Coffee (Coffea genus)

Last updated: Jan 05, 2009

	Coffee (Coffea genus)

Coffee (Coffea genus) can help with the following:

	Circulation   Hypotension   If tolerated, you may try drinking coffee in the morning. The amount of caffeine normally found in two cups of coffee (200mg) can decrease postural hypotension in young adults and can be safely used by older adults as well. Lab Values Not recommended for:   Elevated Homocysteine Levels   Two weeks of administration of caffeine tablets (870 mg/d) or coffee (0.9 L paper-filtered coffee providing 870 mg/d caffeine) increased plasma homocysteine concentrations in a well-controlled study of 48 adult volunteers. Caffeinated coffee increased homocysteine levels approximately twice as much as caffeine alone. [Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76(6): pp.1244-8] Mental   Poor Memory   In a study of 15 healthy men ages 26 to 47, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed increased activity in the frontal lobe where the working memory is located and in the anterior cingulum that controls attention 20 minutes after the men consumed 100mg of caffeine. Also, after consuming caffeine, all the men showed a tendency toward improved reaction times on the test, compared to when they had no caffeine, said study author Dr.Florian Koppelstatter, a radiology fellow at the university. Caffeine is the world's most widely used stimulant, with a global, per-person average of 76mg a day. Metabolic   Headaches, Migraine/Tension   Researchers at the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, Illinois have found that caffeine may make your headache feel better. Already an ingredient in some over-the-counter headache medications, caffeine may do more than speed the other ingredients through your system to alleviate your headache faster. Caffeine, given by itself, was given to headache sufferers. The result was that 58% said it was completely successful; the same number reported ibuprofen alone was completely successful. Many said that they felt better, faster taking just the caffeine. When standard painkillers were combined with caffeine, 70% of patients reported complete relief. Caffeine does, of course, have a down side. It is a stimulant and some studies have actually found that high caffeine consumption is linked with suffering from more headaches, perpetuation of the headache cycle and a temporary rise in blood pressure. Organ Health   Gallbladder Disease   An intake of 2-3 cups per day of caffeinated coffee was associated with a reduced risk of developing symptomatic gallstone disease in a study of over 80,000 women with no history of gallstone disease at the beginning of a 20 year study. Caffeine from any source exerted this effect. [Gastroenterology 2002;123(6): pp.1823-30] Skin-Hair-Nails Not recommended for:   Pruritus Ani

KEY

		May do some good
		Likely to help
		May have adverse consequences
		Reasonably likely to cause problems