Tag Archive for: tea

Coffee to Go

/in /by

The health benefits of tea are substantial, and in some ways, coffee is even better. They both have substantial amounts of  phytonutrients, but this isn’t about the benefits to your heart, your liver, or your brain. This is about the comparative benefits to your digestive system of coffee and tea. While the fiber approach wasn’t really significant, one of the nutrients in both drinks was.

While I’ve never given it much thought, some people feel the urge to defecate shortly after drinking a cup of coffee, and to a lesser extent, tea as well. With all those phytonutrients, researchers selected a nutrient common to both to test: caffeine. That appeared to be the only study done to directly test the impact of caffeine on bowel movements.

The subjects were required to insert an anorectal manometer into their rectum to test the pressure of the anal sphincter muscles. (Let’s pause here to say a thank you to all the people who volunteer as subjects in these health studies.) There was no response to drinking plain water, but after caffeine ingestion there was a significant increase in pressure at 10 minutes and even greater pressure at 15 minutes. In short, the increase in pressure indicated the ability to “go” once the muscles relaxed.

The only issue I see is the amount of caffeine: the researchers tested at 3.5 mg/kg body weight. For a 180-pound person, that would be almost 300 mg caffeine in one dose, or almost four cups of coffee at one sitting. It would have been nice to see the lowest dose that worked, because not many people would tolerate that much caffeine in one dose. Then there is the issue of genetics, comparing fast metabolizers versus slow caffeine metabolizers.

The Bottom Line

That’s the scoop on poop from a coffee versus tea perspective. You probably never thought about it, but that morning cup of Joe just might help you go. Enjoy the Super Bowl—or not. But if you only watch it for the half-time show, you might want to consider your timing on what you drink, when you drink it, and how much caffeine you get.

Remember, the Aging with a Vengeance: Managing Pain webinar is in two weeks on February 25. Information will be coming soon.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Dis Colon Rectum. 2008 Jun;51(6):928-31.

Fiber, Coffee, and Tea

/in /by

Paula’s recovery from her knee replacement is going well. While she’s been rehabbing, she does a lot of reading and recently passed on an article that compared the health benefits of coffee vs. tea. One of the comparisons was about fiber: did either have any? The article suggested that there was 1 to 1.5 grams of fiber per cup of coffee. If true, that would help fiber-lacking Americans reach their RDA of 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day.

I checked it out. In a single study, researchers found that there was about 0.5 g fiber in 3.3 ounces of brewed coffee or just over a gram per 8-ounce cup. If you drink coffee like I do, that could add up. But what about tea? Nothing really, whether brewed black or green tea. Matcha (green tea) does have fiber, but it’s not clear whether it’s just in the residue after brewing or in the liquid itself.

What coffee and tea both have are phytonutrients and plenty of them. While fiber might not be readily available, could there be something else that could help with digestion and especially, elimination? Yes, and I’ll tell you about it on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Mar 7;55(5):1999-2003.

Getting Acquainted with Flavonoids

/in /by

Every vegetable, fruit, and spice we consume in the foods we eat and many substances that we drink contain phytonutrients. Just to make the subject even more complicated, there are different categories of phytonutrients including flavonoids, which are the most prevalent in our diet. Flavonoid intake is linked to reduction of diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Here’s an example: turmeric is a spice and one of many plants that contain beneficial phytonutrients. Many of us use a turmeric supplement because it may help reduce pain and inflammation. Turmeric contains three major phytonutrients known as curcuminoids; curcumin is the most familiar.

Researchers wanted to check the flavonoid intake from subjects over nine years old who had completed two 24-hour recalls in two of three NHANES study cycles during 2011–16. Of all the dietary intake techniques in use, the 24-hour recall is the second most accurate available (food diaries are first). They used the dietary data to estimate the flavonoid intake of all subjects. The food or drink consumed with the most flavonoids: tea, although they found that nine year olds don’t drink much of it. But that’s not all they discovered, and I’ll cover that in Thursday’s Memo.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. J Nutr 2020;150:2147–2155.
2. https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/Flav/Flav_R03-1.pdf