Why is Coffee Good For You? Here Are 7 Reasons.....

In recent years and decades, scientists have studied the effects of coffee on various aspects of health and their results have been nothing short of amazing.

Here are 7 reasons why coffee may actually be one of the healthiest beverages on the planet.

1. Coffee Can Make You Smarter 

Coffee doesn’t just keep you awake, it may literally make you smarter as well.The active ingredient in coffee is caffeine, which is a stimulant and the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world.Caffeine’s primary mechanism in the brain is blocking the effects of an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine.By blocking the inhibitory effects of Adenosine, caffeine actually increases neuronal firing in the brain and the release of other neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine Many controlled trials have examined the effects of caffeine on the brain, demonstrating that caffeine can improve mood, reaction time, memory, vigilance and general cognitive function 

Bottom Line: Caffeine potently blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, leading to a net stimulant effect. Controlled trials show that caffeine improves both mood and brain function.

2. Coffee Can Help You Burn Fat and Improves Physical Performance  

There’s a good reason why you will find caffeine in most commercial fat burning supplements.Caffeine, partly due to its stimulant effect on the central nervous system, both raises metabolism and increases the oxidation of fatty acids Caffeine can also improve athletic performance by several mechanisms, including by mobilizing fatty acids from the fat tissues In two separate meta-analyses, caffeine was found to increase exercise performance by 11-12% on average 

Bottom Line: Caffeine raises the metabolic rate and helps to mobilize fatty acids from the fat tissues. It can also enhance physical performance.

3. Coffee May Drastically Lower Your Risk of Type II Diabetes

Type II diabetes is a lifestyle-related disease that has reached epidemic proportions, having increased 10-fold in a few decades and now afflicting about 300 million people.This disease is characterized by high blood glucose levels due to insulin resistance or an inability to produce insulin.In observational studies, coffee has been repeatedly associated with a lower risk of diabetes. The reduction in risk ranges from 23% all the way up to 67% A massive review article looked at 18 studies with a total of 457.922 participants. Each additional cup of coffee per day lowered the risk of diabetes by 7%. The more coffee people drank, the lower their risk 

Bottom Line: Drinking coffee is associated with a drastically reduced risk of type II diabetes. People who drink several cups per day are the least likely to become diabetic.

4. Coffee May Lower Your Risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

Not only can coffee make you smarter in the short term, it may also protect your brain in old age.Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world and a leading cause of dementia.In prospective studies, coffee drinkers have up to a 60% lower risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by death of dopamine-generating neurons in the brain. Coffee may lower the risk of Parkinson’s by 32-60%

Bottom Line: Coffee is associated with a much lower risk of dementia and the neurodegenerative disorders Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

5. Coffee May be Extremely Good For Your Liver 

The liver is a remarkable organ that carries out hundreds of vital functions in the body.It is very vulnerable to modern insults such as excess consumption of alcohol and fructose.Cirrhosis is the end stage of liver damage caused by diseases like alcoholism and hepatitis, where liver tissue has been largely replaced by scar tissue.Multiple studies have shown that coffee can lower the risk of cirrhosis by as much as 80%, the strongest effect for those who drank 4 or more cups per day. 

6. Coffee May Decrease Your Risk of Dying

Many people still seem to think that coffee is unhealthy.This isn’t surprising though, since it is very common for conventional wisdom to be at exact odds with what the actual studies say.In two very large prospective epidemiological studies, drinking coffee was associated with a lower risk of death by all causes .This effect is particularly profound in type II diabetics, one study showing that coffee drinkers had a 30% lower risk of death during a 20 year period .

Bottom Line: Coffee consumption has been associated with a lower risk of death in prospective epidemiological studies, especially in type II diabetics.

7. Coffee is Loaded With Nutrients and Antioxidants

Coffee isn’t just black water.Many of the nutrients in the coffee beans do make it into the final drink, which actually contains a decent amount of vitamins and minerals.A cup of coffee contains §                  6% of the RDA for Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5).
§                  11% of the RDA for Riboflavin (Vitamin B2).
§                  2% of the RDA for Niacin (B3) and Thiamine (B1).
§                  3% of the RDA for Potassium and Manganese.

