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--- diets [2026/05/07 16:42] – [processed foods] gary1
+++ diets [2026/06/03 22:33] (current) – [other foods which appear to be beneficial] gary1
@@ Line 194: / Line 194: @@
     * some ginsenosides appear to have antidepressant and neuroprotective properties which may help those with chronic fatigue
     * polysaccharides in ginseng, such as arabinogalactan, activate macrophage receptors and promote hematopoietic recovery
-  * **black coffee**
+  * **see also health benefits and risks of [[tea_coffee]]**
-    * 2 cups a day (preferably early in the day to avoid caffeine's effects on sleep or GORD) appears to be beneficial, higher intake may have increasing adverse effects
-      * although a stimulant, coffee does not appear to increase long term hypertension (([[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36413800/|2022: Coffee Intake and Risk of Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies ]]))
-      * neverthless, those with severe hypertension should probably limit coffee to 1 cup per day as a Japanese studied suggested higher cardiovascular mortality in this subgroup who drank 2 or more cups a day (([[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36542728/|2023: Coffee and Green Tea Consumption and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Among People With and Without Hypertension]]))
-      * drinking 2 cups a day appears to be beneficial for those with AF or in helping to prevent AF and cardiac failure
-        * this study showed a 37% hazard reduction in AF recurrences (([[https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2841253|2026: Caffeinated Coffee Consumption or Abstinence to Reduce Atrial Fibrillation]]))
-        * appears to reduce risk of cardiac failure in patients with AF
-        * appears to reduce risk of dementia in those with AF and in those without AF(([[https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2844764|2026: Coffee and Tea Intake, Dementia Risk, and Cognitive Function]]))
-        *  those who drank two cups of coffee every day were at a 70% lower risk of developing [[PCOS]] symptoms than those who never drank coffee. Mechanistically, this protective role of coffee has been attributed to its effects on the metabolism of sex hormones like testosterone in the plasma. (([[https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240717/Drinking-coffee-daily-linked-to-decreased-PCOS-risk.aspx]]))
-          * coffee contains high phenol levels that improve insulin sensitivity and alleviate hypersecretion. Reduced expression of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway also decreases insulin sensitivity and improves β-cell function.
-    * coffee's bioactive compounds, particularly caffeine, polyphenols, and diterpenes, exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, gut microbiome-modulating, and epigenetic-regulating effects, thereby slowing the progression of liver damage and reducing the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer, but this beneficial effect apparently requires at least 3 cups per day (([[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006295225006033|2025: Coffee for the liver: a mechanistic approach]]))
-    * coffee intake may reduce risk of [[neo_uterine]]
-    * coffee intake appears to improve [[git_microbiome]](([[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-71264-8|2026: Habitual coffee intake shapes the gut microbiome and modifies host physiology and cognition]]))
-    * avoid drinking coffee hotter than 65°C as this causes thermal injury to the oesophagus and long term drinking of hot beverages may risk [[neo_oesophagus]]
-    * drinking 3-4 cups a day appears to slow cellular aging (slow the reduction in length of telomeres) in individuals with schizophrenia and affective disorders (([[https://mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1/e301700|BMJ 2025: Coffee intake is associated with telomere length in severe mental disorders]]))
-    * adding milk can reduce the absorption of chlorogenic acids and other polyphenols by more than half - the antioxidant activity of coffee may decrease significantly with just a small amount of milk
-    * a mainly milk coffee drink also adds to calorie intake
-    * the gut organism //Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus// appears to be mainly found in coffee drinkers(([[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01858-9|Nature 2025: Coffee consumption is associated with intestinal Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus abundance and prevalence across multiple cohorts]]))
-    * coffee (even decaffeinated) apparently via muscarinic effects also enhances the gastro-colic effect and the urge to defecate, hence a good reason to have it first thing in the morning
-    * caffeine in coffee relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter and increases gastric acid secretion both of which may cause [[gor]] in susceptible persons who may need to ensure they:
-      * have coffee with food, consider darker roasts (contain N-methylpyridinium (NMP) which reduces acid secretion) or cold brews, avoid lying down 2-3 hours after coffee, and perhaps limit to 1 cup per day
-  ***green tea / matcha**
-    * may have benefits due to its caffeine, antioxidants and catechins like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and L-theanine
-      * matcha has greater concentrations of caffeine and L-theanine (50-100% more per cup of brewed tea), more vitamin C, and matcha can contain up to 137 times more antioxidants than low-grade green teas and up to 3 times more antioxidants than high-quality green teas
-      * **matcha contains notably higher [[aluminium]] levels than green or black tea infusions due to consuming the whole leaf powder**, which absorbs soil aluminium during shaded growth. Studies report matcha samples ranging 1,743–2,350 mg/kg, potentially exceeding EFSA's TWI (1 mg/kg body weight/week) with 2–3.6g daily intake (e.g., 1–2 portions), even as a sole source. Green and black teas, steeped as leaves, leach far less (<500 mg/kg or <13 µg/mL or < 3mg per 250mL cup in infusions), keeping exposure low(([[https://www.bf3r.de/cm/349/high-aluminium-levels-in-some-matcha-tea-samples.pdf]]))
-      * black teas have about half the amount of EGCG as oxidation converts catechins to theaflavins and thearubigins
-    * green tea reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure, especially in those with baseline systolic ≥130 mm Hg, and lowers total cholesterol and LDL
-    * 3-5 cups daily appears to lower stroke risk
-    * appears to improve HbA1c in type 2 diabetes with better glucose/insulin levels, and gut microbiome shifts aiding obesity prevention
-    * may reduce risk of a range of cancers, may inhibit a range of infections, reduce diarrhoea, reduce cognitive decline but also may reduce iron absorption, and as with black teas, may contain high levels of aluminium while high levels of EGCG may be hepatotoxic, cytotoxic to pancreas, and at extreme doses may induce goitres (([[https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2855614/|2010: Beneficial effects of green tea: A literature review]]))
-    * a 12-month RCT found 2g daily matcha improved social acuity (facial emotion perception) and trended toward better sleep quality in older adults with mild cognitive decline.(([[https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0309287|2024: Effect of matcha green tea on cognitive functions and sleep quality in older adults with cognitive decline: A randomized controlled study over 12 months]]))
-    * matcha appears to reduce the usual allergen-induced increased expression of c-Fos gene in the ventral spinal trigeminal nucleus caudali with resultant reduction in sneezing (([[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41538-026-00777-9|2026: Matcha alleviates sneezing response in a murine model of allergic rhinitis]]))
   *** cocoa-rich dark chocolate - 70% or higher**
     * dark chocolate, derived from //Theobroma cacao//, is rich in bioactive compounds, including flavanols such as epicatechin, catechin, and procyanidins. It also contains phenolic acids, flavonols, phytosterols, and methylxanthines, including theobromine and caffeine.