It’s a fact that I had never drunk coffee for about 40 years. What a fool of me.  I was such a victim of the myths that coffee and caffein are harmful for our cardiovascular health. After all, I started drinking coffee in the middle of 2007 after recovery from the second time kidney stone disease I’ve suffered of. You may not believe this fact and think it is somewhat  ridiculous, but it is true. In effort to overcome the second time kidney stone disease, I decided only apply natural way of therapies in which, upon  advice from an naturopath physician, I started undertaking diet according to my blood type. My blood type is B and, surprisingly, he advised me to drink arabica coffee too. According to blood type diet, coffee is not harmful for Type Bs and even  they can get its strong antioxidant properties.

It is like  heaven for me drinking extraordinary arabica:  Java, Mandheling, Kalosi , and Brazil coffee. And the important thing is: I feel so good. I am healthy more than ever. I love to share with you  of the latest good information for the coffee lover. My thankfulness to the scientists undertaken the official research below.

Good News: The Latest Research on Coffee

October 16, 2009 (Stockholm, Sweden) — No significant correlation between any daily level of coffee intake and risk of either death from or hospitalization for heart failure was observed in more than 30 000 men in Sweden prospectively followed for nine years [1].

The finding in a somewhat rarefied population–no women, geographically restricted, and probably with limited ethnic diversity–nonetheless conflicts with an analysis [2] of a similar but smaller group in which the risk of heart-failure hospitalization went up significantly for those drinking >5 cups of coffee per day, compared with lesser amounts, according to the authors of the new report, led by Dr Hanna N Ahmed (University of Wisconsin, Madison).

As the groups notes in the October 2009 American Heart Journal, the older finding made its way into a recent American Heart Association scientific statement [3], which characterizes coffee consumption as a possible minor risk factor for heart failure.

“The original studies . . . tended to show that coffee was associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, and I think that made a big impression on popular culture.”

Actually, few published studies have focused on coffee consumption and clinical heart-failure end points. There have been many looking for an effect on other cardiovascular diseases or diabetes.

“The original studies looking at coffee and cardiovascular events were primarily retrospective,” coauthor Dr Emily B Levitan (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA) told heartwire . “They tended to show that coffee was associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, and I think that made a big impression on popular culture. People thought that coffee was bad for the heart.”

But her group’s study is more in line with newer retrospective and other prospective studies, which “have not really shown a major increase in risk of cardiovascular diseases,” she said. “Telling people to reduce their coffee consumption or give it up to prevent heart failure is really premature. I don’t think the evidence supports coffee as a risk factor for heart failure.”

In the current study, 37 315 members of the Cohort of Swedish Men, which included men aged 45 to 79 in two counties in Sweden, were prospectively followed for nine years. Excluded from the analysis were men with a history of cancer, diabetes, MI, or heart failure at baseline.

About 2.1% of the group experienced heart-failure hospitalization or death over the follow-up. The relative risk (RR) was 0.99 (95% CI 0.82–1.18) among those who reported drinking >5 cups of coffee per day compared with <5 cups per day in multivariate analysis. Nor did lower rates of coffee consumption significantly increase risk. (The investigators didn’t control for hypertension, itself a risk factor for heart failure, to avoid possible underestimates of risk; coffee is known to increase blood pressure.)

Relative Risk (RR) of Death From Any Cause or Heart-Failure Hospitalization by Coffee Intake in Cups/Day

*Adjusted for age, body-mass index, total activity score, smoking, history of high cholesterol, family history of MI before age 60, education level, marital status, aspirin use, and intake of alcohol, tea, dietary fat, and sodium

No significant effect of coffee intake on risk was seen among the almost 5000 other men from the Swedish cohort who had a baseline history of either diabetes or MI.

The findings should be interpreted with a few things in mind regarding coffee in Sweden, according to Levitan. She said that most of the coffee consumed there these days is filtered, as it is in many other countries, but a minority of people, often older and living in rural areas, drink boiled coffee. With that more traditional method of preparation, which is probably rare in North America, coffee has higher levels of fatty acids that could have an effect on risk.

Also, she said, “In Sweden, decaffeinated coffee is almost unheard of.” The current analysis, therefore, can’t address whether there are differences in risk based on caffeine consumption. And the questionnaires used in the study, the group writes, “did not differentiate between caffeinated and uncaffeinated sodas, so we were unable to measure total caffeine intake.”

References:

1. Ahmed HN, Levitan EB, Wolk A, Mittleman MA. Coffee consumption and risk of heart failure in men: An analysis from the Cohort of Swedish Men. Am Heart J 2009; 158:667-672. Abstract
2. Wilhelmsen L, Rosengren A, Eriksson H, Lappas G. Heart failure in the general population of men: Morbidity, risk factors and prognosis. J Intern Med 2001; 249:253–261. Abstract
3. Schocken DD, Benjamin EJ, Fonarow GC, et al. Prevention of heart failure: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Councils on Epidemiology and Prevention, Clinical Cardiology, Cardiovascular Nursing, and High Blood Pressure Research; Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Interdisciplinary Working Group; and Functional Genomics and Translational Biology Interdisciplinary Working Group. Circulation 2008; 117:2544-2565. Abstrac

