Close the Calcium Gap with Your Next Cup O'Joe!

The growing popularity of coffeehouses may be helping to close the calcium gap in this country. Two out of three Americans fail to get enough calcium, which remains one of the nutrients most likely to be lacking in our diets - particularly among women, according to according to a study sponsored by the Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), Washington, D.C., funded by the nation's milk processors.

Although some women say they no longer drink milk, they're getting more milk than they realize when they make a stop at their favorite corner coffeehouse. Many of today's most popular coffee drinks supply more than a full serving of milk, which is 1 cup or 8 ounces. For example, a Grande Caffe Latte (16 fl oz) provides 415 milligrams of calcium or 40% of the daily value for calcium. Order a Venti (20 fl oz) and the calcium soars to 50% - supplying half of the 1,000 milligrams of calcium recommended each day.

Women are more likely than men to skimp on milk, according to a new analysis of U.S. beverage patterns called What America Drinks, according to a study conducted by ENVIRON International Corporation.

This nationwide look at our intake of liquids found that women consume, on average, only about 6 ounces of milk a day - far short of the 24 ounces (or 3 servings) of milk that's recommended each day. For women who rarely drink a glass of milk with their meals, nutrition experts say milk-based coffee drinks like lattes can be an easy way to correct calcium shortfalls.

"Skim or nonfat lattes are not only a guilt-free treat that women can feel good about, but they're an eye-opening nutrition ally," says registered dietitian Carolyn O'Neil, author of The Dish on Eating Healthy and Being Fabulous! "Most women are completely surprised to learn what a powerful nutrient punch is in each cup, but it makes sense when you consider that you're getting more milk than espresso when you order a latte."

A 16-ounce skim latte is not only an excellent source of calcium, but provides an array of other nutrients, including 25% daily value of protein and 35% daily value of vitamin D -- which partners with calcium to keep bones strong. Each 16-ounce serving is also a good source of other nutrients that are often lacking in women's diets, such as potassium, magnesium and vitamin A.

While most coffeehouses offer a variety of milk, O'Neil suggests ordering your latte with skim or nonfat milk to shave off calories and to eliminate fat. Many coffeehouses also offer sugar-free syrups that can add flavor without any additional calories. You also can ask the barista to "hold the whip" to control calories.

In the summer, O'Neil recommends cooling off with an iced latte, which she says is an ideal nutrient-packed substitute for soft drinks. An iced Grande Caffe Latte made with skim milk contains only 90 calories and provides 290 milligrams of calcium or 30% of the daily value.

The same size soda contains 200 calories and comes up empty on calcium and other nutrients.

Trading in your soft drink for an iced skim latte may not just boost your calcium - it may actually help you ward off extra pounds. According to the What America Drinks report, women who drank more soft drinks and little milk tended to weigh more than their peers who opted for more milk and fewer soft drinks. Among women, soft drinks provided more calories to the diet than any other single beverage.

The What American Drinks report also found that about 40% of Americans drank coffee, making it the third most commonly consumed beverage in this country. Yet only about 6% of adults said they drank coffee beverages made with milk. O'Neil suggested these coffee drinkers make a simple switch.

"If you'd just swap out your regular cup of joe for a skim latte, then you'll get much closer to getting the calcium you need each day," she advised. "If you have a large skim latte in the morning and perhaps a decaf one in the afternoon, then you may even reach your daily calcium goal."


Courtesy MILK PEP, Washington, D.C., GloriaJeans.com

Coffee Could Hold the Secret to Curing Male Baldness

For all those men who would do anything to stop their hairlines from receding, it might just be time to give hair weaving, toupees and wigs the boot, for a new research has found that coffee could hold the key for making their woe disappear.

The study, carried out by a team of researchers led by Dr Tobias Fischer at the University of Jena in Germany, found that caffeine stimulates the growth tiny follicles, the tiny sacs in the scalp from which hair grows, in men who are starting to lose their hair.

The researchers noted that caffeine helps slow baldness in men by blocking the effects of a chemical known to damage hair follicles.

However, before you reach for that cup of coffee, you have to know that researchers estimate that up to 60 cups a day would be the amount needed for significant amounts to reach follicles in the scalp.

Researchers are nonetheless, optimistic that caffeine can be a "promising candidate for hair growth stimulation".

"Caffeine is a well-known substance, yet little is known about its effect on human hair follicle growth. But this study shows it's a promising candidate for hair growth stimulation," the Daily Mail quoted him, as saying.

Now, German cosmetics firm Alpecin has developed a caffeine-rich solution that can be rubbed on the scalp.

Most baldness is caused when hair follicles become exposed to too much dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, a chemical produced by the male hormone testosterone.

Based on this, experts believe that men with high levels of testosterone are more likely to lose their hair.

As a part of the study, Dr Fischer took scalp biopsies from 14 men in the early stages of hair loss.

He then extracted hair follicles and placed them in test tubes with solutions containing different levels of caffeine. The samples were then monitored for a period of eight days.

The researchers found that caffeine had boosted the length of the hairs by between 33 per cent and 40 per cent.

"Hair follicles that were treated with caffeine showed a highly significant growth rate at 24 hours, and still showed further significant growth at eight days," said Dr Fischer.

Courtesy International Journal of Dermatology

Coffee for Pain Killers?

Back pains? Ouch!

With all the medicines now on the market for aches and pains, a new study says all you need may be a cup of coffee.

Since a lot of people are taking up new exercise programs, more and more are experiencing soreness in muscles they didn't even know they had. And when that happens, people usually resort to stretching, icing and popping some ibuprofen.

But recently,some doctors found out that people who have a cup of coffee every couple of hours before a workout were able to cut their muscle soreness by half.

In fact, for almost everyone, the coffee worked better than the stretching or ibuprofen.

Doctors aren't really sure how the coffee helps but think the caffeine causes pain fibers to be less sensitive, and might help neutralize the chemicals that causes inflammation and muscle soreness.

So, if you're not a big coffee drinker, this might be a help for you. If you already are a person who likes their coffee, you might check it out to see if it helps.