NEWSBITES

NEWS*BITES

Ca eine: Friend or Foe?

BY VERA TWEED

You probably know if caff eine gives you jitters, interferes with your sleep, or creates other unpleasant side eff ects. And then, you likely avoid it (or you should). But if you don’t experience any downsides and love your coff ee and tea, could caff eine secretly be harming your health?

The answer depends on the source of your caff eine and the quantity you consume. Coff ee, tea, and cocoa contain anti-infl ammatory plant nutrients known as polyphenols in addition to caff eine. Studies have shown that these polyphenols help to keep blood pressure and cholesterol at healthy levels, reduce depression, improve heart health, reduce risk for stroke, help to prevent belly fat, and improve insulin sensitivity, which helps prevent type 2 diabetes.

Research also shows that coff ee and tea are our top dietary sources of antioxidant polyphenols, so if they aren’t also loaded with sugar or syrup, they can be healthy beverages.

Other Sources of Ca eine

Caff eine is added to cola-type sodas, energy shots and waters, and energy gels and candies, which don’t contain the benefi cial polyphenols naturally found in coff ee and tea—but do contain sugars or other additives that are defi nitely not benefi cial.

Caff eine is used to enhance exercise performance. It can also increase the amount of fat the body burns, with or without exercise, but this may not result in more calories being used. A recent study found that people who took caff eine before exercise burned more fat but less carbohydrate. All told, the caff eine did not change the total number of calories burned.

How Much Is Too Much?

Although tolerance of caff eine varies, the FDA cites 400 mg per day—about 4 or 5 8-ounce cups of coff ee—as an amount that doesn’t usually produce dangerous side eff ects. The agency cautions, however, that just 1 teaspoon of a concentrated caff eine powder or a half-cup of a concentrated liquid caff eine can contain the equivalent of 20–28 cups of coff ee— dangerously high amounts that have toxic eff ects, including seizures or death.

Can You Get a Healthy Ca eine Fix?

Some experts recommend abstaining from caff eine altogether, and this works best for some people. But there is evidence of benefi ts from the combination of caff eine and antioxidant polyphenols in coff ee, tea, and cocoa. If you don’t experience adverse eff ects from caff eine, it becomes a personal choice.

When caff eine is added to a food or drink, it must be listed as an ingredient on the label. There’s no requirement for labels to state how much caff eine is present per serving, but many supplement companies voluntarily list the quantity.

What about Decaf?

Deca eination removes most, but not all ca eine. Decaf co ee, for example, contains between 2 and 15 mg per 8-ounce cup.

Ca eine can be removed with or without harmful chemicals, which may leave toxic residues. The non-profi t Clean Label Project has tested many popular brands of decaf co ee and provides information on which ones contain toxins at checkyourdecaf.org.

PEANUTS

FOR BETTER MEMORY, LESS STRESS

Crunch on this: A 6-month study of college students found that eating a handful of roasted peanuts, or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter per day, improved memory and reduced reactions to stress, including anxiety and depression. The nuts in the study were roasted with the skins.

Peanuts contain beneficial antioxidants, such as resveratrol, as well as healthy fats. Lab tests showed that blood levels of these nutrients increased as a result of eating peanuts or peanut butter.

IS IRON DEFICIENCY PUTTING YOUR HEART AT RISK?

Iron deficiency increases risk for heart disease and death, according to a study of more than 12,000 Europeans with a median age of 59. And this type of deficiency is quite common.

Iron exists in stored and active forms in the human body. Most important for heart health, the study found, was an adequate level of the active form, referred to as “functional iron.” You can ask your doctor for a functional-iron test during a regular check-up.

Iron is essential for healthy red blood cells to properly transport oxygen from the lungs to other tissues. Women under the age of 50 need 18 mg daily. Men, and women over the age of 50, need 8 mg daily. Top food sources include iron-fortified cereal, oysters, white beans, dark chocolate, and beef liver.

CoQ10 Helps Trauma Patients

CoQ10, an antioxidant necessary for healthy heart function, helps seriously injured patients to recover from trauma, according to a study of 40 people who were on ventilators. Half received 400 mg of sublingual CoQ10 while the other half received a placebo for 7 days. The patients taking CoQ10 were able to breathe without a ventilator sooner and recovered more quickly.

CoQ10 is an essential nutrient for mitochondria, energygenerating components in every cell. Earlier research showed that CoQ10 levels typically drop in patients who are hospitalized for a critical illness. CoQ10 supplements can help to reduce cellular damage in such situations.