Dr. Woliner's weekly health tip

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Docs:

Happy Monday! Here is Dr. Woliner's weekly health tip.

Lyndon McGill, D.C.

EvolvHealth Wellness Advisory Council Member

Salem, Oregon

www.SalemSpineClinic.com

www.EvolvingDaily.com

Morning Coffee May Your Smartest Health Move

If you love your morning cup of coffee, science has been using

your heart for a ping-pong ball over the last 20 years. First one

study says coffee’s awful. Two weeks later, another says it’s

manna from heaven.

So who do you believe?

At least to a degree, it matters how much coffee you

drink. Drink the right amount, and coffee has some amazing health

benefits. Here’s a run-down of some important discoveries about

coffee that have come out in just the last few months…

Stay Stronger Longer

As you get older, you lose muscle mass. Less muscle equals less

strength. And anything that adds to muscle power will help you

maintain your balance and power.

We’ve known for quite a while that caffeine boosts performance in

younger people. But researchers at Coventry University have now

shown it may work for mature adults, too.

They gave caffeine to mice at different ages. Caffeine gave

younger mice extra muscle power, just as they expected. But they

found it had the same effect – though not as strong – on older

mice.1

This suggests that moderate intake of caffeinated coffee may help

you get more power out of your muscles, even as you get older.

Keep Your Eyes Well Lubricated

Dry eyes may not sound like a big deal. But try going without

tears for a few hours. Your eyes will be in agony. That’s why drug

companies market expensive products designed to stimulate tearing.

But why spend a fortune if you don’t have to? And research from

Tokyo, Japan says you may not have to.

When the Japanese team gave caffeine to volunteers, their tear

volume increased. They gave a look-alike placebo to a second

group. This group didn’t generate more tears.

Then the team switched groups. The caffeine group became the

non-caffeine group, and vice versa. The results were the same. The

volunteers receiving caffeine saw an increase in tear volume.2

You won’t get the same amount of caffeine out of a couple of cups

of coffee. But I see no reason why you wouldn’t get a smaller, but

similar, result.

Boost Heart Health

Some people complain about caffeine making their heart race. But a

moderate amount of caffeine appears to be good for your heart.

Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center put it all in

perspective recently.

They reviewed several large studies and tracked coffee

consumption vs. one of the most common heart problems. What they

found was encouraging.

Among 140,000 people, moderate coffee drinkers had the lowest

risk of this heart trouble. Non-drinkers had a higher risk than

coffee drinkers, up to five cups a day. After five cups, the risk

increased. The lowest risk was among those who drank two cups per

day.

And in this one case, it didn’t matter if the coffee contained

caffeine or not.

Live a Long, Happy Life

Several studies have shown that people who don’t drink coffee

live longer than those who do. That’s what a recent report in the

New England Journal of Medicine found, too.

Until they accounted for smoking.

You see, smoking and coffee often go together. Smokers are simply

more likely to drink coffee than non-smokers.

So when researchers adjusted the numbers for smoking, a

completely different picture emerged. Coffee drinkers who don’t

smoke have a slight edge over non-drinkers.

Using these numbers, drinking coffee can lower your risk by up to

12%. Or, in simple terms, moderate coffee drinkers tend to live

longer.

People who drank the 2 – 3 cups a day received the biggest

benefit. After 5 cups a day, coffee drinkers increased

their risk over non-drinkers.

So, if you drink coffee, don’t worry. Just keep your intake down

to a moderate level. No more than 2 – 3 cups a day. At that level,

it just may give your health a boost.

Yours in continued good health,

Dr Woliner, M.D.

1 “Caffeine boosts power for elderly muscles,” Society for

Experimental Biology. Jun 28, 2012.

2 Arita, R., et al, “Caffeine increases tear volume depending on

polymorphisms within the adenosine A2a receptor gene and

cytochrome P450 1A2,” Ophthalmology. May 2012; 119(5): 972-978.

3 “Moderate Coffee Consumption Offers Protection Against Heart

Failure,” Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Jun 26, 2012.

4 Freedman, N.D., et al, “Association of Coffee Drinking with

Total and Cause-Specific Mortality,” N Engl J Med. 2012; 366:

1891-1904.