Caffeine, even small doses, may cause temporary stiffening of arteries

[Guest guest]

Caffeine, even small doses, may cause temporary stiffening of

arteries

---

-----------

By Alison McCook

(Reuters Health)

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Small doses of caffeine--even as little

as that in one cup of coffee--can cause temporary stiffening of the

blood vessel walls, according to two small studies released here

this week at the American Society of Hypertension's annual meeting.

 

Researchers led by Dr. Charalambos Vlachopoulos of Athens Medical

School in Greece looked at the effect of caffeine in people with

mild hypertension, or high blood pressure, and in individuals with

normal blood pressure.

 

The researchers found that people with mild hypertension who took a

pill that contained 250 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, equivalent to

the amount contained in 2 to 3 cups of coffee, experienced a

temporary increase in blood pressure and in the stiffness of the

aorta, the main artery leaving the heart.

 

In the other study, a small group of people with normal blood

pressure who were given a pill containing as much caffeine as one

cup of coffee also experienced a temporary increase in the

stiffening of arterial walls.

 

Vlachopoulos and his team measured arterial stiffness by looking at

pulse velocity in the aorta.

 

Arteries need to be supple enough to expand when muscles--including

the heart--demand more oxygen, and a loss of elasticity spells

trouble for the body. Arterial stiffening places an extra load on

the heart, and is a primary cause of hypertension.

 

In the general population, hypertension is a major risk factor for

serious conditions such as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.

Blood pressure is considered high when systolic pressure--the first

number in a blood pressure reading--is above 140 mm Hg, and

diastolic pressure--the second number in the reading--goes over 90

mm Hg.

 

In the first study, Vlachopoulos and his team gave 10 mildly

hypertensive people a high-dose caffeine pill and placebo. Caffeine

increased systolic pressure by 11.4 mm Hg relative to placebo.

 

In the other study, the caffeine equivalent of one cup of coffee

also increased arterial stiffness in 10 non-hypertensive patients,

and raised their systolic blood pressure by 3 mm Hg and their

diastolic reading by 6.5 mm Hg.

 

Pulse velocity eventually returned to its normal levels,

Vlachopoulos noted, but remained higher than average even three

hours after patients took the caffeine pills.

 

Vlachopoulos explained that the increased arterial stiffness that

comes with caffeine might worsen hypertension in people who already

have high blood pressure, and may also increase the risk that these

individuals have of suffering a serious cardiovascular event such as

heart attack or stroke. The increased stiffness also reduces the

amount of oxygen that is supplied to the heart, he noted.

 

Both studies used only a small number of patients, the Greek

researcher noted, and further research is needed before doctors can

make specific recommendations about who should avoid caffeine and

who should simply reduce the amount they consume.

 

In the meantime, however, Vlachopoulos said that certain patients,

such as those whose arteries are already stiff, may wish to start

reducing caffeine consumption now.

 

2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

 

Reprinted from:

reutershealth.com/archive/2002/05/17/eline/links/20020517elin006.html

_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets

[Guest guest]

Hi JoAnn

This article was very revealing to me. I drank tons of coffeel when I was in my

20s and early 30s, and was never able to give up the habit of coffee drinking

entirely. I stopped for about 5 years during my late 30s, but started again in

my 40s, and this persisted even after I was diagnosed with heart disease in my

50s. This is clearly another factor in the development of my angina, and I

never had any suspicion it was operating. If we keep our eyes and mind open, we

eventually come to understand the various ways we nearly destroy ourselves.

We're lucky if we survive our mistakes.

jp

 

-

JoAnn Guest

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 3:01 PM

Caffeine, even small doses, may cause

temporary stiffening of arteries

 

 

Caffeine, even small doses, may cause temporary stiffening of

arteries

---

-----------

By Alison McCook

(Reuters Health)

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Small doses of caffeine--even as little

as that in one cup of coffee--can cause temporary stiffening of the

blood vessel walls, according to two small studies released here

this week at the American Society of Hypertension's annual meeting.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

" A great substitute for coffee is Tea; herbal green or Black. " anne.-

 

 

-- In , " JoAnn Guest "

<angelprincessjo wrote:

>

> Caffeine, even small doses, may cause temporary stiffening of

> arteries

> -

--

> -----------

> By Alison McCook

> (Reuters Health)

>

> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Small doses of caffeine--even as

little

> as that in one cup of coffee--can cause temporary stiffening of

the

> blood vessel walls, according to two small studies released here

> this week at the American Society of Hypertension's annual

meeting.

