I've already written what I know about the health benefits of drinking coffee and tea as well as green tea for dieting and coffee health, but I feel compelled to revisit the subject because of all the new reports I'm reading.

Coffee, Tea and Diabetes

Researchers don't know what the ingredient is, but say there may something in coffee that reduces the risk for type 2 diabetes in women by almost 50 percent. They also don't know why drinking coffee may reduce the likelihood of abnormal heart rhythms.

Studies of people who drink tea came to the same conclusions. I'll tell you what I think of all this near the end.

Coffee and Strokes

The incidents of strokes in older people have been declining and part of it may be attributed to older people drinking coffee. Studies show that people who drink coffee were 29 percent less likely to have a stroke.

Of course, that doesn't take into consideration what causes strokes in the first place.

No Bed of Roses

It's not all good news and I have my own thoughts about some of this. I would call these studies anything but an exact science. One study shows only moderate links between the increased risk of hypertension and caffeine consumption and advises anyone concerned about their blood pressure to reduce their coffee consumption. I guess it's a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" kind of situation.

Personally, I think the studies are missing the point. People that drink coffee and tea aren't drinking a lot of the other beverages, like carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverages and other kinds of flavored drinks. I think the positive results are based on what people are NOT drinking as opposed to what they are.

News Sources:

• Grab a cup of heart-friendly coffee
• Study: Coffee, Tea Can Lower Diabetes Risk
• Surprising Stroke Findings

Similar Articles:

• Just Three Cups of Tea a Day Dramatically Lowers your Risk of Stroke
• Does Green Tea Increase Life Expectancy?
• What Effect does Coffee have on Alcohol Consumption?
• The Coffee Franchises are Here to Stay
• Are you Tired of Coffee Studies yet?

For years, doctors have been telling people to reduce their consumption of drinks containing high levels of caffeine, picking on coffee as the number one source. While over-indulgence in things that contain caffeine can have adverse effects on your health, how much is too much is open to interpretation.

What is caffeine?

Caffeine is an alkaloid that acts as a stimulant and a mild diuretic. Caffeine is called guaranine when found in guarana, mateine when found in mate, and theine when found in tea; all of these names are synonyms for the same chemical compound.

Caffeine has the effect of temporarily warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Humans have been consuming plants containing caffeine since the beginning of time — it occurs naturally in many plants besides coffee and tea, even though coffee and tea get the most publicity for it.

Caffeine is added to soft drinks, especially cola-type soft drinks. I won't go into detail about it since I could spend a day on that topic alone.

Despite the negativity surrounding caffeine, caffeine continues to play a vital role in the health of people all around the world. Again, it's a topic all in itself and I won't go into detail here.

Antioxidants and Flavonoids

Both coffee and tea are high in antioxidants. An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals, which start chain reactions that damage cells.

Flavonoids are known as antioxidants, but they have other significant properties that I can't explain without writing a textbook or plagiarizing someone else. Green tea is higher in flavonoids than other teas, and the amount of flavonoids in coffee is questionable depending on what kind of coffee we're dealing with.

Health Benefits

Antioxidants have been proven to have anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties. Only a small amount of flavonoids are required, as antioxidants, to show immediate health benefits.

It makes sense to include coffee and tea, if you don't dislike the taste, as part of your diet. It's not known if caffeine-free versions are as effective as those containing caffeine, but it's worth trying if you're on a caffeine-restrictive diet.

Green tea has been called the green tea fat burner recently because of what it does to your metabolism and the anti-fat and anti-carcinogenic effects it has on your system.

Personally, I've been drinking coffee and tea as long as I can remember. I don't have trouble sleeping, a common side-effect of ingesting too much caffeine, and it doesn't cause me to be jittery. Other than old injuries, I have no health concerns. I'll soon be 48-years old and I feel great. You can call me a coffee and tea poster child, if you wish, and it won't offend me at all.

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• Green Tea and Weight Loss
• Does Green Tea Increase Life Expectancy?
• Are you Tired of Coffee Studies yet?
• Just Three Cups of Tea a Day Dramatically Lowers your Risk of Stroke
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