Is Coffee good for us? Tea?

Kaloni,
I too am a coffee/tea-aholic.....this will be interesting to know...

I love coffee. Coffee isn't particularly good for anyone. I usually only drink a cup a day. May get an extra cup in if I meet a friend for coffee.

Tea on the other hand...I believe tea can lower your cholesterol. I also think it's good for breast cancer but I can't remember if that part is right...

I actually increased my coffee consumption during chemo because the caffeine helped me to feel more alert/less fuzzy. I also make sure to drink either coffee or some other caffeinated drink before I teach aerobics or just work out. Here's an interesting article:

http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/80/96454.htm

I'm not sure if you can get to this link without a subscription, but for anyone who wants to review abstracts on many, many papers regarding the consumption of (nearly) anything, go here:

http://search.lef.org/cgi-src-bin/MsmGo....ast%20cancer%20

This is Life Extension's collection (diclaimer: they sell supplements & vitamins). If you can get in, you can download the whole thing and read it at your leisure.

AFA coffee is concerned, one group looked at Swedish women, coffee intake and incidence of bc. Swedes who are reported to have the highest coffee intake of any group, did not show an increase in cases of bc even though they drank a lot of coffee. Coffee has been reported to inhibit DNA repair, and if this is true, may enhance the effectiveness of radiation treatment and anticancer drugs.

Some abstracts discuss I3C, Vitamin D (prevention and treatment of bc), CLA, Vitamin E (hot flashes), curcumin, melatonin, soy, IGF and other issues of interest. If you find an interesting paper, you can always do more searching on PubMed to find any other papers reporting additional, conflicting or supporting results.

I was quite anemic before I even started treatment and my onc suggested I switch from regular tea to green tea, as there's something in the black teas that can inhibit iron absorption. But that's the only negative I've heard about teas.

Anne

I used to love coffee, especially Tim Horton coffee (Canadian eh?) I hated the smell and taste of coffee during chemo and to this day (almost 2 yrs later ) I still can't stomach it.
I love tea, English breakfast tea, Chai or Rooibos tea anything but green tea, I tried to like it but I just can't seem to develop a taste for it.
I do like a Starbucks no fat caramel macciato (sp?)

Tina

Hey Tina!

Rooibos tea hey? It is extremely good for you. Rich in anti-oxidents, and caffeine-free as well.

My onc told me that before radiation starts, I must stop drinking anything containing caffeine, as it has a negative influence on blood circulation? She also said I must drink a glass of red wine every night, because that will help with the circulation. (OK, so since I've been dx'ed I've been drinking closer to a bottle every evening. And I don't feel even a little ashamed about it!)

Janine

Interesting article. I'm pretty concerned about memory and all because my Mom died of Alzheimer's. She wasn't much of a coffee drinker and preferred tea, but I do love coffee and this article motivates me to keep up my intake!

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/joybauernutrition/10866/salmon-and-coffeefor-ultimate-brain-power