Sunday, April 27, 2008

HealthyFood-DrinkCorner

Coffee: What Are The Health Benefits?

by: Aaron Matthews Morgan


If you are a coffee drinker, you no doubt have asked yourself how much coffee is it safe for you to consume on a daily basis. This is not surprising since so much has been blamed on coffee. Heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, you name it. At one time or another, coffee has been made to blame. Coffee has joined the ranks of red wine and chocolate as a guilty pleasure that may actually be good for you. As much as it is a great way to get that fix in the morning, recent studies have shown that coffee has been found to be rich in antioxidants and contains hundreds of pain-relieving and anti-bacterial compounds. Although one should not drink coffee with wild abandon, it's comforting to know that maybe that cup or two in the morning may be good for you. Here is a statistic to ponder: did you know that there are over 160 million coffee drinkers in the Unites States alone? In terms of consumption, the average American consumes 8.8 lbs. of coffee per year. But consider this: the world leader in terms of consumption is Finland which comes in at nearly 30 lbs per year. That's a lot of coffee!

Another statistic is that there have been well over 19,000 studies done to analyze the effects of coffee. Now, studies can often be skewed to show whatever the author wants, but here is what is generally agreed: consuming 2 to 3 cups of coffee per day is often considered more beneficial than harmful. Recent studies have shown that moderate coffee drinking can reduce the risk of colon cancer (due to it's ability to keep you regular), gallstones, cirrhosis of the liver and more, due to the fact the it is loaded with healthy antioxidants. So loaded, that studies have implied that coffee contains higher levels of antioxidants compared to other commonly consumed beverages, such as tea and fruit juice. Coffee has joined the ranks of red wine and chocolate as a guilty pleasure that may actually be good for you. As much as it is a great way to get that “fix” in the morning, recent studies have shown that coffee has been found to be rich in antioxidants and contains hundreds of pain-relieving and anti-bacterial compounds. Although one should not drink coffee with wild abandon, it's comforting to know that maybe that cup or two in the morning may be good for you. Several studies are also being conducted on Parkinson's and diabetic Patients. Research has shown that just one cup of coffee per day can halve your risk of Parkinson's, the brain disease that causes tremors and affects movement. Caffeine may protect the brain cells typically lost to Parkinson's disease. However, it has been noted that women on hormone therapy do not seem to benefit. It is felt that Estrogen may dilute the effectiveness of caffeine. It has also been found that if a woman drinks three cups of coffee a day, she can reduce her risk of Type 2 Diabetes by twenty to thirty percent. Coffee may help promote the delivery of insulin to the tissues. Experts believe that coffee's antioxidants, such as chlorogenic acid and caffeine acid, deserve the credit. There are also on going studies that are producing favorable reports on coffee helping to fight Alzheimer's due to the caffeine stimulating the cognitive area of the brain. This is just the tip of the ice berg.

People with asthma who drink coffee can have up to 25 percent fewer symptoms because one of the compounds in coffee - theophylline - acts as a bronchodilator. A recent Brazilian study showed that consumption of coffee promotes better sperm mobility - and now studies are in progress to determine whether caffeine can help infertile men. Coffee contains polyphenols, substances that may reduce the risk of cancer and coronary artery disease. Caffeinated coffee, as opposed to decaffeinated coffee, makes you a better thinker. Studies have shown that coffee keeps you focused, particularly when you are doing not-so-pleasant work. A researcher with the U.S. Army stated caffeine improved scores on a range of cognitive tasks, such as decision making, learning, and attention in the sleep-deprived. Coffee can also boost your mood, probably by making you feel more energetic. A little known fact is that coffee contains antioxidants which have been shown to imporve oveall health. Here is a short list of some benefits which have been shown to be present in coffee:

Reduce symptoms of Parkinson's Disease

Antibacterial ingredients

Reduce the risk of developing gallstones

Preserve mental accuity

Reduce risk of developing type 2 Diabetes (if you have diabetes, reduce your consumption

If you are free of hypertension, coffee will not likely produce it

Headache relief

Reduce the risk of some types of cancer

Improve physical endurance

About The Author
Aaron Matthews-Morgan is the owner of Heavenly Kona Coffee, an e-business that specializes in 100% Gourmet Kona Coffee from Hawaii. HeavenlyKonaCoffee.com is also a premier website for free information and resources, providing quality info and articles on everything related to coffee. Go to: http://www.heavenlykonacoffee.com

