Caffeine for the heart?Caffeine caffeine (kăfēn`), odorless, slightly bitter alkaloid found in coffee, tea, kola nuts (see cola), ilex plants (the source of the Latin American drink maté), and, in small amounts, in cocoa (see cacao). may protect older hearts by curbing the drop in blood pressure that occurs after meals. Scientists followed roughly 6,600 men and women in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic ep·i·de·mi·ol·o·gy n. The branch of medicine that deals with the study of the causes, distribution, and control of disease in populations. [Medieval Latin epid Follow-up Study for nine years. Among those aged 65 or older, the risk of heart disease was roughly 30 percent lower in those who drank 1/2 cup to 3 1/2 cups a day of regular coffee than in those who drank less. The risk was 53 percent lower in those who drank 4 cups a day or more. Only regular coffee appeared to protect against heart disease, perhaps because regular tea and cola have less caffeine. Caffeinated beverages weren't linked to less heart disease in anyone with Stage 2 hypertension (blood pressure of 160 over 100 or higher) or in younger people. What to do: If you're an older coffee drinker, don't stop unless it gives you insomnia insomnia, abnormal wakefulness or inability to sleep. The condition may result from illness or physical discomfort, or it may be caused by stimulants such as coffee or drugs. However, frequently some psychological factor, such as worry or tension, is the cause. or the jitters jitters 'Butterflies' Psychology An episode of nervousness or anxiety that often precedes a public event; jitters is a type of performance anxiety which may affect actors in a stage production–stage fright or soloist musicians; it may respond to anxiolytics . Other studies suggest that coffee may help lower the risk of Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease or Parkinsonism, degenerative brain disorder first described by the English surgeon James Parkinson in 1817. When there is no known cause, the disease usually appears after age 40 and is referred to as Parkinson's disease. and diabetes, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 85: 392, 2007. |
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