COFFEE FOR BRAIN 3

Drinking Coffee Could Prevent Brain Cancer Your morning cup of coffee may do more than wake you up; it could lower your risk for brain cancer. Researchers at brown university followed more than 400,000 people for at least eight years, tracking their diet and health outcomes. Those who drank just half a cup of coffee or more a day had a 34 percent decreased risk of a brain tumor called a glioma compared to non-coffee drinkers. This protective effect is slightly stronger among men and applies only to gliomas. http://www2.nbc4i.com/lifestyles/2010/nov/29/drinking-coffee-could-prevent-brain-cancer-ar-307340/

Tea and coffee may reduce brain tumor risk: EPIC Study By Nathan Gray Daily intakes of more than 100 ml of tea or coffee may significantly reduce the risk of certain brain tumors, according to new research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study is based on data from over half a million people in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, and finds that people consuming over 100 ml of tea, coffee, or both, per day are at significantly lower risk of glioblastoma tumours (glioma) than those consuming less than 100 ml per day. “In this large cohort study, we observed an inverse association between total coffee and tea consumption and risk of glioma,” wrote the researchers, led by Dr. Dominique S Michaud from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Imperial College, London. Poor prognosis According to the American Brain Tumor Association, glioma's are tumors that start in the supportive tissue brain. The exact causes of gliomas are not known, however the prognosis for people once diagnosed with the type of tumour is usually very poor. A recent US study found total coffee and tea consumption was inversely associated with risk of glioma, whilst experimental studies have shown caffeine can slow the invasive growth of glioblastoma tumours. However very few large scale epidemiologic studies have measured the association between coffee, tea, or caffeinated beverages and glioma risk. The authors noted that the results of these studies “have been inconsistent”. “Given the limited evidence suggesting that coffee and tea intake may reduce the risk of glioma, more studies are needed to address this hypothesis,” stated the researchers. In the new study, the researchers examined the relation between coffee and tea intake and risk of glioma and meningioma. A significant inverse association was observed for glioma risk when consuming more than 100 ml coffee and tea per day, compared consuming less than 100 ml per day. However, the researchers observed no association between coffee, tea, or combined coffee and tea consumption and risk of either type of brain tumor when looking at data based on country-specific intakes. No association was reported for meningioma risk with the same intake values for coffee and tea intake combined, or when a higher cutoff of 200 ml per day was used. Potential mechanisms “Given that we did not observe an association between coffee and tea consumption and meningioma risk, it is possible that the effect of coffee, if causal, is acting late in the process of carcinogenesis by preventing tumor growth,” suggested the researchers. Another potential mechanism that may be implicated in the observed effects, involves the DNA repair protein MGMT. Higher activation of MGMT is believed to have a protective effect against development of several types of cancer, including colon cancer and glioma. Coffee compounds kahweol and cafestol have been reported to increase MGMT activity in rats, whilst certain tea polyphenols are known to reactivate genes in cancer cells – including MGMT. “These findings, if further replicated in other studies, may provide new avenues of research on gliomas,” they added. Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Published online ahead of print, doi: “Coffee and tea intake and risk of brain tumors in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort study” Authors: D.S Michaud, V. Gallo, B. Schlehofer, A. Tjønneland, A. Olsen, K. Overvad, et al. http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Tea-and-coffee-may-reduce-brain-tumor-risk-EPIC-Study

Tea and coffee, the brain cancer shield By Nathan Gray   REGULARILY drinking tea and coffee could shield against a form of brain cancer – specifically glioma – according to a recent study. Drinking just under half a cup of coffee daily can lower the risk of gliomas by as much as 34 per cent, with the protective effect slightly stronger in men. The study, by Brown University (USA), looked at the dietary habits – including the amount of tea and coffee consumed – of more than 400,000 men and women between the ages of 25 and 70. Participants – who were from countries including Spain, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Italy and Greece – were tracked over a period of about 8.5 years. The Danish were the biggest coffee consumers with an average of 3.5 cups per day and Italians the lowest with less than half a cup a day. Tea consumption was found to be highest in Great Britain and lowest in Spain. This study was lead by Dominique S Michaud of Brown University’s department of community health in Providence (USA) and headed by an international team. The results were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. By Nicole Hallett http://ewnlifestyle.com/1470/tea-and-coffee-the-brain-cancer-shield

Number and Math Play Coffee Break In your mind, follow these instructions: Beginning with a full cup of coffee, drink one-sixth of it. Pour into the cup the same amount of milk as you have just drunk of the coffee. Now drink one-third of the mixture. Pour into the cup the same amount of milk as you have just drunk of the mixture. Now drink one-half of the mixture in the cup. Pour into the cup the same amount of milk as you have just drunk of the mixture. Drink the whole cup of liquid. Have you had more milk or more coffee? How much of each have you had? You have had the same amount of milk as you have had coffee. The cup originally held a cup of coffee (one-sixth plus one-third plus one-half), and you have poured in the same amount of milk. STRATEGY: Draw a picture http://school.discoveryeducation.com/brainboosters/numberplay/CoffeeBreak.html