Tag Archive for Health

| August 21, 2021
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Five More Reasons to Drink Coffee

Five More Reasons to Drink CoffeeWe love our coffee at the Bach Seat. Despite the nay-sayers, coffee is the go-to way to start the day. And now there is even more evidence that not only is coffee good, but it is also good for you. New research has linked our morning coffee to many health benefits.

Coffee reduces the risk of heart disease

Coffee reduces the risk of heart diseaseA study found that four cups of coffee a day is the best amount of coffee to drink each day. A study published in PLOS Biology argues that four cups of coffee help maintain a healthy heart. Study co-authors Joachim Altschmied, Ph.D., and Judith Haendeler, Ph.D., both at the University of Dusseldorf biologists studied coffee intake. They observed that four cups a day can actually help heart cells function more efficiently. The caffeine in four cups of coffee will “push” a protein called p27 into the mitochondria of heart cells.

Not only does coffee boost heart cell activity. Researchers at Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea found that regular coffee drinkers have less risk of heart disease. The study, led by Dr. Yuni Choi, screened over people and found those who consumed three to five cups of coffee a day. Dr. Choi found they were less likely to see a prevalence of coronary artery calcium or early signs of heart disease. Another study looking at coffee consumption and death from chronic diseases found a link between moderate coffee consumption (3 cups per day) and a 21% lower risk of cardiovascular disease deaths compared with non-drinkers.

Coffee reduces the risk of colorectal cancer

A study at the University of Southern California, coffee can reduce the odds of developing colorectal cancer by 26%. And that’s just if you’re the casual coffee drinker. For those who drink more than 2.5 servings of coffee a day, the risk of cancer decreases up to 50 percent. Stephen Gruber, MD, Ph.D., MPH, director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is the senior author of the study. He said, “We found that drinking coffee is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer, and the more coffee consumed, the lower the risk.“

This was true even when participants drank decaf, meaning there’s more goodness to coffee than just the caffeine. Dr. Bruner explained, “We were somewhat surprised to see that caffeine did not seem to matter …  caffeine alone is not responsible for coffee’s protective properties.”

Defense against Alzheimer’s disease

Defense against Alzheimer's diseaseThere are several studies that suggest coffee drinkers may have a reduced risk for developing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). In a study published in Neurological Research, researchers reported that coffee consumption is inversely associated with risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Coffee drinkers experienced a 30% reduction in risk for developing AD compared to those who didn’t drink coffee. In the CAIDE (Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Aging, and Dementia) study, drinking 3-5 cups of coffee a day was associated with a significantly decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease later in life compared with low coffee drinkers

A cuppa Joe protects the liver

A cuppa Joe protects the liver

The liver is essential for digesting food and ridding your body of toxic substances. There are many diseases that affect the liver. Diseases like hepatitis, fatty liver disease, or chronic alcoholism, can lead to cirrhosis, or scarring of the liver. 

In one study, the researchers found the mechanism of action of caffeine found in coffee on the lipids (fat) in the liver. Their findings suggest that drinking equivalent amounts of caffeine in four cups of coffee a day may help prevent and protect against fatty liver in humans. These results support other studies that coffee consumption can help reduce the progression of liver damage associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

There are other studies conducted in the United States and Italy found that people who drank four or more cups a day had up to an 80 percent lower risk of cirrhosis, especially the type brought on from alcohol consumption.

Best Source of Antioxidants

Antioxidants are “cleaners” and oxidizes free radicals in the body. They form harmless substances that can then be flushed out of the bloodstream and body, naturally. Coffee has more antioxidants than green and black teas and red wine. For people who eat a standard Western diet, coffee may be one of the healthiest aspects of their diet. That’s because coffee is quite high in antioxidants.

antioxidants in coffee

Studies show that many people get more antioxidants from coffee than from fruits and vegetables combined.  Some of the antioxidants found in Coffee are:

  • Chlorogenic acid – an important antioxidant found almost exclusively in coffee thought to help prevent cardiovascular disease.
  • Trigonelline is an antibacterial compound that not only gives coffee its wonderful aroma but is a factor in preventing tooth decay. 
  • Polyphenols are plant compounds that also neutralize free radicals and may help prevent heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
  • Hydroxycinnamic acids have antioxidant, anti-collagenase, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and ultraviolet (UV) protective effects, that can act as anti-aging and anti-inflammatory agents.

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Coffee has many benefits. Not does coffee make your feel better – it can make you better.  Coffee can prevent diseases, making it more than just your morning ritual.

Stay safe out there!

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| March 24, 2020
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COVID On Your Cell Phone

COVID On Your Cell PhoneAmid the chaos of the COVID-19 lock-down one of your only allies in the social distancing campaign is your cell phone. Right? After all, everybody is attached to their mobile phone. In fact, research has shown that millennials check their phones 150 times a day (PDF). Why do we check our cell phones so much?