>

[Guest guest]

How is tea a good substitute if it still contains caffeine??

 

Anne <anne_white53 wrote: " A great substitute for coffee is Tea;

herbal green or Black. " anne.-

 

 

-- In , " JoAnn Guest "

<angelprincessjo wrote:

>

> Caffeine, even small doses, may cause temporary stiffening of

> arteries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Tea is certainly a good substitue for coffee if it contains vastly " less "

caffeine.

 

 

-

Dave Hermanson

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 7:33 AM

Re: Re: Caffeine, even small doses, may

cause temporary stiffening of arteries

 

 

How is tea a good substitute if it still contains caffeine??

 

Anne <anne_white53 wrote: " A great substitute for coffee is

Tea; herbal green or Black. " anne.-

 

 

-- In , " JoAnn Guest "

<angelprincessjo wrote:

>

> Caffeine, even small doses, may cause temporary stiffening of

> arteries

[Guest guest]

I re-posted the cafferine article into my blog and someonw wrote

me back the anecdotal story I am putting here:

 

" Caffeine also interferes with mathematical ability. When I was

studying for Project Management Professional certification, the course

included health recommendations, and one was to get completely off

caffeine several weeks before even beginning the course. "

 

Alobar

 

 

On 3/28/06, JoAnn Guest <angelprincessjo wrote:

> Caffeine, even small doses, may cause temporary stiffening of

> arteries

> ---

> -----------

> By Alison McCook

[Guest guest]

, " John Polifronio "

<counterpnt wrote:

>

> Hi JoAnn

> This article was very revealing to me. I drank tons of coffee

when I was in my 20s and early 30s, and was never able to give up

the habit of coffee drinking entirely. I stopped for about 5 years

during my late 30s, but started again in my 40s, and this persisted

even after I was diagnosed with heart disease in my 50s. This is

clearly another factor in the development of my angina, and I never

had any suspicion it was operating. If we keep our eyes and mind

open, we eventually come to understand the various ways we nearly

destroy ourselves. We're lucky if we survive our mistakes.

> jp

 

Hi John!

 

The effects of caffeine are well researched, however you will never

hear about it in your newspaper. You never hear about it anywhere

because the whole nation, if not the whole world, is addicted to

caffeine. Doctors, journalists, scientists, writers, everyone drinks

coffee. Those whose job is to inform us are usually heavy coffee

drinkers and would never rise up to speak against it.

 

We have been told that as long as caffeine was consumed

in " moderate " quantities, it does not pose any threat to health.

We often hear that caffeine is only bad when consumed in excess, but

when taken in small quantities it is not dangerous, and could even

be beneficial, raising " mental alertness. "

 

But since when can a poison be good for you?

" ... of all the thousands of research papers that have been

published on caffeine, none have concluded that caffeine is good for

you. "

The truth is that the " moderate " coffee drinker is a rare gem,

because coffee is so addictive that most consumers

end up drinking quite a bit. And the " average person " is a myth

anyway. The

person described by scientists in their research papers when they

statistically analyze caffeine consumption simply does not exist!!

Not

everyone reacts to a poison the same way, not everyone can detoxify

it at the same rate, and not everyone consumes the same dose.

 

Those who are purified by, for example, a raw vegan diet, will react

more strongly to caffeine than the average person.

 

Children are more affected too, because their organism is purer.

So the same dose of caffeine will have different effect on different

people.

 

So we can see the fallacy of recommending " moderation " - because it

doesn't mean anything.

Moderation only concerns

the healthy factors of life, not those that are damaging to it.

Moderation in them is impossible.

 

Any quantity will be an

" excess "

 

" What I quickly learned was that everyone has been snowed —

researchers, doctors, journalists, and especially the

American public!

