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A Cup Of Coffee A Day, Can Keep Doctors Away

By Super Admin

Coffee is safe. That's what is declared by doctors recently. Espresso, French roast, and other dark-roasted coffee are not harmful for the tummy as was previously believed. Coffee on the contrary can reduce production of acid, according to a study.

This is a good news for people who miss their cup of coffee to prevent themselves from stomach irritation.

The research could actually lead to a new generation of stomach-friendly brews with the rich taste and aroma of regular coffee, said the scientists.

"This discovery is going to help a lot of people who suffer from coffee sensitivity. As coffee-lovers, we're very excited about this research," said Dr. Veronika Somoza.

Firstly the doctors want patients to understand that our stomach needs acids and chemicals in coffee cause the stomach to overproduce acid. Coffee drinkers who take antacids or drink decaffeinated coffee in an effort to reduce this effect is not actually being very stomach friendly.

Somoza said that the processes used to produce a special stomach-friendly coffee also could reduce the amount of healthful substances in the coffee, including some that scientists have linked to benefits such as protection against diabetes and heart disease.
Not only that, this special coffee can affect the robust taste and smell of coffee.

To study the irritants in coffee, the scientists exposed cultures of human stomach cells to a variety of different coffee preparations, including regular, dark-roast, mild, decaffeinated, and stomach-friendly.

The substances that trigger chemical changes include caffeine, catechols, and other ingredients.

"Our data show, for the first time, that caffeine, catechols and N-alkanoly-5-hydroxytryptamides are those coffee components that stimulate molecular mechanisms of stomach acid secretion in human stomach cells. Most of them are indeed removed by steam or solvent treatment of the raw coffee bean. We found out there's no single, key irritant. It is a mixture of compounds that seem to cause the irritant effect of coffee," said Somoza.

The scientists unexpectedly found that one of the coffee components, N-methylpyridium (NMP), seems to block the ability of the stomach cells to produce hydrochloric acid and could provide a way to reduce or avoid stomach irritation.

So, Coffee, is not a bad thing but we should always remember that excess of anything is bad.

Story first published: Thursday, July 21, 2011, 16:45 [IST]
Read more about: coffee