May not seem like much, but if you drink several cups of coffee per day then this quickly adds up.But this isn’t all. Coffee also contains a massive amount of antioxidants.In fact, coffee is the biggest source of antioxidants in the western diet, outranking both fruits and vegetables combined 

Bottom Line: Coffee contains a decent amount of several vitamins and minerals. It is also the biggest source of antioxidants in the modern diet.

Take Home Message

Even though coffee in moderate amounts is good for you, drinking way too much of it can still be harmful.I’d also like to point out that many of the studies above were epidemiological in nature. Such studies can only show association, they can not prove that coffee caused the effects.To make sure to preserve the health benefits, don’t put sugar or anything nasty in your coffee! If it tends to affect your sleep, then don’t drink it after 2 pm.At the end of the day, it does seem quite clear that coffee is NOT the villain it was made out to be.If anything, coffee may literally be the healthiest beverage on the planet.  

Reference: Authority Nutrition

NOTE : Coffee does cause  staining of your teeth. It is also acidic and added sugar increases the destruction of your enamel layer, and can cause dental decay. Follow these oral home care steps to keep your smile and body healthy and if the staining is a concern check out Laser Whitening, or tray dental whitening to keep your smile bright. 

How often should I floss my teeth ?

  We were asked by a patient today when the best time of day to floss is and how often? Most dentists stress that patients should be flossing their teeth daily.  For people with a high decay rate, it is a good idea to do it more than once a day.

Our dentist recommends that most patients floss at night after brushing their teeth. For those with a high decay rate, it would be beneficial to brush, floss and then brush after every meal.

How to Floss – Daily flossing is the best way to clean between the teeth and under the gumline.  Flossing not only helps clean these spaces, it disrupts plaque colonies from building up, preventing damage to the gums, teeth, and bone.

1. Take 12-16 inches (30-40cm) of dental floss and wrap it around your middle fingers, leaving about 2 inches (5cm) of floss between the hands.
2. Using your thumbs and forefingers to guide the floss, gently insert the floss between teeth using a sawing motion.
3. Curve the floss into a “C” shape around each tooth and under the gumline.  Gently move the floss up and down, cleaning the side of each tooth.

Floss holders are recommended if you have difficulty using conventional floss.

Brought to you by the office of Brian S. Nylaan, D.D.S.

Listen to your mouth

Most people have heard it is important to brush and floss. However, people might not realize poor oral health can indicate current or future health problems.  

HEALTH IMPACT OF GUM DISEASE 

Studies have shown people with gum disease are at higher riskto develop heart disease and have more difficulty controlling blood sugars. 

LINK BETWEEN ORAL HEALTH, DIABETES? 

People with diabetes have a higher risk for developing infections, including gum disease. They also have issues with wound healing, so an infected gum or decayed tooth can contribute to a larger issue if not properly treated.


WHAT ABOUT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE? 

While some studies have shown people with poor oral healthare at higher risk for heart disease, there still is research to be done in this area. My advice to patients is it’s better to be safe than sorry. 

 

WHAT ABOUT PREGNANT WOMEN? 

Hormone changes that occur during pregnancy can increase therisk of gum disease and can affect the health of a developing fetus. It’s best to avoid dental treatments during the first trimester and second half of the third trimester, so you should see the dentist before getting pregnant.

Good oral hygiene includes brushing twice daily, regular flossing and dental check-ups and cleanings. Quitting smoking also can have a big impact on oral health.

If you have questions about your oral health, talk to your physician, who can provide answers and help you find a good dentist and dental team. 

Schedule a dental appointment. 

 Reference: 

By Dr. Hilary Schmid Metro Health 

Family Practice, Metro Health Cedar Springs

Grand Rapids Press 

April is Oral Cancer Awareness month. How can you prevent Oral Cancer?

What are the main risk factors for oral cancer?

According to the BC Cancer Agency, the risk of contracting oral cancer increases with age. Other risk factors include smoking or chewing tobacco, consuming more than three alcoholic drinks per day and exposure to ultra-violet light (sun damage). Any previous head or neck cancer also puts you at a greater risk.

There is also increasing speculation that human papilloma virus (HPV) may play a role in some cases of oral cancer via oral sex transmission. **Our dental office offers the OraRisk HPV diagnostic testing.**

Preventing oral cancer

Here's how you can take an active role in preventing oral cancer or detecting it in its early stages:

1. Always brush and floss your teeth regularly. An unhealthy mouth reduces your immune system and inhibits your body’s ability to fight off potential cancers.

