Med Health News

Tag: coffee

  • Could a Chemical in Broccoli Help Treat Diabetes Mellitus?

    Could a Chemical in Broccoli Help Treat Diabetes Mellitus?

    Scientists have isolated a chemical found in broccoli that shows promise in boosting blood glucose control in people suffering from diabetes mellitus.

    What Is Diabetes Mellitus?

    Diabetes mellitus is the medical term for what you may know simply as diabetes. The two common types of diabetes mellitus are type 1 and type 2.

    Diabetes mellitus type 1 is when the pancreas produces insufficient insulin, which your cells need in order to absorb sugar from your blood. If there’s not enough insulin circulating through your bloodstream when you’ve just eaten, your cells will have a hard time taking in the influx of digested carbohydrates. This causes your blood sugar levels to stay elevated, which is toxic to your whole body in the long term. If left untreated, common, but serious, complications that can develop include neuropathy, kidney failure, and necrosis of the lower extremities.

    If the complications are serious enough, the only viable treatment may be complete amputation of the affected lower limbs.

    The most common cause of type 1 diabetes is autoimmune – the immune system attacks the pancreas and destroys its insulin-producing cells. The onset of diabetes mellitus type 1 is most common around the early teens and is least common past the age of 40, which means if you’re 40 and up and haven’t developed type 1 diabetes, you’re most likely in the clear.

    It’s important to note that diabetes mellitus type 1 is not the lifestyle disease commonly associated with diabetes. It’s treated with insulin interventions to help offset the body’s low insulin levels. Thankfully, it’s one of the less common types of diabetes mellitus.




    Diabetes mellitus type 2 is when your cells become resistant to insulin, which means they don’t respond by absorbing more sugar when more insulin is pumped into your bloodstream by your pancreas. This causes your blood sugar levels to stay high after eating, which leads to the same dangerous condition as in type 1 diabetes.

    Type 2 diabetes is the infamous disease that’s most caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. Many aspects of your life can increase your risk for insulin resistance, like not sleeping enough, drinking too many sugary sodas, and being too stressed all the time. But being overweight or obese, not exercising enough, and regularly eating a diet high in carbs are among the top causes of diabetes mellitus type 2.

    Diabetes mellitus type 2 can be prevented and treated naturally by keeping your cells sensitive to insulin and controlling your blood sugar levels. Exercising regularly has been found to lower insulin resistance. Adopting a diet low in carbs has also been found to lower insulin resistance.

    But type 2 diabetes is also prevented and treated with prescription medications that can increase insulin sensitivity and insulin production. Some medications can also directly lower blood sugar levels.

    The Newfound Diabetes Mellitus Breakthrough With Broccoli

    Scientists wanted to find a better treatment option for diabetes mellitus type 2 sufferers because most diabetes medications can have undesirable side effects, like weight gain. They decided to explore diabetes mellitus on a genetic level and mapped out the genes affected when someone becomes diabetic. They focused on 50 key genes and their alterations in diabetics.

    They tried to synthesize these genetic alterations artificially, then experimented with almost 4,000 substances to see if they would restore the genes to their pre-diabetic states.

    They discovered that sulforaphane, which is found in broccoli sprouts, exceptionally helped reverse these genetic alterations caused by diabetes mellitus out of all the compounds they tested.

    They were able to create a broccoli sprout extract containing a concentrated amount of sulforaphane and instructed participants diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type 2 to take it once a day for about three months. Although both the participants and the control group diabetics were both on metformin, which is a prescription medication that helps normalize blood sugar levels, those who took the broccoli sprout extract had lower glucose production, fasting blood glucose levels, and other markers linked with diabetes mellitus.

    The broccoli sprout extract also seemed to bestow protective effects against the development of diabetes mellitus complications, like neuropathy and kidney failure.

    If you’re diabetic, you can experience sulforaphane’s blood sugar-lowering effects for yourself by buying a natural broccoli sprout extract and taking one tablet per day. You should consult your doctor beforehand in case your particular situation may not agree with the supplement.

    Other Natural Ways to Help Prevent and Treat Diabetes Mellitus

    Here are other proven ways to help lower blood sugar and prevent developing diabetes mellitus type 2:

    Take vitamin D or go under the sun. Researchers found that patients who regularly took a vitamin D supplement had lower fasting blood sugar levels. You can get your vitamin D by enjoying the summer sun (with sunscreen), eating sunbathed mushrooms, or taking a vitamin D supplement.

