DrW wrote:Finn the human wrote:Interesting that it didn't matter if the coffee was caffeinated or not.
Interesting, but not too surprising when one considers the abundance of antioxidants, alkaloids, and other potentially beneficial phytochemicals, including essential oils, found in roasted coffee beans.
On the subject of hot drinks that are the gateway to hell according to the LDS Church, many of the same natural products that make coffee a healthful hot drink are also found in tea - black or green.
A comment made elsewhere on the board (by MG If I recall correctly) indicated that green tea (but not black tea), was semi-acceptable for consumption by Mormons (if not by the letter of the law, at least culturally).
It is therefore of interest that green tea has not been shown to have the same level of health benefit as conventional black tea. Regular consumption of
black tea has been associated with a slightly reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, but does not appear to be as protective against cardivascular disease as coffee.
However, protective effects of black tea consumption against pretty much all types of cancer have been reported in the
peer reviewed scientific literature . (Also see references cited
here).
There is good reason that a wide variety of coffee and/or tea products are consumed, in some form or other, by virtually all cultures on the planet. It is because, overall, coffee and tea are healthful natural products that confer an evolutionary advantage on the populations that consume them.
