• Mood: awake

Coffee possible aid to asthma?

People with asthma who drink coffee can have up to 25 percent fewer symptoms because one of the compounds in coffee -- theophylline -- acts as a bronchodilator. Other diseases that coffee may help prevent: cirrhosis of the liver, Parkinson's disease, skin cancer, and gallstones. Now, this doesn't mean that you should measure your daily coffee consumption in gallons. But research shows that three or four cups a day (less than two cups for pregnant women) aren't going to do any harm. And they might just do some good. from a Better Homes & Gardens article...

Actually I was Googling the topic, since in this discussion someone in the naturalliving community mentioned that "coffee is a bronchodilator" so that it helps with asthma - in a discussion where we were all debating the relative value of cravings.

Hmm; so - that was new information to me which I find really interesting.

more scientific source of this idea:

1983 Italian National Health Survey, based on 72,284 individuals aged over 15 years randomly selected...the results of this survey provide epidemiologic confirmation of previous clinical observations that caffeine intake has a bronchodilator effect in asthma, and indirectly suggest that long-term moderate coffee consumption may not only reduce symptoms, but also prevent the clinical manifestation of bronchial asthma. -from A Pub Med article... and although the base of the study was quite large, it was still determined to be an indicator, not decisive. Hm; still interesting though.



So wow, that's flexible, eh? Even if there isn't really coffee in that cup. sheesh!