1. Roughly 70 percent of an adult’s body is made up of water.
2. At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent of an infant’s body weight.
3. A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48 cups) of water per day.
4. Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.
5. Water intoxication is most likely to occur during periods of intense athletic performance.
6. While the daily recommended amount of water is eight cups per day, not all of this water must be consumed in the liquid form. Nearly every food or drink item provides some water to the body.
7. Soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while made up almost entirely of water, also contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling to necessary locations in the body.
8. Pure water (solely hydrogen and oxygen atoms) has a neutral pH of 7, which is neither acidic nor basic.
9. Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it.
10. Somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
11. Much more fresh water is stored under the ground in aquifers than on the earth’s surface.
12. The earth is a closed system, similar to a terrarium, meaning that it rarely loses or gains extra matter. The same water that existed on the earth millions of years ago is still present today.
13. The total amount of water on the earth is about 326 million cubic miles of water.
14. Of all the water on the earth, humans can used only about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.
15. The United States uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water every day.
16. The United States uses nearly 80 percent of its water for irrigation and thermoelectric power.
17. The average person in the United States uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of this water.
18. Approximately 85 percent of U.S. residents receive their water from public water facilities. The remaining 15 percent supply their own water from private wells or other sources.
19. By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.
20. The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not fat.

Why do you need to drink? There are many reasons. Find below most important reasons of drinking water you must know:

1. Water is absolutely essential to the human body’s survival. A person can live for about a month without food, but only about a week without water.
2. Water helps to maintain healthy body weight by increasing metabolism and regulating appetite.
3. Water leads to increased energy levels. The most common cause of daytime fatigue is actually mild dehydration.
4. Drinking adequate amounts of water can decrease the risk of certain types of cancers, including colon cancer, bladder cancer, and breast cancer.
5. For a majority of sufferers, drinking water can significantly reduce joint and/or back pain.
6. Water leads to overall greater health by flushing out wastes and bacteria that can cause disease.
7. Water can prevent and alleviate headache
8. Water naturally moisturizes skin and ensures proper cellular formation underneath layers of skin to give it a healthy, glowing appearance.
9. Water aids in the digestion process and prevents constipation.
10. Water is the primary mode of transportation for all nutrients in the body and is essential for proper circulation.

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Why You Need to Drink Water

Your body is estimated to be about 60% to 70% water. Blood is mostly water, and your muscles, lungs, and brain all contain a lot of water. Your body needs water to regulate body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to travel to all your organs. Water also transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste, and protects your joints and organs.

Signs of Dehydration

You lose water through urination, respiration, and by sweating. If you are very active, you lose more water than if you are sedentary. Diuretics such as caffeine pills and alcohol result in the need to drink more water because they trick your body into thinking you have more water than we need.

Symptoms of mild dehydration include chronic pains in joints and muscles,lower back pain, headaches and constipation. A strong odor to your urine, along with a yellow or amber color indicates that you may not be getting enough water. Note that riboflavin, a B Vitamin, will make your urine bright yellow. Thirst is an obvious sign of dehydration and in fact, you need water long before you feel thirsty.

How Much Water do You Need to Drink?

A good estimate is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, you should drink at least 70 ounces of water per day (in SI unit, weight 70 kg should drink 2.072 liter of water). If you exercise you should drink another eight ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active. If you drink alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When you are traveling on an airplane, it is good to drink eight ounces of water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in an arid climate, you should add another two servings per day. As you can see, your daily need for water can add up to quite a lot.

Twenty percent of your water need will come from the foods you eat. The rest of your water need should come from the beverages you drink. Water is the best choice. Sodas have a lot of sugar in them, so if you drink sodas, you may take in more calories than you need. Herbal teas that aren’t diuretic are fine. Sports drinks contain electrolytes and may be beneficial, just look out for added sugar and calories that you don’t need. Juices are good because they have vitamins and nutrients.

Caffeinated beverages will also add to your daily water need. Even though caffeine is a diuretic, if you regularly consume caffeine, your body will regulate itself to that diuretic effect.

Water and Your Kidney

I  experienced suffering kidney stone disease two times in span of 13 years. One essential cause, among others, of that kidney disorder is lack of drinking water (less than 2 liter  a  day). The natural healing process to overcome the stone is by drinking plenty of water, more than 3 liter a day. The best preventive measure of kidney stone is drinking plenty of water, at least 2 liter (about 8 cups) a day. You have no choice. Kidney stone can lead to more severe kidney disorder like kidney failure, in which you have to undertake dialysis.

Drink Enough Water

It may be difficult to drink enough water on a busy day. Be sure you have water handy at all times by keeping a bottle for water with you when you are working, traveling, or exercising. If you get bored with plain water, add a bit of lemon or lime for a touch of flavor. There are some brands of flavored water available, but watch for extra calories.

_Sources:

_{Spigt MG, Kuijper EC, Schayck CP, Troost J, Knipschild PG, Linssen VM, Knottnerus JA. “Increasing the daily water intake for the prophylactic treatment of headache: a pilot trial.” Eur J Neurol. 2005 Sep;12(9):715-8.}

_{Armstrong LE, Pumerantz AC, Roti MW, Judelson DA, Watson G, Dias JC, Sokmen B, Casa DJ, Maresh CM, Lieberman H, Kellogg M. “Fluid, electrolyte, and renal indices of hydration during 11 days of controlled caffeine consumption.” Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2005 Jun;15(3):252-65.}