 

The deception has been well coordinated by an industry whose goal

is quite simple: to get as much caffeine into our bodies as

possible. The caffeine industry knows caffeine saps our natural

sense of vitality.

" It's a marketing dream, and it's legal.

 

No wonder more and more companies are jumping on the caffeine

bandwagon, churning out products from specialized coffees and teas

to 'herbal' caffeinated energy pills, caffeinelaced fruit

beverages, 'supercharged' soft drinks, caffeinated beer, and even

caffeinated bottled water. "

 

Caffeine is poisonous. Our bodies have absolutely no use for it and

must eventually

detoxify it through the liver and reject it with great effort.

 

The " stimulation " we feel after drinking coffee is nothing more than

the expended effort in eliminating this poison.

 

Caffeine's ultimate mood effect leads to depression and chronic

fatigue and eventually, just as refined sugar, and eventually

" burns out " the adrenals.

 

I'm glad you could use the information John and I pray that you will

find all your answers! Initially, I could not see the light of day

either, however slow the progress there is light at the end of the

tunnel. Much of it is basically trial and error and it is a

struggle!

 

I would like to mention that my sister which is several years my

senior underwent oral chelation therapy several years ago.

Her dietary inconsistencies and seeming lack of motivation to change

over to a healthier lifestyle led to the onset of her

cardiovascular disease. I believe I still have the book around

somewhere. I would be happy to look it up for you if you are

interested in this product.It seemed to be effective although I

believe she underwent the regimen several times to achieve the

desired effects.

I was surprised she refused more conventional therapy. She usually

sticks with mainstream medicine whatever the outcome but obviously

this time the risks were too great.

 

I think with chelation much success is determined also by the

severity and length of the problem. Those who undergo therapy

earlier on have a much higher rate of success than those who have

been afflicted for a longer timespan. (Hering's Law of Cure)

My successes were all achieved through dietary changes. It took

considerably longer to achieve however the results were similar. I

have never had any recurrance of CVD symptoms to this day although

high blood pressure runs in my family.

I hope you are improving. Angina is a tough road to go, I

can only imagine. We are all so very different in our makeup, and

this is why natural health professionals deal with us all

on an individual basis rather than lump us all into specific

categories as orthodox medicine tries to.

It is an uphill battle all the way, however

each bit of progress makes it well worthwhile!

 

Kind Regards,

JoAnn

[Guest guest]

Hi JoAnn

I've gone through 55 IV chelation treatments, and experienced not a single clear

benefit. Before I engaged in these treatments, I was on the verge of submitting

to some sort of surgery, because I was close to a heart attack, and feeling my

worst. Though I experienced not one tangible benefit, at the end of the 55

treatments I didn't feel this vulnerability any longer, which may or may not

have been the result of the chelation, since lke many heart patients, we're

constantly making changes in our lives, attempting to save our lives, making it

impossible to say whether this or that factor had this or that outcome. In the

course of receiving these treatments, I was told by the doctor that prescribed

them, that oral chelation was of very little or no value, which was why it was

imperative that I continue the IV treatments. He said that he thought that

people should have " lots of " chelation treatments. Along the way, driving 60

miles on hazardous freeways, near death, dizzy and fighting

unconciousness, to get the therapy, spending large amounts of money on the

vitamins he said I must have, experiencing many cases of hematomas because of

blood thinners he gave me, etc., and taking note of the fact that I never once

saw this doctor again (nurses did all the work), until the end, when he

requested that I have taped, my feelings about the treatments, I gave him the

rosy answers he wanted, because long before this point I had come to feel used

and maniuplated. This " chelation doctor " is well known and respected by his

patients, though I fail to see why. I went to a lecture he gave, together with

2 other chelation doctors, during which these doctors spoke of what a miraculous

thing chelation was, and during which a man arose at the lecture, and in front

of 30 people, accused this doctor of being a liar and a hustler, and that he had

taken advantage of numerous people in his practice.

