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Coffee contains about 1,000 different antioxidants

I'm always on the look-out for articles that will support my coffee habit. It turns out that recent studies indicate a cup of coffee may do far more than just provide an energy boost. Coffee contains about 1,000 different antioxidants and has four times the antioxidant content when compared to green tea.

Last fall, German researchers identified a powerful antioxidant found exclusively in coffee that has been shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer. Other research shows that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are 60 percent to 80 percent less likely to develop Parkinson's disease.
Results suggest that unique coffee compounds contribute to these beneficial effects. Other caffeinated beverages do not appear to offer the same level of protection. Decaffeinated coffee provides less protection and decaffeinated tea offers none.

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HT: Diabetologica

Update: Yes indeed, coffee is a health food:

DIET: Coffee reported to be top source of healthy antioxidants

Coffee not only helps clear the mind and perk up the energy, it also provides more healthful antioxidants than any other food or beverage in the American diet, according to a study released Sunday.

The findings by Joe A. Vinson, a chemistry professor at the University of Scranton, in Pennsylvania, give a healthy boost to the warming beverage.

"The point is, people are getting the most antioxidants from beverages, as opposed to what you might think," Vinson said in a telephone interview.

Antioxidants, which are thought to help battle cancer and provide other health benefits, are abundant in grains, tomatoes and many other fruits and vegetables.

Vinson said he was researching tea and cocoa and other foods and decided to study coffee, too.

His team analyzed the antioxidant content of more than 100 different food items, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices, oils and common beverages. They then used Agriculture Department data on typical food consumption patterns to calculate how much antioxidant each food contributes to a person's diet.

They concluded that the average adult consumes 1,299 milligrams of antioxidants daily from coffee. The closest competitor was tea at 294 milligrams. Rounding out the top five sources were bananas, 76 milligrams; dry beans, 72 milligrams; and corn, 48 milligrams. According to the Agriculture Department, the typical adult American drinks 1.64 cups of coffee daily.

Posted by tim at April 20, 2005 1:46 PM

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