Gourmet Coffee Beans

My son did a science project last week and choose coffee effect on blood pressure as the title. The finding were surprising as overall there was no effect. In my case the blood pressure reading actually went down. This makes me believe that coffee is a relaxer while at the same time a drink that heigthens my awareness.

I posted the entire coffee effect on blood pressure science project on the Volcanica Coffee website.

MIT conducted tests on the caffeine effects in coffee and found that only one cup of coffee in the morning and another in the afternoon is required to give a the brain a buzz and maintain a mild caffeine high. Caffeine is relatively high in coffee at 135 mg for an 8 oz. cup

In another study by a different organization they found that it may take 10 to 14 hours to eliminate all traces of caffeine from the body. The stimulating effects may continue as long as caffeine stays in the body. This the reason why it may not have a restful sleep if you have coffee in the evening or very late in the afternoon.

My personal cutoff time for coffee is 3 pm. After that time if I drink coffee, or anything with caffeine, I can expect to either have a tough time falling asleep or wake up during the middle of the night a stare at the ceiling.

The latest finding may be the reason why past studies have conflicting results that coffee may be bad for your heart. The underlying factor is a genetic link in some people that may cause over 2 cups per day to increase their risk of a heart attack. Here is one of several articles that hit the news wires today based on a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Here’s a real caffeine jolt—heart attacks might be a risk for coffee drinkers with a common genetic trait that makes caffeine linger in their bodies, a study suggests.

Research on more than 4,000 people in Costa Rica found that about half had the trait and were considered “slow caffeine metabolizers.” The other half had the opposite trait, which caused their bodies to rapidly break down or metabolize caffeine, and coffee-drinking in this group appeared to reduce heart attack risks.

Among slow-metabolizers, those who drank two or more cups of coffee daily were at least 36 percent more likely to have a nonfatal heart attack than those who drank little or no coffee. Even higher risks were found for younger slow metabolizers—those under 50. They were up to four times more likely to have a heart attack than slow metabolizers in their age group who drank little or no coffee. Read full article.

More great news for coffee drinkers. This one is a surprise. No wonder a coffee shop is not such a bad idea to go for a date.

A new study shows female rats that got their first shot of caffeine before mating were quicker than uncaffeinated females to scurry back to a male rat after sex.

The caffeinated females weren’t just looking for company. “It looks as if they wanted to have sex again,” researcher Fay Guarraci, PhD, tells WebMD.

Might caffeine also rev up women’s sex lives? Maybe, but it’s too early to say, says Guarraci, an assistant professor of psychology at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

The study, titled “Coffee, Tea, and Me,” is due to appear in an upcoming issue of Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior. Read full article.

Next time for her birthday forget the chocolates and go straight for the gourmet coffee.

We love those sweet concoctions that our local Starbucks or coffee house whips up but many of us lose sight that it is a whopping heap of high calories. Add on the fat grams from the cream and we are looking at a double shot of coronary cafe, This short article from the Miami Herald highlights the fact that a caramel frappuccino packs 560 calories which for many of us is one third of our daily calorie intake. Is it any wonder we have trouble shedding the pounds?

Starbucks’ Caramel Frappuccino — a blend of coffee, milk, caramel and ice capped with whipped cream and a swirl of caramel is a tempting treat.

But at 525 calories for a venti, or 24-ounce cup, it’s nearly as decadent as a Big Mac, which weighs in at about 560 calories.

That’s almost a third of most people’s daily allowance of calories; add a couple of colas and you’ve consumed 1,300 calories — without taking a single bite of food.

‘’Most women will maintain their weight on about 1,600 or 1,700 calories a day,'’ said Connie Ruiz, a dietitian and professor of Family and Consumer Sciences at Lamar University.

“If you have a beverage like that, where does it leave you? To me, it’s like a meal.'’

Researchers at Tufts University in Medford, Mass., revealed last year that beverages, whether coffee, soda or cocktails, have become one of the main sources of calories for most Americans. Even fruit juices, with natural sugar content, have come under attack.

And although they might be high in calories and fat, liquids usually don’t make people feel full. Read the full article.