 

Prior to this experience, I went to another chelation " doctor " that was

demonstrably such a crook, that I never went near him again. This man actually

had a chelation needle inserted in his arm when he had a consultation with me,

and had a timer set for 15 min. clicking behind him, to insure that he didn't

give me more time than I deserved, though I saw no other patients waiting to see

him. After this experience, I happened to chance on some information that was

published by the State, concerning doctors that had been censured for criminal

complaints made by their patents, and his name appeared on their lists.

 

A third chelation doctor I went to, has left me with no memory of the

experience, except that during the visit with him, he asked that I find and give

him a book I'd red that was favorable to chelation therapy, because he " needied

to have such books around. " I never saw him again, clearly because he didn't

arouse the tiniest confidence in his integrity.

 

This is merely my experience. I'm delighted that your sister had a positive

outcome, but felt that I should be honest about what I've been through.

 

best wishes.

jp

-

JoAnn Guest

Wednesday, March 29, 2006 1:34 PM

Re: Caffeine, even small doses, may

cause temporary stiffening of arteries

 

 

, " John Polifronio "

<counterpnt wrote:

>

> Hi JoAnn

> This article was very revealing to me.

 

 

Hi John!

 

The effects of caffeine are well researched, however you will never

hear about it in your newspaper. You never hear about it anywhere

because the whole nation, if not the whole world, is addicted to

caffeine. Doctors, journalists, scientists, writers, everyone drinks

coffee. Those whose job is to inform us are usually heavy coffee

drinkers and would never rise up to speak against it.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, " John Polifronio "

<counterpnt wrote:

 

" Though I experienced not one tangible benefit, at the end of the 55

treatments I didn't feel this vulnerability any longer,

which may or may not have been the result of the chelation, "

 

Hi John!

 

The preceding paragraph leads me to believe that you may actually

have experienced some benefit, however minimal, even though you may

not have been physically aware of a change in symptoms, i.e. pain

reduction, etc. it may have saved your life.

 

" since lke many heart patients, we're constantly making changes in

our lives, attempting to save our lives, making it impossible to say

whether this or that factor had this or that outcome " .

 

For this reason I would encourage those just getting into

alternatives to start with magnesium, Coq10 and vitamin E (if you

can find one without soybean oil), as obviously these are the best

for arterial function.

 

" In the course of receiving these treatments, I was told by the

doctor that prescribed

them, that oral chelation was of very little or no value, which was

why it was imperative that I continue the IV treatments.

He said that he thought that people should have " lots of " chelation

treatments. "

 

This is not surprising to me. Of course.... why would anyone pay

4,000 for the same treatment if they could get it for $25 to $50 at

their Hfs? Obviously, here again the profit motive is strong and so

much of the infomration we need to make these dicisions is not

readily accessible.

 

Unfortunately we are subject to many of the same pitfalls under

alternative prof. as orthodox prof. If I'd taken everything to heart

everything I'd been advised in the earlier years, I may have lbeen

in a state of utter bankruptcy. It became obvious to me that the

recommendations were seldom most " cost effective " and usually on the

other end of the spectrum. After a period of time I started to sort

it out for myself and maxing out some credit cards helped me to do

that very well!

 

Personally, i think that much of the alternative information on the

web is of poor qualtiy inferior and not very well researched. It was

shocking when I initially came on the health groups and found well

meaning people were advising heart patients to use coconut oil @$60

bottle, when the benefits of extra virgin olive oil in cardiac

problems were so well researched around the globe. There are a few

areas where orthodox MDs are right. I find that so much of the

alternative information on the web sometimes is just " organized "

towards allopathic medicine. And I can understand that, so many have

lost loved ones and been greatly harmed by their dastardly drugs!

However, I prefer to take the best of both and run with it,

referring of course to the research (to the exclusion of any drug

therapy) and use it to my benefit. Allopathic medicine has completed

extensive research on various foods, for example, which I believe we

should utilize to the fullest.

 

It may surprise you to know that some of the most healing benefits

were experienced when I began to make use of fermented soy in my

diet. Alternative medicine is not the authority on every topic. They

are lacking in many respects when it comes to dietary knowledge of

what is best for arterial (heart)health.

 

This is where we need to use our own discretion and common sense

plays a big role in the whole scenario. It is when panic sets in

that we tend to cast aside common sense and go with

the " unresearched " claims of alternatives.