2. Do not smoke (or chew) any type of tobacco product. If you are a smoker, even with a casual habit, make the decision to stop.

3. Drink alcohol in moderation (one to two drinks per day) and never binge drink. The risk of developing oral cancer increases with the amount and length of time alcohol and tobacco products are used.

4. Limit your exposure to the sun. We all know we need to use sunscreen, but do we remember to apply it to our lips? Always use UV-A/B-blocking sun protection on your lips when you are in the sun. Repeated exposure increases the risk of cancer on the lips, especially the lower lip. There are a lot of handy lipstick-size sunscreen tubes to pop in your purse for everyday use. Some even come with a color tint and flavor to replace your regular lip gloss or moisturizer. **Our dental office offers complimentary lip balm to our of our patients to keep your lips healthy and protected.**

5. Exercise regularly. An active lifestyle is known to boost the immune system and help ward off cancer.

6. Choose cancer-fighting foods in your diet. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends you eat lots of beans, berries, cruciferous vegetables (like cabbage and broccoli), dark green leafy vegetables, flaxseed, garlic, grapes, green tea, soy and tomatoes for their role in cancer prevention. "Right now the effect of diets and nutrition in preventing cancer is hot," says Dr. Lewei Zhang, a professor of oral and biomedical sciences at the University of British Columbia.

7. How you prepare those foods is also important in the prevention of cancer. Replace frying and grilling with baking, boiling or steaming. Use healthy spices like garlic, ginger and curry powder for added flavor.

8. See your dentist or dental hygienist regularly (at least every six months) and ask for an oral cancer screening to be done. ** Our dental office offers VELScope Oral Cancer Screenings. **

Schedule your dental appointment. 

9. Conduct a self exam at least once a month. Plan to do it the same time you do your breast self-exam. It only takes a few minutes of your time, but could make a big difference in your life. Buy a handy mouth mirror (available at most pharmacies) for those hard-to-see areas. Be sure to check the back and sides of your tongue. If you see or feel anything suspicious – lumps, bumps, tender areas, white, red or grey patches, see your dentist to have it checked.

reference: Brian S. Nylaan, D.D.S.; Oral Cancer Foundation; BC Cancer Agency

10 Reasons to SMILE

1. It makes you attractive. 

2. It changes your mood.

3. It is contagious. 

4. It relieves stress.

5. It boots your immune system. 

6. It lowers your blood pressure. 

7. It releases endorphins.

8. It lifts the face and makes you look younger. 

9. It makes you seem successful. 

10. It helps you stay positive. 

Do you use your smile enough? Why not, would you like to brighten your smile, straighten your smile, fix up your smile? Our dental office can help. Schedule your consultation today. 

Only 5% of your daily calories should be from sugar

 
Just try sugar-coating this: The World Health Organization (WHO) said your daily sugar intake should be just 5 percent of your total calories — half of what the agency previously recommended, according to new draft guidelines published Wednesday. 

After a review of about 9,000 studies, WHO’s expert panel said dropping sugar intake to that level will combat obesity and cavities. That includes sugars added to foods and those present in honey, syrups and fruit juices, but not those occurring naturally in fruits.  

Americans and others in the West eat a lot more sugar than that: Their average sugar intake would have to drop by two-thirds to meet WHO’s suggested limit.

Many doctors applauded the U.N. agency’s attempt to limit the global sweet tooth.

“The less sugar you’re eating, the better,” said Dr. Robert Lustig, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California and author of a book about the dangers of sugar. “If the sugar threshold is lowered, I think breakfast cereal is going to have a really hard time justifying its existence,” he said, referring to sweetened cereals.

When WHO last revised its sugar guidelines more than a decade ago, it recommended sugar should be less than 10 percent of daily calories. The U.S. sugar industry was so incensed it lobbied Congress to threaten to withdraw millions of dollars in funding to WHO. A contentious reference to the sugar limit was removed from a global diet strategy, but the recommendation passed. 

Lustig said WHO’s new guidelines could alter the food environment by forcing manufacturers to rethink how they’re using sugar in processed foods like bread, soups, pasta sauces and even salad dressings.

Schedule your dental visit.  

 Reference: 

By Maria Cheng - The Associated Press 

13 Awful Things That Happen If You Don't Brush And Floss Your Teeth

Can't ever find the time to take care of your teeth? About half of Americans don't floss daily, and one in five don't brush twice daily - so you're not alone.

