Coffee

COFFEE
Caffeine, the active ingredient in coffee, is a stimulant associated with affecting the nervous system. In medical studies, coffee is generally not associated with cardiovascular disease or most cancers, except possibly pancreatic cancer, but it may affect blood pressure and decrease infertility in women. See Caffeine, Myopia.

• Coffee Raises Blood Pressure and Heart Rate - In a study of the effects of caffeine, researchers at the University of Iowa reported that coffee raised systolic and diastolic blood pressure 3.6 and 5.6 mm/Hg respectively, most notably shortly after ingestion, and heart rate was higher overnight following caffeine consumption. .
Source: P. J. Green and J. Suis, “The Effects of Coffeine on Ambulatory Blood Prfessure, Heart Rate, and Moon in Coffee Drinkers,” Journal of Behavioral Medicine 19(2):111-28, 1996.

• Unfiltered Coffee Raises Cholesterol - In a study of different brewing methods, researchers in the Netherlands reported that boiling coffee in the Turkish or Scandinavian way raises LDL cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol, while filtered coffee does not affect cholesterol. The scientists identi-fied cafestol and kahweol, diterpene lipids, in coffee beans as the cholesterol-raising ingredients, which are retained by a paper filter but extracted by hot water.
Source: R. Urgert and M. B. Katan, “The Cholesterol-Raising Factor from Coffee Beans,” Annual Reveiw of Nutrition 17:305-24, 1997.

• Coffee and Lifestyle - In a study associating lifestyle factors with coffee and tea consumption, researchers reported that coffee drinking is "positively associated with factors that promote coronary heart disease, while drinking tea is associated with a preventive lifestyle." The survey of 2,400 men and women aged 25 to 64 found that coffee intake was associated with a higher frequency of meat dinners including more fat, more sausages, and more eggs and less fruit. Tea drinking was linked to higher fish, salad, vegetable and fruit consumption. Coffee drinks also exercised less, while tea drinkers exercised more.
Source: Bernhard Schwarz, M.D., et al. "Coffee, Tea, and Lifestyle," Preventive Medicine 23: 377-384, 1994.

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