Posted Jan 20, 2009
TAKE TWO — and call me in the morning!”
The line is an age, old doctor’s shtick which normally refers to some sort of remedy, but after a study released Thursday by Finnish and Swedish researchers, it may be healthier to trade in doses of medicine for espresso shots.
The study, conducted in cooperation with the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki, was based on repeated interviews with 1,409 people in Finland over more than two decades.
Project leader Miia Kivipelto said the results of the study indicated that Middle-aged people who drink moderate amounts of coffee significantly reduce their risk of developing not only Alzheimer’s disease, but also delay or avoid the onset of dementia.
Customers at The Lazy Bean coffee shop in Groves frequent the Lincoln Avenue store for cups of hot and cold coffee. Many of the customers knew several of the health benefits derived from ‘cups of joe,’ but were not aware they extended that far.
“I have at least one cup a day,” Denise Fernandez, hair stylist at the nearby Cuttin-Loose hair salon.
“I come here all the time, mainly because Kathy (Butaud) has really good coffee.”
“And I work next door.”
Going into her eighth year of running The Lazy Bean, Kathy Butaud is fully aware of the positives that come with the drink she serves up, mainly that coffee helps stimulate the memory.
“I know that coffee makes you sharp,” Butaud said, as customers trekked in and out of her shop.
“People want to say it’s bad, but yes, in moderation, a couple of cups a day is great for you.”
Thursday’s study comes a day after a British study was released by psychologists at Durham University, showing a link between heavy coffee drinking and hallucinations. But Butaud’s statements echo that of Kivipelto, who says of the British study “Too much is simply too much.”
“People don’t come in here looking to drink that much,” Butaud said.
“A lot of people come in here just because they need that extra “pep” in the morning — some come in because they just like that taste.”
Fernandez, who takes her lattes with sugar-free peppermint and sugar-free white chocolate, will take a hot cup in the mornings while coming back for the occasional frozen coffee in the afternoons. Overall, she’s quite satisfied with the news that the energy she’s putting towards getting that extra “pep” in her day is benefiting her lifestyle later on in life.
“It really is good to hear,” Fernandez said. “I’ll drink more.”
Coffee drinker Celia Romero ventures into The Lazy Bean as often as she can for hot cups of coffee. Though the Groves resident also has moods for hot herbal and green teas, she says she has been aware of both good and bath studies regarding the brewed-bean beverages.
“I guess they say the coffee is addictive because of the caffeine,” Romero said.
“I know that when I’ve tried to come off caffeine I get a headache. I’ve heard that too much caffeine is bad for people with high blood pressure because it makes the heart race faster.”
Romero says she is happy to hear of coffee’s prevention of Alzheimer’s and dementia, because she drinks the drink every day, at home or on the go.
“I’m very glad that more studies have been done on coffee,” Romero said.
“And that they’re finding the health benefits to it. Because, after all, we are a coffee drinking community here in Jefferson County.”
“And I love coming over here to The Lazy Bean to get it.”
mtobias@panews.com
Date: Jan 17, 2009
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