Coffee

Consuming a beverage containing cocoa flavanols improves blood vessel function in patients with kidney failure, according to a study appearing in a forthcoming issue of Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). The findings suggest that the plant-derived compounds may benefit the cardiovascular health of patients with poor kidney function. Individuals with failing […]

The National Coffee Association (NCA) in the US recently filed comments with California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), the state regulatory agency that enforces Proposition 65. The NCA comments focused on misapplications of the law that have made coffee the subject of claims which forced the industry into court. Coffee is not alone,

Scientists at Rio de Janeiro University say they believe that coffee could be fortified with minerals and ‘micronutrients’ in order to improve health. Micronutrient deficiency affects about 2 billion individuals worldwide. Iron deficiency is the most prevalent, reaching around 1.6 billion people in the world. In addition to iron deficiency, data in the literature indicates

Researchers at the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany have concluded that acrylamide formed in coffee when it is roasted is not a risk to human health. As highlighted in the September 2014 issue of C&CI (see pages 28-29), the European Food Safety Agency recently stated that acrylamide potentially increases the risk of cancer – an

The National Coffee Association (NCA) in the US says there is a growing focus by regulators on caffeine, which recently led it to file comments about caffeine with the Food and Drug Administration, part of the US Department of Health and Human Service (HHS). The NCA says that, as part of this growing focus on

The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has confirmed previous evaluations that, based on animal studies, acrylamide in food potentially increases the risk of developing cancer for consumers in all age groups. Acrylamide is produced by the same chemical reaction that ‘browns’ food. Coffee, fried potato products, biscuits, crackers and crisp breads, soft bread and certain

The National Coffee Association (NCA) in the US has engaged Political Solutions LLC, a Sacramento-based public affairs firm, to help fight the effects on the coffee industry of California’s Proposition 65. The NCA said the appointment of the firm would “add local presence and expertise” and provide the NCA with new tools to deploy as

Researchers at Imperial College in London say they believe that a woman’s risk of womb cancer can be reduced by exercise, diet and, possibly, by drinking coffee. They say that almost half of cases of womb cancer in the UK, about 3,700 a year, could be prevented through keeping slim and active. The researchers said

Regular consumption of coffee is associated with a reduced risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), an auto-immune liver disease, Mayo Clinic research shows. The findings were presented at the Digestive Disease Week 2013 conference in Orlando, Florida earlier this month. PSC is an inflammatory disease of the bile ducts that results in inflammation and subsequent

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recently published its annual update report on acrylamide levels in food in 25 European countries. Acrylamide is a chemical contaminant produced during food processing that has been associated with cancer. Among many other products, it is found in roast coffee. The report covers the monitoring period 2007-2010 and does

The National Coffee Association (NCA) in the US says workers at a coffee plant in Texas have sued flavouring manufacturers for exposure to diacetyl in the workplace. Diacetyl is a chemical compound commonly used in food flavourings to impart taste. Earlier law suits have focused on manufacturers of microwave popcorn; this case, described by the

A new meta-analysis has found that moderate coffee intake may help protect against ischemic stroke. Presenting the results at the 2012 European Society of Hypertension (ESH) meeting, Dr Lanfranco D’Elia from Federico II University of Naples, Italy told heartwire: “The first message is that coffee intake is not associated with a higher risk of stroke.”