to ensure the message is delivered. Down regulation reduces the signal to the cell. A cell will receive signals from various sources such as the immune and nervous systems that tell it what to do.

Caffeine was found to down regulate immune system processes and up regulate neural projection development processes (which are linked to memory and other neuronal connectivity)

????? ii.??????????? Coffee seemingly helps memory.

According to Professor Jula Kere, of the Karolinska Institute, Sweden; one of the authors from the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC), it was found that the inhibition on neuronal connectivity is down regulated by normal levels of caffeine, similar levels to what you might drink in a day. This might well help understanding in part why coffee has been suggested to improve memory and protect against memory loss in the elderly.

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3.07

Relationship between coffee and liver health;

A new round table report from ISIC “looking after the liver; coffee, caffeine and lifestyle factors”

Highlighted the potential role of coffee consumption in reducing the risk of liver disease such as liver cancer and cirrhosis.

Liver disease is a significant concern across Europe, where chronic liver disease is the fifth most common cause of death and approximately 29 million people in European Union suffer from a chronic liver condition. The key research findings highlighted in the report included;

·???????? Meta-analyses have suggested that coffee consumption is associated with up to a 40% risk reduction of liver cancer, although this appears to be a dose dependent relationship.

·???????? Researchers from the U.S and Italy suggested that coffee consumption is consistently associated with a reduced risk of cirrhosis, with a potential risk reduction of 20-70 percent.

·???????? In the same research, it was also suggested that there was an inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of chronic liver disease, with an average risk reduction of 25-30% in low coffee consumers.

·???????? During the research, Professor Alexander, suggested that it is likely that liver cancer develops from an existing liver disease and proposed that the association between coffee consumption and a reduced risk of liver cancer may in fact link back to an effect of coffee drinking on liver disease.

Professor Alexander, further said, liver disease is on the rise across Europe and its important that we understand how coffee, one of the most popular drinks in the world and diet affects the disease. The research suggested that coffee may reduce the risk of liver diseases and its important patients have access to dietary information and advice from health care professionals in a manner that is easy for them to understand and act upon.

Judi Rhys, chief Executive, British Liver Trust said, Liver disease is a silent killer as often there are no symptoms until its too late. Coffee is something that is easily accessible to everyone and regularly drinking it filtered, instant or espresso may make a difference.

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3.08

Lowered risk of Alzheimer’s disease

According to the European Journal of Neurology, there is considerable evidence that caffeine may protect against Alzheimer’s disease. Maia L, De Mendonca A, from the National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health. Who stated that Neuro protective effects of caffeine in low doses, chronically administered, has been shown in different experimental models? If caffeine intake could protect against Neuro degeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. A case control study was used; cases were 54 patients with probable Alzheimer’s disease fulfilling the National institute of Neurologic and communicative Disorders Association criteria, in a dementia clinic and setting.

Controls were 54 accompanying persons, cognitively normal matched for age (+/-3 Years) and sex. Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease had an average daily caffeine intake of 73.9+/-97.9 mg during the 20 years that preceded diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease whereas the controls had an average daily caffeine intake of 198.7+/-135.7 mg during the corresponding 20 years of their lifetimes (P<0.001 Wilcoxon signed ranks test) using a logistic regression model., caffeine exposure during this period was found to be significantly inversely associated with Alzheimer’s Disease (odds ratio=0.40,95% confidence interval=0.25-0.67) whereas hypertension, diabetes, stroke, head trauma, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, family history of dementia, were not statistically significantly associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Caffeine intake was associated with a significantly lower risk for Alzheimer’s Disease, independently of other possible confounding variables.?

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3.09

Reduced risk of suicide

According to the Archives of internal Medicine report, in the study that was conducted in the period of 10 years on 86,000 females; it was found that there was a reduced risk of suicide in coffee drinkers. The women who 4 or more cups of coffee were 20% less likely to suffer from depression (Harvard School of Health)

3.10

Increased productivity at workplaces?

Coffee has been found to help in the productivity at work places, as coffee helps people get along with co-workers better. According to Journal of Psycho-Pharmacology, workers who consume coffee have a more positive view of self and others than workers that don’t drink coffee.

3.11

Reduces risk of developing erectile disfunction in men

Men who consume 270-375mg of caffeine per day have a much lower risk of developing Erectile disfunction, this study was conducted by the University of Texas Medical School.

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