Monday, March 10, 2003


drink your coffee without fear. . .

today's just a plethora of great coffee news. according to new research from tokyo university hospital, drinking coffee reduces your blood sugar, and can prevent adult onset diabetes.

the study reported that those who drank about a cup of coffee a day, or at least 5 cups a week -- men and women both -- were less likely to get diabetes. researchers also studied different types of tea. tea was of no help, whereas coffee definitely showed a protective effect.

the researchers reported that they didn't think caffeine was the helpful chemical in this situation. instead they believed two other compounds, the naturally ocurring magnesium or the cholorgenic acid, were most likely the effective agents. cholorgenic acid and magnesium both are generally thought to be phytochemicals that help contribute to coffee's "bright," or tongue-dancing tingly, taste.

as readers know, adult diabetes is on the verge of becoming an epidemic in the western world. combined with a sensible diet, and an energetic yoga practice, it now seems as if a cup of coffee a day can help spare you this difficult disease.

i'm glad to hear this because after the recent study saying pregnant women shouldn't drink large amounts of coffee -- meaning 6 or more 10-oz. cups a day, a new study today reaffirms that moderate coffee consumption, or a switch to decaf, is fine for the expecting. investigators found that caffeine consumption did not increase the risk of low birth weight or preterm delivery, and had no effect on fetal growth in the womb.

smoking is by far a greater danger. but i recommend that women trying to conceive limit themselves to 2 or 3 6-oz. cups of coffee a day. the expecting should probably keep it to 1 or 2 cups of half-caf, if they don't want to make a temporary switch to decaf. . .luckily, there are many very tasty decafs now available. you can find them all at coffee review.

the culture of better coffee is now definitely a global phenomenon. we should remember that right now scandanavia, vancouver b.c., and new zealand are the coffee hotspots. further proof of this is that one of the netherland's up-and-coming baristas is a new zealander, kevin bunge, who's currently working in a dutch cafe called coffee connection.

so if you're dutch, or just travelling thru amsterdam, run over there and get a cup from kevin. . .

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