Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Some good news about coffee
By Henrylito D. Tacio
Health 101
EVERY morning, since May when I arrived here in the United States, I have been drinking coffee. When I was in Columbus, Ohio, my aunt Aida woke up very early (she works in a nearby area and report at 6 a.m.) and brewed coffee. Usually, she left some coffee for me to drink.
Now, I am staying with my sister Elena in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. As usual, I drink brewed coffee every morning. She has to prepare coffee for her husband, Daniel Chase, who works in an office three blocks away from her home. In some instances, I have to beat her by waking up early to brew the coffee.
Yes, I now drink coffee without sugar. Thanks to my friend, Ben Wolf (who is now back in the US and works in Richmond, Virginia). When he was still in the Philippines, he usually brought with him a container with hot brewed coffee inside. Curious, I tried to drink a cup every now and then. From one cup, it increased to two cups and finally to three.
Enjoying a cup of coffee while reading this piece? Well, keep on sipping because recent studies have shown that coffee has some health benefits. Despite earlier beliefs that coffee has negative health effects, it is becoming increasingly clear that the opposite is in fact the case.
Drinking coffee has also been associated with a lower risk of gallstone disease in men. In a 10-year prospective study in the United States, it was found that men who drank two to three cups of regular, caffeinated coffee per day had a 40 percent lower risk of developing gallstone disease than men who did not drink regular coffee. This rose to a 45 percent lower risk for men who drank four or more cups of regular coffee per day.
Cases of colon and colorectal cancers are increasing in recent years. Drinking coffee may lower these types of cancer. There is some convincing evidence for a protective effect of coffee against the development of colon or colorectal cancers. Such a protective effect was reported in a case-control study conducted in Sweden with 352 cases of colon cancer, 217 cases of rectal cancer, and 512 controls. "Coffee consumption appears to be protective against colon cancer and tea against rectal tumors," the Swedish authors concluded.
Here's a word of caution, though. The aforementioned studies should not be used as an excuse for people to increase their coffee intake. It means that a moderate daily dose could very well be justified, as long as one keeps in mind that too much coffee can make a person jittery and even raise cholesterol levels.
What's so special about coffee that it has received research attention from medical science in recent years? The answer: due to flavonoids or the antioxidants. "People are getting the most antioxidants from beverages, as opposed to what you might think," said Professor Joe Vinson of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.
Antioxidants, which are thought to help battle cancer and provide other health benefits, are abundant in grains, tomatoes and many other fruits and vegetables.
In the United States, coffee has been cited as the number one source of antioxidant with black tea as second and banana as third.
"Plants produce a lot of antioxidants. These compounds prevent the sun from causing free-radical damage to the plants," explained Professor Vinson. "That's why they may be good for the human body. I think antioxidants are the actual major causes of decreases in diseases. We consume fats and sugars that produce free radicals, and vitamins can't fight them alone. They need antioxidants."
In many coffee countries, coffee production is largely mechanized, which cuts down on time and labor costs. In the Philippines, except for the larger coffee farms, nearly everything is done by hand as most farmers cannot afford even the most basic machines.
Infrastructure is also another problem. There are not enough farm-to-market roads. So, getting the crop to markets is difficult. As a result, many Filipino farmers, whose families have been growing coffee for generations have switched to more profitable, and easier to manage crops such as corn.
What many Filipinos don't know that over 100 years ago, the Philippines was one of the biggest coffee producers in the world. Up until 1986, the country was earning at least 150 million dollars a year from coffee exports.
Another unknown fact: the Philippines is one of the sources of kopi luwak or civet coffee, which is known as kape alamid. It is sold mainly in Japan and the United States at US$75 per quarter pound. The coffee is made from coffee berries, which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the common palm civet. The animals gorge on the ripe berries, and the undigested beans are excreted. May I have a cup of coffee, please!
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (July 26, 2006 issue)
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