Researchers from the University of Illinois found in a recent study that 37% of women and 30% of men walking down the street have a smartphone in their hand. The UofI researchers Laura Schaposnik and James Unwin paper The Phone Walkers: A study of human dependence on inactive mobile devices propose four plausible reasons that pedestrians practice this behavior.

Appeasement – The first proposal is that we need immediate access to our phones now because so much of our social lives exist on the phone. In particular, research suggests that people in romantic relationships expect to be texted back within five minutes. We keep our phones out to appease partners.

anxiety if separated from mobile phonesAnxiety – The researcher’s next hypothesis was that we might be psychologically dependent on these phones to the point that we have anxiety if we’re separated from them. The researchers write. “… the simple manipulation of the object could lead to a corresponding decrease in tension or anxiety ….”

Safety – Personal safety is another distinct possibility. Research has found that technology gives young people confidence when facing the potential dangers of crime in a public place. The UofI team says we “..may hold their phones both for personal reassurance against perceived threats and as a visible warning sign to potential assailants.”

peacock effectThe peacock effect – We might want to impress a possible partner with our fancy phones. The researchers compared the phenomenon to “displays of affluence by wearing designer fashion clothes or jewelry … to enhance or affirm a person’s social standing and to attract a suitable mate.”

We are addicted to our cell phones so what? I have covered the germiness of mobiles on the Bach Seat before. But in the wake of recent events, I checked on current thinking and found that COVID-19 is probably on your mobile. German researchers reported (PDF) in the Journal of Hospital Infection that Coronaviruses can live on inanimate surfaces like metal, glass, or plastic, and remain infectious “from 2 hours up to 9 days.”

Coronaviruses can live on surfaces like metal, glass, or plastic, and remain infectious "from 2 hours up to 9 days."Lead researcher Günter Kampf, M.D., an associated professor at the University of Greifswald, reported that a good strategy for surface disinfection is with a solution that contains 0.1% sodium hypochlorite or 62 to 71% ethanol. Either of these “significantly reduces coronavirus infectivity on surfaces within 1 min exposure time.”

Charles Gerba, Ph.D., professor of microbiology and immunology at The University of Arizona, told Mens Health

…What we found … in office buildings is that you touch a surface with a virus on it and then you place it on your cell phone.” (A door handle, for example.) … You then go home or to another location and you touch your phone again a touch a table moving it to another location—great way to spread viruses around an office.

great way to spread viruses around an officeDr. Kampf warns, “Check with the manufacturer. First, it should be effective against coronavirus … Second, not all disinfectants are compatible with the material of the smartphone surface.”

Professor Gerba recommends an alcohol wipe or a microfiber cloth. “I would do it every time I have been out in public,” he says.

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To safely clean your mobile:

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Health care | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| July 18, 2018
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Coffee Could Save Your Life

A team of German researchers reports that four cups of strong coffee a day might be the recipe for a healthy heart, especially for older adults. The researchers think they have discovered how coffee improves heart health and how much caffeine we should drink each day to see the best benefits. The researchers studied how a jolt of caffeine could improve the way cells inside our blood vessels work — essentially, by making certain proteins inside older adult cells perform more like young and nimble ones.

coffee improves heart healthThe researchers found that caffeine promotes the movement of a protein called p27 into mitochondria in the heart. The study was published in the journal PLOS Biology. Study leader and molecular biologist Joachim Altschmied told Business Insider “When you drink four to five cups of espresso … that seems to improve the function of the powerhouses of our cells, and therefore seems to be protective.”

Scientists have for years noticed that coffee drinkers seem to be less likely to die from all sorts of causes, including heart disease, stroke, or diabetes. Perhaps the best evidence yet for this comes from two massive studies: one of more than 400,000 people in the US by the National Institutes of Health, and another of more than 500,000 Europeans. Both studies found that regular coffee drinkers were less likely to die from any cause than people who don’t regularly drink coffee.

People who drink coffee seem to be less likely to die from heart diseaseCoffee is also associated with a whole host of other health benefits, including a lower risk of liver disease (cirrhosis), a lower risk of developing certain kinds of cancer, lower rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s, and a reduced risk of depression. It’s also great for your heart — people who drink three or four cups a day may be 19% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease.

Mr. Altschmied said that drinking the equivalent of about four shots of espresso a day could help reduce the risk of heart attacks, especially for people who are obese or prediabetic. He told BI that coffee can help some people, “It will not replace other things … Keep on doing your sports, eat healthy, and add coffee to your diet.”

BI says you could try green tea if you don’t drink coffee. Green tea has similar levels of caffeine and could also be an effective way to boost heart health.

It’s important not to overdo it with the new recommendation, as too much coffee can quicken your heartbeat and cause other health problems the article warns. But drinking up to six cups a day should be OK, cardiologists say, and may even reduce arrhythmias in people with irregular heartbeats.

One caveat: What works in a hypercontrolled test environment for mice, may not be the same results as what happens when you drink a cup of joe at home. Mr. Altschmied said, “If I had four cups of espresso and you had four cups of espresso, we cannot guarantee that we reach the same level in the blood.”