I am still ever learning and coming to the knowledge of the truth. I

will give you one pertinent example. Although I was doing quite well

I thought I would give my arteries an extra " boost " and take

standard process garlic supplemnts which were given to my husband

for christmas. I took them hurriedly without consulting the label

for the particulars other than how many to take permeal etc. Within

the next few days I became very very sick. The only thing I could

recall doing differently was taking this garlic, so I looked on the

label and lo and behold, just one pill was 5,000 mgs. Obviusly my

body could not tolerate these high dosages. perhaps a very large

person could deal with it. This taught me to proceed very very

cautiously when embarking on a new program no matter how small or

inconsequential it may seem. Who would have thought? Garlic.

 

I love fresh raw garlic in all soups, stews and so many of my

recipes. There are several other mistakes I have made over the past

year or so as well, but I shall save them for later reference. I'm

sure you're weary of hearing about my journey into alternative

medicine by now, although I would like to say that it wasn't until I

started changing over to organic foods in earnest that I started to

see any changes in my health. the transition was slow and sometimes

erratic as I learned which brands were the least problematic,

However I can say that when it comes to choosing between organic

foods or supplements, I can honestly testify that foods have

provided me the best benefits overall.

The lightly cooked spinach, organic oatmeal, wild alaskan salmon,

sardines in water and unprocessed beans are still in my diet after

all these years.

After all is said and done, its the lack of nutrients that cause the

plaque formation, as Frank says. The truth is that most americans,

perhaps most of the world is running in " starvation mode " from

overconsumption of " processed foods " . Unbeknownst to so many, these

foods are utterly devoid of important nutrients even if they

are " enriched " !!

 

Blessings,

JoAnn

_________________

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets

[Guest guest]

Moderator's Note: I think the difference comes in the type of tea a person

drinks. Herbal teas like peppermint or chamomile have no caffeine. When it

comes to white, green and black I will let this website break it down..

http://www.choiceorganicteas.com/caffeineintea.htm

 

But as always it comes down to where you draw the line- if you want to be

completely caffeine free- then no green tea. But if you don't mind a little

well then you have other choices.

 

Be Well,

DesertSkyNM

---------

 

 

 

Tea contains 1/3 the amount of caffeine as coffee;choc. has even less.

 

, Dave Hermanson

<moonfish65 wrote:

>

> How is tea a good substitute if it still contains caffeine??

>

> Anne <anne_white53 wrote: " A great substitute for coffee is

Tea; herbal green or Black. " anne.-

[Guest guest]

I copied this from the website you mention:

 

Beverage Caffeine Per 8 oz Cup

White Tea 30-55 mg

Green Tea 35-70 mg

Oolong Tea 50-75 mg

Black Tea 60-90 mg

Coffee 150-200 mg

 

 

So like I say Black Tea has about 1/3 the caffeine of reg. coffee. A.

 

(most Herbal Teas are Caffeien free; some Herbs do have Caffeine;

like Kota Kola.

 

Kota Kola has a higher amount of Caffeine than coffee; thus they had

Gota extract to CoCa Cola; thus the Cola refers to Kota Kola.

 

Kota Kola is a tropical nut tree. Caffeine has it's purpose also. a.--

- In , " Anne "

<annroc2004 wrote:

>

> Moderator's Note: I think the difference comes in the type of tea

a person drinks. Herbal teas like peppermint or chamomile have no

caffeine. When it comes to white, green and black I will let this

website break it down..

> http://www.choiceorganicteas.com/caffeineintea.htm

>

> But as always it comes down to where you draw the line- if you want

to be completely caffeine free- then no green tea. But if you don't

mind a little well then you have other choices.

>

> Be Well,

> DesertSkyNM

> ---------

>

>

>

> Tea contains 1/3 the amount of caffeine as coffee;choc. has even

less.

>

> , Dave Hermanson

> <moonfish65@> wrote:

> >

> > How is tea a good substitute if it still contains caffeine??

> >

> > Anne <anne_white53@> wrote: " A great substitute for coffee is

> Tea; herbal green or Black. " anne.-

>