    Drink coffee without sugar. Scientists also found that drinking coffee regularly can protect you from developing diabetes mellitus. The trick is not putting sugar in the coffee.

    Eat plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers found that alpha-linolenic acid, which is an omega-3 fatty acid common in plant sources of food, can lower your risk for developing diabetes mellitus type 2. You can eat walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, winter squash, and even beans to get your daily omega-3 fatty acids. These foods are also high in fiber, which helps you control your blood sugar by slowing the absorption of digested carbs in your gastrointestinal tract. The fiber acts like a narrow corridor that funnels a steady stream of sugar into your bloodstream rather than all the sugar entering your bloodstream all at once. This supplies you with energy for a longer period of time without spiking your blood sugar levels.

    If you’re suffering from diabetes mellitus, taking broccoli sprout extract along with your regular diabetes medications can give you better control of your blood sugar levels and help protect you from diabetes mellitus complications. You should also boost your vitamin D intake and eat more plant-based omega-3 fatty acid-rich foods, which also both help you to treat your diabetes.

  • Can Too Much Caffeine Kill You? Here’s What You Should Know

    Can Too Much Caffeine Kill You? Here’s What You Should Know

    Recent news reports of a teen who overdosed on caffeine and, unfortunately, died. Here’s what you should know.

    Recent events show that it seems even your coffee can be fatal. A high school 16-year old was pronounced dead on April 27, 2017 a few hours after he blacked out in class. The official cause of death was stated as probably a fatal arrhythmia or other cardiac event.

    His classmates informed the medical coroner that the teen drank a McDonald’s cafe latte, a large Mountain Dew, and a 16-ounce energy drink all within two hours. All three drinks are teeming with caffeine. The medical coroner theorized that the sudden burst of caffeine to his system disrupted his heart so much that it ultimately lead to the teen’s death.

    The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that teens and children shouldn’t ingest caffeine at all. The FDA recommends that adults limit their caffeine intake to 400 milligrams daily.

    If You Don’t Overdo It, Caffeine Is Actually Healthy for You

    But drinking caffeinated drinks can actually be very healthy as long as you don’t overdo it. For example, research shows that drinking coffee during key times can enhance your subsequent activities:

    • Drinking coffee before exercising boosts your metabolism and blood flow to your muscles, which helps you work out for longer without feeling exhausted. It also lowers muscle pain afterward.
    • Regularly drinking coffee can help protect your liver from cirrhosis caused by drinking alcohol. It also helps prevent you from developing diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
    • Drinking coffee 24 hours before taking a written test helps you perform better because it boosts your memory.



    These researchers recommend drinking only up to five cups of coffee daily. Drinking more than that can undo these health benefits. Ready-made coffee you buy at restaurants usually come loaded with unhealthy cremes, artificial chemicals, sugar, and other unfavorable ingredients. It’s best to brew your own coffee using pure coffee beans without adding milk or sugar.

    Healthier Naturally Caffeinated Beverages

    If you want to maximize caffeine’s holistic benefits without risking a fatal overdose, you can choose these better beverage options that come with a slew of other health benefits:

    Green or white tea. Green and white teas have higher cancer-fighting polyphenol and catechin content than other teas. They’ve also been found to boost your immunity and cardiovascular health. Their high antioxidant content also helps slow aging and lengthens your life. Of course, they’re both caffeine-rich, which means you also get all the benefits of caffeine when drinking either tea.

    Hot cocoa. Hot cocoa made from dark chocolate or pure cocoa has a high caffeine content. They’re also low-calorie and filled with antioxidants. Its flavanols have been found to boost your cognitive abilities for up to three hours. Eating or drinking cocoa regularly also protects your heart and helps you lose weight. Enjoying hot cocoa regularly means you get all these benefits and more, plus all the benefits that come with caffeine too!

    Caffeine can heal and protect your body, but don’t chug down too many caffeinated drinks within the span of a couple of hours because that can lead to cardiac complications. If you have children, it’s probably impossible to keep them away from caffeinated beverages because most popular sodas are teeming with caffeine. But do keep in mind that experts recommend that children and teens don’t drink caffeine, and that adults have a daily limit of 400 milligrams.