But you may want to reconsider.
"Taking care of your teeth and gums isn't just about preventing cavities or bad breath," the American Dental Association warns. "The mouth is a gateway into your body's overall health."
It's almost impossible to prove a cause-effect relationship between dental neglect and various conditions because researchers would have to create a control group that ignored their teeth completely for a long time - something that would likely be harmful enough to be considered unethical. But there's mounting evidence that shows an association between poor dental hygiene and a wide variety of ills.
You should visit the dentist at least once a year, and the ADA recommends that you brush twice a day for two minutes and floss once a day. If you choose to ignore their advice, you'll get cavities, sure - but here are 13 other things you're at risk of, some more common than others.

1. Gum disease 

Most people don't realize this, but your gums are not supposed to bleed when you brush and floss. If yours do, you probably have gum disease - or are at least well on your way. Gingivitis, the milder form of gum disease, makes gums red, swollen, and quick-to-bleed - part of a response to the bacteria in the plaque that builds up between your teeth and gums. More than half of Americans have gingivitis.
If plaque spreads, the immune response heightens and can destroy tissues and bones in the mouth, creating pockets between the teeth that can become infected. (Other conditions unrelated to oral hygiene habits can also have these effects.) At this severe stage, gum disease is called periodontitis, and it can become chronic. Google "periodontitis," and you might become more vigilant about oral hygiene.
Source: American Academy of Periodontology; Clinical Calcium, 2012

2. Tooth loss

If you've never worried about losing your teeth, you should start. Adults 20 to 64 have lost an average of seven (permanent) teeth, and 10% of Americans between 50 and 64 have absolutely no teeth left. Both cavities and gum disease can end in tooth loss.
Source: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research

3. Bad breath

Bad breath, clinically called halitosis, may affect as much as 65% of the population. A number of conditions can have halitosis as a symptom, but the number one by far is poor oral hygiene. Food particles that linger long after meals can start to stink, and the less you brush and floss, the more potentially malodorous bacteria build up in your mouth. The coating on your tongue is also a key contributor to bad breath, and some research has suggested that cleaning your tongue - along with regular brushing and flossing, of course - may help reign in this problem.
Source: Internal and Emergency Medicine, 2011; International Journal of Oral Science, 2012; Nursing Research, 2013

 

4. Dementia 

A large, long-term study of residents at a Laguna Hills retirement community suggests that there may be a link between poor dental health and dementia, although it's possible that people with better oral hygiene have better health habits in general. Researchers followed 5,468 people for 18 years and found that - among those who still had teeth - those "who reported not brushing their teeth daily had a 22% to 65% greater risk of dementia than those who brushed three times daily." In addition, a small study found that the brains of patients with Alzheimer's had more bacteria associated with gum disease than did those belonging to the cognitively healthy.

Source: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2012; Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2013

5. Pneumonia

When pathogens lurk in your mouth, you inhale them right into your lungs, where they can wreak all kinds of havoc. One major review pointed to this process as the reason for an association between poor oral hygiene and hospital-acquired pneumonia. Improving oral hygiene - through some methods beyond brushing and flossing in this case - reduced the incidence of such pneomonia by 40%. Another study of 315 patients in a Brazilian hospital found that those with periodontitis were almost three times as likely to have pneomonia.
Source: Annals of Periodontology, 2003; Journal of Periodontology, 2013; Gerondontology, 2013

6. Erectile dysfunction

A connection between dental disease and erectile dysfunction may seem remote, but preliminary research suggests that the conditions could be linked. They both have been tied to Vitamin D deficiency, smoking, and general inflammation, but the exact reason for the association is still a mystery. One study in rats found that periodontitis impaired penis function. While it's unclear whether the same direct effects would be found in humans, in a group of patients between 30 and 40, 53% of those with erectile dysfunction had severe periodontitis, while only 23% of those without ED did. "We think that it will be of benefit to consider periodontal disease as a causative clinical condition of ED in such patients," the authors wrote.
Source: The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2011; The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2012; Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 2012

