Medical Edge Newspaper Column

Antioxidants and Coffee

August 13, 2007
Readers:
If your morning beverage of choice is coffee, recent research provides an extra perk. Like much-publicized green tea, which has garnered considerable attention due to its high antioxidant content, researchers have found that coffee is quite high in antioxidants. Antioxidants are generally helpful substances, found in foods, which scavenge unstable molecules (free radicals) in your body. Free radicals contribute to oxidative stress, which, over time, can cause inflammation and other unhealthy changes in your cells.

Of course, too much caffeine can cause restlessness, anxiety, irritability, tremors, sleeplessness, headaches, gastrointestinal symptoms and abnormal heart rhythms. In some individuals, caffeine can increase blood pressure. Some people are extra sensitive to even slight amounts of caffeine.

For most people, it appears that a moderate daily intake of coffee -- two to four cups -- doesn't seem to hurt and may even help.