New Research on Coffee, Salt, and Grilled Chicken

Are you wondering if too much coffee, salt, and grilled meat and poultry could be detrimental to your health?  Here’s the latest news from the scientific world—and its good news for a change.

Coffee

Sounds like all those coffee shops encouraging increased coffee drinking aren’t doing us harm (except for the excess sugar in some concoctions).  According to a study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and involving some 48,000 men from 1986-2006, coffee-drinkers have a lower risk of developing prostate cancer than non-drinkers, and coffee-drinkers are also less likely to develop lethal forms of prostate cancer.  Here are the statistics confirming this generalization:

-Coffee-drinkers who consumed 6 or more cups a day had a 20% lower risk of developing any form of prostate cancer.

-Those who drank 6 or more cups daily had a 60% lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer.

-Those who drank 1-3 cups had a 30% lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer.

The results were the same whether the participant drank caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee.

Researchers have speculated that compounds other than caffeine—such as antioxidant polyphenols—are responsible for the beneficial effects of drinking coffee.

And here’s good news about coffee and breast cancer:  Scientists at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute have found that coffee may significantly lower the risk of one type of breast cancer—ER-negative, a non-hormone responsive subtype, which is the most aggressive type.  Furthermore, they found no evidence that coffee-drinkers have an increased risk of breast cancer.  In fact, coffee-drinking was associated with a modest decrease in breast cancer.

But wait. Before you stop at the next Starbucks, keep in mind that people with certain medical conditions are advised to stay away from or limit their intake of coffee.  The latest review of research suggests that coffee-drinking does not lead to a higher risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension).  However, those who already have high blood pressure are advised  by a new study to keep coffee consumption to just a few cups a day.

Salt

According to Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum (medical director of the Fibromyalgia and Fatigue Centers) , most of us consume about 4,000 mg of salt every day.  In 2010, the federal government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended limiting sodium consumption to 2,300 mg.  However, a 1,500 mg. upper limit was recommended for African Americans, people older than 51, and those with hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease.  More recently, the American Heart Association recommended a 1,500 mg limit for everyone.  Now a controversial new Belgian study suggests that this severe limitation is not necessary.

After studying 3,681 participants over 8 years, Dr. Katarzya Stolarz-Skrzpek, M.D., Ph.D of the University of Leuven) and her colleagues said the following: “The assumption that lower salt intake would in the long run lower blood pressure, to our knowledge has not yet been confirmed in longitudinal, population-based studies.  Here are some of the specific conclusions of their research:

-Among participants that did not have high blood pressure at the beginning of the study, there was no association between sodium levels and the risk of developing hypertension.

-The expected correlation between sodium and rising blood pressure was found in only 1,400 of the participants who were not on medication for hypertension. 

-The researchers claim that their findings refute the conventional wisdom, which has said that lives were saved and health care costs reduced by lower salt intake.

The Belgian researchers and Teitelbaum agree that patients with high blood pressure or congestive heart failure should restrict their salt intake.  But they also agree that the bad effects of salt on healthy people has been overestimated. 

Grilled Chicken

Worried about carcinogens when you eat grilled food?  A teen-age researcher has some possible good news for you.  Lauren Hodge entered her project (testing the effects of different marinades on grilled boneless, skinless chicken) in the Global Google Science Fair competition. She was the winner in the 13-14 year-old group. 

The objective of her study was to determine whether specific marinade ingredients would inhibit the formation of carcinogens, particularly Heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and even more specifically the ones called PhlP.  (I couldn’t trust myself to type the incredibly long full name correctly.) Some marinades she tested—brown sugar, salt water, and lemon juice—did probably or certainly inhibit carcinogenic formation.  On the other hand olive oil caused a probable increase. Soy sauce results were inconclusive. Lauren’s study also showed that PHlP levels increase with cooking time, which is probably why it’s often recommended to bake or broil food until partially done and then put it on the grill for a short time, thereby getting the delicious grilled taste with far fewer carcinogens. For more information on Lauren’s study, click here. 

Congratulations to Google for encouraging young people to get involved in science and spotlighting and rewarding good work.   It was also great to see that the winners in all 3 age groups were female, demonstrating “girl power,” as Google said. Nice to know that both genders are now putting their minds to work on advancing science. All the winners were also Americans, encouraging news since American students are often listed as low on math/science test scores compared to students from other countries.

There’s always the possibility that, a year or a decade later, researchers will reach different conclusions about these edibles.  But meanwhile, worry less enjoy your food more.  Have some marinated grilled chicken, coffee, and salted peanuts. 

Related articles on this site:

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/newsworthy-info-about-rhubarb-coffee-and-pork

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/how-much-salt-should-people-consume

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/what-about-salt-substitutes-are-they-safe-and-tasty-salt

http://shelflifeadvice.com/content/how-grill-safely

Source(s):

Tufts University Heath and Nutrition Letter, August 2011.

Nutrition Action HealthLetter, July/August 2011.

google.com “Decreasing Carcinogens”
http://www.google.com/events/sciencefair/projects/decreasing_carcinogens.html

huffingtonpost.com “Salt, Not So Bad for You After All?
www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob...md/salt-health_b_903673.html