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Science

1st Cup Of Coffee: Hardening Your Arteries 304

mikewhittaker writes "A recent article on The Times refer to a report which indicates that the intake of caffeine from a single coffee can have adverse effects on your arteries and heart." Actually, it goes so far to say that the first cup of coffee is the worst. Of course, basically, anything you do is bad for at some level, so I guess it's choosing your poisons.
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1st Cup Of Coffee: Hardening Your Arteries

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  • by fetta ( 141344 ) on Wednesday September 05, 2001 @07:51PM (#2257883)

    It's easy to test out the health effects of caffeine - just give it up for a month.

    Every 6 months or so, I quit caffeine cold turkey - no soda, no coffee, etc. The first 3-4 days are miserable - headaches, fatigue, etc. After that I start feeling much better, sleeping better, having more energy, etc. It's pretty clear that I feel better and healthier without that morning copy of coffee.

    Of course, then some deadline pops up and I'm back to drinking 2 cups of coffee and a six pack of diet coke per day. What drives me nuts is that I know better - I've been through this cycle at least 5 times. Thanks God I never started smoking! If I have this much trouble giving up caffeine, I can't imagine what nicotine would do to me.

  • Shame (Score:5, Insightful)

    by mwillems ( 266506 ) on Wednesday September 05, 2001 @07:51PM (#2257886) Homepage
    It is rather a shame that society (North American society) is so obsessed now with risk aversion!

    Everything we do has good and bad affects. Coffee makes you feel good but shortens life. Good choice for each to make. Wine lessens cardiovascular degeneration but increases the chance of liver ailments. Flying gets you tere quickly but you can fall. Peanuts are wholesome food but can kill one in a million. In the USA, only the negative part of each of these equations is being seen. Playgrounds have no swigs here anymore becuase they too can be dangerous.

    Well, I for one will not worry. I make my own choices. I take calculated risks. I am aware that it all ends in tears anyway: no-one lives over 110 years and anyway, by 80, half of us have Alzheimers. Best enjoy the three score years and ten I'd say.

    Would talk more but must be off for a coffee.

  • by cr@ckwhore ( 165454 ) on Wednesday September 05, 2001 @09:01PM (#2258086) Homepage
    Ok... here's the deal with coffee. Being a programmer, I drink a lot of coffee. I'm not bringing this topic up because I'm strange... this is serious. Usually after my first major caffeine hit in the morning, I get the "coffee shits". Strange thing about the coffee shits is that it only happens once! Once the event has occurred, I'm safe to drink as much coffee as I want without further problems. Its almost as if the colon has crossed some kind of hidden barrier into a state of caffeine dependence.

    Ever wonder why drinking cofee usually results in a major colon explosion?

    I've consulted a number of medical information sources trying to find the exact biological cause of "the coffee shits"... mostly because I'd like to know what kind of pressures are put on my body from caffeine intake.

    Never once did I ever think that perhaps my arteries were at stake too! In fact, I always thought coffee was good for my body in a way... being all natural and everything.

    Aside from the arteries problem, anybody have any biological insight into the coffee shits?

  • by de Selby ( 167520 ) on Wednesday September 05, 2001 @09:17PM (#2258120)
    >Or.... Scinece coverage is so brainless it leads to an anti-intellectual attitude.

    Exactly. Real science has margins of error, some meekness, and a little recognized uncertainty.

    But, science reporting in the major news channels strips this away and just reports "Scientists just discovered how it is!" It sounds too sure, and it is.

    When the results are improved it's "Scientists just discovered a better just how it is!"

    When the results of some study are reversed, or a different scientist finds differing results or even something that might look contradictory, it's "Scientists were wrong about how it is. Now really sure this time."
  • by LinuxWhore ( 90833 ) on Wednesday September 05, 2001 @10:36PM (#2258318) Homepage Journal
    I guess it would make sense then that the US Government should sue Coffee farmers now too. After all, cigarettes are bad for you and we can sue "Big Tobacco" right? Maybe we should be suing Big Coffee now too. I can see it now. Starbucks sued because they sell coffee to young adults and intentionally increase the addictive caffeine per cup (Espresso).

    I personally gave up coffee months ago. I knew there we health side effects. It's been known for years. I gave up smoking over a year ago for similar reasons. It really is a matter of chosing your poisons. People don't need to be protected from themselves. I just hate when Big Government (Socialist Liberals) tries to profit from the personal choices of some idiots in the populus.

    Just trying to get people thinking about this so we don't have another Tobacco lawsuit on our hands.
  • by steveha ( 103154 ) on Thursday September 06, 2001 @12:08AM (#2258534) Homepage
    This is no big deal, unless you have high blood pressure, because the effect is very temporary. The article said "one cup hardened the blood vessels for at least two hours". It's not like you are going to need bypass surgery or something.

    If you have average blood pressure, or (as I do) slightly low blood pressure, then have some coffee to celebrate the news!

"What man has done, man can aspire to do." -- Jerry Pournelle, about space flight

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