Health Pulse Meet your new power drinks: coffee and tea Unhealthy, harmless or good for you? Coffee has had just about every verdict slapped on it. But, as the results of newer studies pour in, the brew is looking better than ever. Coffee drinkers are less likely to have Parkinson’s disease, dementia and Type 2 diabetes than non-drinkers. And, if you’re a woman, drinking two or more cups could lower your risk of stroke by 20%. Certain cancers occur less frequently in coffee drinkers, and drinking coffee may help prevent colon cancer from coming back. But wait, weren’t researchers calling coffee a carcinogen just yesterday? As it turns out, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has taken coffee off of its list of suspected carcinogens. If you lean more toward Earl Grey than Rocket Fuel, you’re on equally healthy ground; as a tea drinker, youmay have lower odds of developing skin, breast and prostate cancers. Tea may also preserve your brain function: it seems that a chemical found in tea puts the brakes on the brain plaques that lead to Alzheimer’s disease. Add a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes to the reported benefits of tea, and you really have no downside. Too much of a good thing? Most experts call it safe to drink up to four cups of caffeinated coffee (or the equivalent) per day. If you’re crossing this line, or if you have a sensitivity to caffeine, you may experience such side-effects as nervousness, fast heartbeat or stomach upset. Consider it your body’s way of telling you to slow down. Sources: Web MD, Mayo Clinic Hey Ginger, what can you do for me? Some people enter life with innate advantages, such as beauty and brains. The same can be said for ginger. Not only does it pack a powerful health punch, it tastes good, too. Here are some reasons to fall in love with ginger: ▶▶Digestion: The compounds in ginger help move foods through the digestive tract and relieve digestive irritation. ▶▶Nausea: Ginger can help control motion sickness and nausea during cancer treatment. Bonus for younger women: it’s safe throughout the nausea roller-coaster of pregnancy. ▶▶Pain relief: In a study at the University of Georgia, daily ginger supplementation reduced muscle pain from exercise by 25 per cent. ▶▶Heart health: There’s evidence that ginger lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of blood clotting. If further research bears out these effects, ginger could become a heart-disease staple. To dazzle your taste buds, go for the fresh stuff. Chew it raw, put it in your tea, or throw some into your stir-fry. What’s not to love? Source: Medical News Today Exercise for reluctant movers and shakers We’re supposed to love exercise, right? Truth is, many of us don’t – but we still need to move to stay healthy. To get yourself off of the couch, consider these workout workarounds: ▶▶Make the most of your chores: Playing your favourite music or watching silly YouTube videos while vacuuming or mopping the floors can take simple chores to a new level of energy and fun. ▶▶Take up gardening: A half-hour of digging, bending and clipping counts as exercise. If you don’t have a garden, community gardening will do the trick – and could land you a friend or two in the bargain. ▶▶Join a recreational sports league: From lawn bowling to badminton, you’re bound to find something that you don’t hate. Hop online or check your community centre to find out what’s on offer in your part of town. ▶▶Keep it short: Blazing through just three 20-second sprints – think running or cycling – delivers about the same benefits as a 50-minute jog. If your doctor gives you the green light, go for it; it will be over before you know it. Source: Web MD CSANews | SUMMER 2019 | 39
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