7. Brain abscess

Often caused by bacterial infection, an abscess is a collection of pus, with swelling and inflammation around it. In the brain, it is fatal if left untreated. "A poor dental condition, notably destructive periodontal disease, can be a risk for life-threatening" disease in other parts of the body, noted a team of scientists who pinpointed a patient's extremely poor dental health as the likely cause of his life-threatening brain abscess. Brain abscesses are rare, and there has been no systematic study linking them to bad dental hygiene. But the authors noted at least 12 other case reports of brain abscess that pointed to poor dental hygiene as the probable cause.
Source: Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 2011

8. Diabetes 

Dentists have long known that diabetes is a risk factor for periodontitis, but now research is beginning to indicate that the relationship may be bidirectional. Extremely poor dental health may also be a risk factor for insulin resistance (often called "pre-diabetes") and diabetes, largely because it increases inflammation. Some studies have even indicated that in patients with both conditions, reigning in periodontitis may improve diabetes control.
Source: Annals of Periodontology, 1998; Diabetes Care, 2010; Diabetes & Metabolism Journal, 2012; Journal of Applied Oral Science, 2013

9. Kidney disease

About 3.7% of U.S. adults have chronic kidney disease, but certain people are more at risk. People with periodontal disease were 4.5 times more likely to have chronic kidney disease, making poor dental health a stronger risk factor than high cholesterol. Adults with no remaining teeth were also 11 times more likely to have chronic kidney disease. While dental conditions are not the strongest risk factor - people older than 60 are 27 times more likely to have chronic kidney disease than younger people, for example - another study confirmed that it may be a significant risk for kidney disease, even after controlling for underlying health conditions that may contribute to both.
Source: American Journal of Kidney Disease, 2008; Journal of Periodontology, 2010

10. Heart disease?

Multiple studies have suggested that there may be a connection between gum disease and heart disease, both of which are associated with inflammation. "Adding oral health self-care... is prudent to improve patients' oral health and possibly reduce [coronary heart disease]," concluded one study. "Periodontal disease caused by pathogen bacteria... could represent one of several possible causal factors of heart disease," concluded another.
The authors of a 2008 review for the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommended that periodontal disease be considered a marker of risk for heart disease, independent of traditional risk factors - even though they noted a lack of evidence demonstrating a causal relationship.
But a scientific statement from the American Heart Association in 2012 urged caution: Periodontal disease and heart disease share many underlying risk factors; there's no reason to think that dental problems directly cause heart disease; and treating periodontitis reduces inflammation but does nothing to alter the course of heart disease, the authors concluded.
Source: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2008; Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension, 2010; General Dentistry, 2012; Circulation, 2012

 

11. Pregnancy complications

Gingivitis affects 60 to 75% of pregnant women, and it's especially important that expectant mothers tend to their teeth. When pregnant women have serious dental problems, their infants are more likely to develop cavities. Poor maternal oral health is also associated with low birth weight and preterm birth, although there's not enough evidence yet to know whether it's an independent risk factor. Researchers suspect that one of two mechanisms may be at play: Either overall inflammation is heightened, or oral bacteria that enter the bloodstream eventually colonize the placenta, causing an inflammatory response.
Source: Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2010; Ginekologia Polska, 2012; Dental Clinics of North America, 2013

12. Ulcers

In people with periodontitis, the plaque that forms in the pockets beneath the gum line can become a reservoir for Helicobacter pylori, the bacterium that is asymptomatic in most but is responsible for stomach ulcers when it flares up. Helicobacter pylori can be transmitted orally, and large epidemiological studies have found a positive association between periodontitis and a positive test for the bacterium, which is also a risk factor for stomach cancer. Different researchers have come to somewhat different conclusions, but the bacterial pockets that form during periodontitis unquestionably pose a risk for various kinds of bacterial growth.
Source: Gut, 1995; American Journal of Public Health, 2002; Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 2010

13. Cancer

"Recent evidence suggests that the extent and severity of periodontaldisease and tooth loss may be associated with an increased risk of malignantdisease," concluded one researcher, after reviewing previous studies suggesting an association between poor oral health and cancer. Gum disease and dental problems are also associated with HPV, which causes up to 80 percent of oral cancers. While smoking is a major risk factor for both gum disease and cancer, a study last year of 3,439 people identified poor oral health as an independent risk factor for HPV, even when smoking habits were accounted for. Other preliminary research has suggested that periodontitis may promote the growth of cancerous cells in the mouth.
Source: Dental Update, 2010; South Asian Journal of Cancer, 2012; Cancer Prevention Research, 2013

 Schedule your dental visit.