If coffee is good for you

[MattB]

is tea good for you as well. I mean I know tea has antioxidants etc. and it's the caffeine in the coffee but I much prefer tea. Same benefits?

[DIM]

Matt IMHO only the tea is good for MS not the coffee.
Coffee reduces absorption of many vitamins, reduces uric acid levels and does so many bad thinks!
Prefer the tea and especially rooibos tea that has all the antioxidants without caffeine.

[NHE]

Hi Matt,
I happen to like green tea over black tea. Green tea contains the antioxidant epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory activity through the inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB). NF-kB is a transcription factor which is activated in the cytoplasm, enters into the nucleus, and then binds to DNA inducing the transcription of proinflammatory cytokines.

Here's some background information. Green tea comes from the same plant as black tea. However, leaves picked for the two teas are processed differently. In effect, leaves for the production of black tea are allowed to ferment while leaves picked for green tea are steamed and then allowed to dry. The fermentation process in black tea consumes much of the antioxidants present in the leaves converting stronger antioxidants into weaker forms and it also reduces the overall quantity of antioxidants present. The application of heat via the steaming process in the production of green tea neutralizes the enzymes present in the leaves which are responsible for fermentation. As a result, green tea has a higher level of antioxidant activity.

One drawback is that the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, concentrates fluoride which can cause bone problems in high doses. You may be interested in reviewing the following thread for more information on this problem.
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopict-4915.html In general, I think that 4-5 cups per day of a high quality green tea should not be a problem. The people discussed in the Mayo Clinic research article were consuming considerably higher quantities.

A good introductory book on green tea which is well referenced is Green Tea by Nadine Taylor. There is also a plethora of published papers available through PubMed.

One last note is that green tea contains less caffeine than black tea and has about 30% of the caffeine present in drip coffee. In addition, the presence of the amino acid theanine in green tea provides for a calming effect further reducing the likelihood of getting caffeine jitters from a modest consumption of green tea.

A search of the forums should produce several posts discussing the benefits of green tea and EGCG.

NHE

[Wonderfulworld]

Coffee, good for you???? Says who?
I am curious, it would be great if my pint of stewed coffee turned out to be good for my MS

A warning about green tea - it has the potential to greatly increase bladder problems like urgency and frequency. It acts as an irritant to the bladder.
I used to love it but had to give it up for this reason.

But back to the coffee, pleeeeeeaaase tell me if my coffee is good for ms?

[cheerleader]

Coffee, good for you???? Says who?
I am curious, it would be great if my pint of stewed coffee turned out to be good for my MS

Oh, WW! You crack me up! My husband, a coffee LOVER, was so happy to read this report when it came out last spring, he did a little dance in the kitchen.
"Mice given caffeine equivalent to a human drinking six to eight cups of coffee a day were protected from developing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model for the human disease Multiple Sclerosis (MS), according to researchers at Cornell University."
"Caffeine is a well-known adenosine receptor blocker, and the researchers believe results show the importance of this molecule in permitting the infiltration of immune cells into the central nervous system of patients with MS.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that occurs when the body's immune system attacks and damages nerves in the brain and spinal cord. The infiltration of immune cells into brain and other CNS tissue is rarely seen in healthy individuals without MS. What allows the immune cells to infiltrate the CNS tissue of patients with MS is unknown. In earlier work, Dr. Margaret S. Bynoe became convinced that the molecule adenosine is responsible for this infiltration."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 162405.htm

Now, bear in mind, this is MICE, and it's assuming that adenosine is responsible for CNS infiltration of immune cells...which is all up for debate.
But pour me a cup of that wonderful brew....
AC

[Wonderfulworld]

Ooooo! Nice one, AC, very interesting, I can now approach the stewed coffee I have every morning with a clear conscience!

Makes me feel more awake, I love the taste, and I'm doing something (possibly) to alleviate my MS. What lovely news!

[rainer]

Matt IMHO only the tea is good for MS not the coffee.
Coffee reduces absorption of many vitamins, reduces uric acid levels and does so many bad thinks!
Prefer the tea and especially rooibos tea that has all the antioxidants without caffeine.

From what I've read, this is true. However, the diuretic properties of coffee is where you may be doing yourself more harm then good. The caffeine is what is good for you (if you are a mouse... with EAE...).

[MattB]

I've not been a fan of iced green tea but I've never brewing my own cup of green tea. I've heard that too much green tea can lead to kidney stones as well, is there any truth in this?

[DIM]

Rooibos African tee is by far better than green tee contains no caffeine and has a perfect natural taste!

[RedSonja]

I don't know if it's good for me but it's the only thing keeping me awake right now (30 min after lunch).

[catfreak]

I love my coffee. Fresh roasted, fresh ground and fresh brewed. I am a coffeeholic.

CF