“It isn’t a good idea to guzzle coffee just because it offers some benefits. Stay with four to five cups per day, preferably after meals. Drink moderately, and enjoy each cup,” says Dr. Nguyen.
Research into coffee’s effects has uncovered other benefits in addition to those already discussed.
One of these additional benefits is that coffee can prevent damage to the liver caused by excessive alcohol. In other words, it is believed that coffee is good for the liver.
According to an epidemiology study conducted by researchers at Faculty of Medicine at Kyushyu University, comparisons of gamma-GTP (green tea polyphenols) levels of people who drink more than roughly half a cup of sake plus three to four cups of coffee each day with people who drink sake but absolutely no coffee showed that their gamma-GTP was ten points lower. (A normal gamma-GTP level would be forty and below.)
Researchers at Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University proved that coffee has the ability to prohibit the growth of hepatitis B viral antigens.
Studies conducted by the Obesity Research Group at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine on laboratory animals have also shown that caffeine in coffee increases the activity of a kind of fat cell known as brown fat cells. Fat cells come in two types: white and brown. The ones normally called body fat are white fat cells. Researchers now believe that obesity is not simply caused by an increase of white fat cells, but by the deterioration of brown fat cell activity, as well. This has led to the view that invigorating brown fat cells will increase the likelihood of controlling and treating obesity.
In experiments conducted on women, 81 percent of those who drank coffee showed increased brown fat cell activity.
This does not mean, however, that drinking coffee will immediately make one slimmer. Proper diet and adequate exercise are also necessary. Those women who showed increased brown fat activity, who also dieted and exercised reported a large decrease in weight compared to those who showed no reaction to coffee. In other words, coffee provides wonderful support for those on a diet. Coffee on an empty stomach, however, can upset the stomach, so those people who plan on drinking huge amounts of coffee to lose weight should be forewarned.
To be continued.
(Translated by Roy Mashima)
(The information provided should not be construed as medical advice or instruction. Consult your physician before attempting any new program. Readers who fail to consult appropriate health authorities assume the risk of developing serious medical conditions.)