Saturday, April 19, 2008

CerPen Corner

NAMANYA INDRA

Episode III

Bulan Maret ini tepat hari jadiku yang ke-28. Sebuah ucapan ulang tahun dari Papa telah membuatku termenung. Ucapan tulus yang mampu melelehkan titik air mata di pipiku. Papa menulis dalam surat itu bahwa aku harus mulai lagi memikirkan kehidupan pribadiku. Aku seharusnya tidak menutup diri. Papa ingin agar aku menikah sebelum Papa pensiun. Apa lagi adikku yang lain, Ratna telah pula mendahuluiku. Kupeluk surat itu. Kurasakan kehangatan pelukan Papa. Semua itu adalah peristiwa yang terjadi empat tahun yang lalu. Kulihat jam ditanganku. Pukul 14.00 kurang 15 menit. Ini berarti tidak sampai setengah jam aku dapat menghadirkan dengan utuh peristiwa yang terjadi empat tahun yang lalu. Sementara itu tinggal 15 menit lagi jam kantor segera usai. Maka kubereskan buku-buku, kertas kerja, alat-alat tulis yang berserakan di atas mejaku. Aku segera berkemas untuk pulang sebab aku khawatir Papa menunggu terlalu lama. Benar saja di lobi itu ada Papa sudah menungguku. Dan seperti biasanya aku dan Papa selalu bersama-sama baik pergi maupun pulang dari kantor. Kini aku sudah tidak bekerja lagi di Bogor tapi pindah ke tempat dimana Papa bekerja. Sekaligus kini aku kembali berada di tengah-tengah keluarga. Di tengah-tengah tentramnya sapa lembut Papa dan Mama. Kembali berada di kota dimana masa laluku terawat rapi namun kini tinggal puing yang mustahil bisa dibangun kembali.
Pulang kantor tadi aku langsung tidur setelah makan siang dan sholat dzuhur. Walaupun begitu ketika aku bangun sore harinya, kepala ini masih terasa pusing. Tapi kupaksakan untuk bangun sebab aku ingat ini malam Minggu. Tentu aku harus mempersiapkan diri untuk menyambut kehadiran Sang Kekasih. Kulihat Mama di ruang tengah sedang asyik membaca koran. Di sana tidak nampak Irna dan Riris, dua adik perempuanku yang masih kuliah. Mungkin mereka pergi berenang dan sampai sore ini belum kembali. Sedang Papa belum kembali dari tugas luar kota.
“Hai kau baru bangun!”, kata Mama ketika melihat aku duduk di sisinya.
“Pening kepalaku!”, kataku.
“Sebetar lagi sembuh. Kan ini malam Minggu!”, kata Mama menggoda. Aku berpura-pura cemberut. Melihat ini Mama malah tertawa. Sementara penyiar RCTI sedang menyiarkan Seputar Indonesia.
Setahun yang lalu aku mengenalnya. Terus terang saat itu aku tak pernah tertarik kepadanya. Seorang lelaki yang tidak terlalu istimewa malah terlalu biasa. Mempunyai perawakan kecil dan tidak tinggi. Umurnya dua setengah tahun lebih muda. Berarti kini ia berumur 28 tahun. Namun demikian aku mencintainya seperti halnya dia mencintaiku. Kadang-kadang aku ragu mengapa aku tidak memilih Anton yang jauh lebih baik dari dia. Tinggi, atletis, gagah mirip Indra Wibowo atau Firman seorang sarjana pertanian yang bisa kubanggakan di tengah keluarga atau Bayu, anak seorang pengusaha besar di kotaku. Entahlah, mengapa aku bisa mencintai dia. Padahal aku tahu, aku tidak bisa membanggakan dia didepan Papa, Mama, adik-adik seperti aku membanggakan Indra Wibowo. Apakah hanya karena dia yang mengusik diamku pada usiaku yang hampir senja ini?. Apakah hanya karena dia lah yang selama ini berani mendekatiku?. Mungkin pertanyaan-pertanyaan itu tidak akan pernah terjawab. Ketukan pintu kamar membuyarkan lamunanku. Lalu kulihat Irna masuk.
“Mbak Sari!. Itu Mas Indra sudah datang lho!”, kata Irna.
“Ya sebentar. Atau kau temani ngobrol dulu Ir, sementara aku ganti pakaian!”, kataku.
“Riris yang menemani!”, kata Irna. Setelah selesai ganti pakaian, cepat-cepat kutemui Sang Kekasih.
Di ruang tamu itu Indra sedang duduk menunggu. Melihat aku datang, dia tersenyum dan akupun tersenyum. Maka ruangan itu penuh dengan senyum. Tentu saja lelaki yang duduk didepanku ini bukan Indra Wibowo. Dia adalah Indra Susanto. Indra yang sederhana. Indra yang tidak istimewa. Indra yang biasa-biasa saja, tidak pernah menarik. Indra yang tak bisa dibanggakan kepada siapapun. Tapi juga Indra yang kucintai. Apakah hanya karena ia bernama Indra sehingga aku mencintainya?. Satu pertanyaan lagi yang tidak akan pernah terjawab. Mungkin jawabnya persis sama ketika aku bertanya, apakah benar aku mencintai dia?. Tepat pukul sepuluh lewat lima, seperti biasanya Indra Susanto berpamitan.
“Selamat malam mbak Sari!, ucapnya.
“Selamat malam!”, jawabku.
Lalu malampun hanyut dalam keheningan panjang dan tak kutemukan jawaban apakah benar aku mencintai dia.


THE END