He also cautioned that the coffee-drinking advice might not hold for people who have cancer. He explained that caffeine can make blood vessels grow, providing more oxygen to fuel tumors.

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Sounds to me that a couple of cups of coffee are not only good, but they are also good for you. Our ol’ friend Joe will not harm you, and it might help your heart and circulatory system stay work better for a longer time.

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

 

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| March 17, 2018
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Take a Plant to Work

Take a Plant to WorkMany of us spend more time at work than anywhere else. And most of our homes away from home are office cubicles. Cube farms, the 50-year-old static symbol of resistance to change, are good for the business and won’t go away anytime soon. So you should have a plant in your cube.

Take a Plant to WorkDespite being good for business, the cube farm is making us sick, according to Danica-Lea Larcombe with Edith Cowan University. She wrote in The Conversation that office cubes can cause real health issues. She argues that office buildings are worse for our health than our homes. Office cubicles usually consist of partitions made of particle board and vinyl carpet, synthetic flooring, a particle board desk, and plastic or synthetic office chairs, lit mainly by artificial lighting with poor ventilation. All of these factors combine to make us cranky and sick.

Chemical compounds

The author writes that formaldehyde is one of the many chemical compounds given off by synthetic office furnishings. It can irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, and throat and cause allergic contact dermatitis. Irritation of the eyes and upper respiratory tract, as well as headaches, are the most commonly reported symptoms of exposure to formaldehyde toxins.

Dangerous chemicals

Other harmful chemicals in the office mentioned in the article include benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, and even ammonia from cleaning products. High carbon dioxide levels breathed out by a roomful of colleagues can give the room that “stuffy” feeling, mainly if there is no air conditioning.

The author says one excellent way to combat sick days and stress is to fill your office with plants. She recommends plants that will “scrub” the air of pathogens, improve the office’s mix of bacteria, and survive in low light with little care.

Cube farm

 

Indoor plants purify the air, reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including formaldehyde. A NASA clean air study tested common indoor plants’ ability to filter pollutants and found that many effectively remove organic compounds from the air. The article says,  one medium-sized plant per 24 square feet of office space should be used for best results.

microbial cloud

Plant bacterias

Dr. Larcombe says you should also improve the balance of indoor bacteria to survive in the office environment. There are already trillions of bacteria in offices, but only a limited amount come in through open windows and air conditioning from the outdoor environment. Most bacteria, fungi, and viruses come from people; we leave behind a microbial cloud on our skin wherever we go. The office environment creates new habitats for microbial communities that are foreign to human skin and not good for your health.

Beneficial bacteria on indoor plants and their soil are essential to the office, stabilizing its synthetic environment. Plant-associated bacteria could also help avoid disease outbreaks by enhancing microbial biodiversity and balancing the complex network of the ecosystem. A wholesome balance may reduce the incidence of viral illness and the number of sick days among staff. It’s not just the size of the plant that’s important here. Larger pots mean more root mass and soil surface for helpful bacteria and root microbes.

reduce stress

Plants promote public health

The article also claims plants can help beat stress. Over the past 30 years, research has shown that green spaces promote public health and that contact with nature can shift highly stressed people to a more positive emotional state. Research has found that when present, plants reduce mental stresses:

  • Tension/Anxiety – 37% reduction
  • Depression/Dejection – 58% reduction
  • Anger/Hostility – 44% reduction
  • Fatigue – 38% reduction

There are a few basic principles for a good office plant. It must be hardy, easy to maintain, and able to survive without water over weekends (or when the regular plant carer goes on holiday). Plants adapted to low light will do the most good in cubicles and spaces away from windows. Look for species with large leaves (the more leaf surface area, the more efficient it is). Avoiding plants that flower extravagantly is also a good idea, but it may cause allergic reactions. Check with your colleagues before introducing new plants.

Some of the best plants the article recommends for the office are:

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Offices, particularly those with many people, poor ventilation, or low natural light, should consider plants necessary. Plants will improve the atmosphere, mood, and health of the workplace.

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: Health care | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
| July 13, 2017
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Your Brain Craves Coffee

Why Your Brain Craves CoffeeFor a long time, the man has held us down. They used their science and medicine to tell is that a cup or two cups of coffee, or more accurately the caffeine in coffee, was bad. Times they are a-changing we no longer have to justify drinking coffee to anybody. At the Bach Seat, we celebrate coffee. Recent research carried out by many free-thinking independent medical professionals from universities and health care institutes have shown that actually, caffeine has many benefits to our bodies and minds.

Freddie Mercury drinking coffee

The caffeine present in our daily coffee can help us to live longer, have more mental ability, and focus. Coffee can fight depression and even help us to lose weight. What’s not to love about the nation’s favorite drink?

Fed up of justifying your coffee freedom to the man? This infographic from Dripped Coffee gives us 13 reasons why our brains carve coffee.

Dripped Coffee - 13 Reasons Why Your Brain Craves Coffee

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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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