  • 3 Reasons Why Doctors Might Say You Should Drink Four Cups of Coffee Everyday

    3 Reasons Why Doctors Might Say You Should Drink Four Cups of Coffee Everyday

    It’s 5 A.M. and you’re reluctantly getting up to do your morning exercises before you have to prepare breakfast and drop the kids off at school. Believe it or not, having a cup or two of coffee now instead of during breakfast or before heading out to work can improve your workout. In fact, having another two cups of coffee throughout the day, like during lunch, protects you from chronic illnesses like cancer! Sounds crazy? Well, scientists don’t think so.

    Drinking coffee gets you more kick from your workouts.

    Drinking coffee before working out increases your metabolism while you exercise, according to a study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. They found that you’ll burn 15 percent more calories if you drink 4.5 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of your weight. If you weigh 110 pounds, that’s around 224 milligrams of caffeine or 2.5 cups of coffee.

    Research also shows that drinking regular coffee increases your blood flow by 30 percent, which allows your muscles more oxygen during your workout. They also found that drinking two or three cups of coffee an hour prior to a 30-minute high-intensity workout reduces muscle pain. That means drinking coffee also helps you endure longer during strength or endurance workouts.

    If you do endurance training you’re most likely doing intense workouts everyday. Thus, your glycogen stores must be replenished quickly. Muscles store and use glycogen to give you power and endurance during exercise. If your muscles’ glycogen stores are high you can last longer and deliver more power. Fortunately, drinking coffee with your post-workout meal helps with that! Research shows that a diet of caffeine and carbohydrates increases your muscle glycogen by 66 percent four hours after an intense, glycogen-depleting workout.

    Drinking coffee also protects your muscles in the long term. Studies find that regularly consuming coffee offsets natural muscle strength loss due to aging. This isn’t limited to the muscles you actively tone during your workouts – the protective effects were observed in the diaphragm too, protecting your body’s ability to breathe as you get older. Researchers believe from these findings that your coffee habit may preserve your overall fitness and even decrease your risk for age-related injuries too.

    Drinking coffee helps prevent chronic diseases.

    If you party hard on Fridays after work with your friends, remember your cup of Java! Research by the University of Southampton finds that drinking four cups of coffee daily reduces your risk of developing cirrhosis from long-term alcohol consumption by 65 percent.

    These daily four cups of coffee also protect you from other chronic diseases as well. Research by Harvard University finds that drinking one to five cups of regular or decaf coffee everyday helps protect you from cardiovascular disease, stroke, neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and diabetes mellitus due to coffee’s bioactive compounds which protect against blood-brain barrier blockage and reduce systematic inflammation and insulin resistance. However, drinking more than five cups reverses these health benefits.

    Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry finds that drinking at least four cups of coffee everyday reduces your risk for developing multiple sclerosis by 26 to 31 percent. There seem to be compounds in coffee that have neuroprotective effects.

    Drinking four cups of coffee everyday helps prevent cancer too. Another Harvard study found that colon cancer patients in remission who drank four or more cups of coffee had a 42 percent decreased risk of cancer recurrence and a 34 percent decrease in overall mortality (including cancer-caused mortality).

    Ultimately, researchers found that drinking coffee reduces overall mortality by 15 percent.

    Late night studying with coffee to keep you awake is actually good for you.

    Drinking coffee while you study improves your memory. A John Hopkins study found that consuming caffeine enhances your memory for 24 hours. Caffeinated participants scored higher than non-caffeinated participants when shown images and asked to recall them. Remember that next time you’re studying for grad finals or working late finishing paperwork!

    If you chug a lot of coffee to boost your energy don’t be ashamed – it’s actually good for you! Drinking coffee before and after exercising enhances your performance and supports your muscles’ recovery. Coffee is also holistically healthy, helping prevent a wide range of diseases. Coffee also helps you cram for exams! But to be on the safe side, drink only four cups of coffee daily – you don’t want to reverse these health benefits.

    Sources:

    http://news.health.com/2014/06/19/5-reasons-to-drink-coffee-before-your-workout/

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/colorectal-cancer/harvard-researchers-link-coffee-with-reduced-colon-cancer-recurrence

    http://www.newsweek.com/coffee-could-lower-risk-ms-only-if-your-drink-excessive-amounts-stuff-433201

    motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2015/11/science-says-drink-your-coffee

    http://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2016/02/coffee_cirrohsis.php

    http://www.hngn.com/articles/169080/20160113/weight-loss-5-best-new-superfoods-losing-recipes.htm