Drink your Tea and Coffee???

[JackSteel4Life]

I read somewhere that Tea and Coffee have something in them that help your liver. I didnt get a whole lot of details on this but anyone with any info would you care to go into a little bit of detail???

[Trans_Isomer]

They contain antioxidants which can help your liver

1) Chemically reactive oxygens (free radicals) attack fatty acid, DNA, protein, or cholesterol molecules forming other free radicals

2) This begins a rapid, destructive chain reaction

3) Result: Injury to tissues (including liver), damage to cell membrane lipids and proteins, precancerous changes in DNA, oxidation of blood cholesterol

Antioxidants stop the chain reaction by changing the nature of the free radical. Examples include different vitamins such as Vit. E, Vit C, ALA, the alkaloids in the caffeine of teas and coffees. These alkaloids stimulate the production of enzymes that facilitate liver detoxification

Hope that helped some :)

[dinoiii]

Agree with trans in part (at least for the tea > coffee).

However, let's take a more in depth look at what's going on from the scientific aspects - shall we?

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(1) Coffee/Tea and Cancer:

Study: > 90,000 Japanese found that people who drank coffee daily or nearly every day had half the liver cancer (this is btw, hepatomas - actually a misnomer BECAUSE THEY ARE CANCEROUS DESPITE THEIR NAME - ONLY - so hepatocellular NOT cholangiocarcinoma of intrahepatic biliary ducts or any other types - HOWEVER, Hepatomas or hepatocellular carcinoms are the MOST COMMON TYPE) risk of those who never drank coffee. The protective effect occurred in people who drank 1-2 cups a day and increased at 3-4 cups.

dinoiii's NOTE:
CANCER terminology:

suffix -oma implies NON-malignant (usually the type of mesenchymal embryologic tissue is placed in front of the oma),
suffices -carcinoma, -sarcoma imply MALIGNANT

Animal studies have suggested a protective association of coffee with liver cancer, so the research team led by Monami Inoue of the National Cancer Center in Tokyo analyzed a 10-year public health study to determine coffee use by people diagnosed with liver cancer and people who did not have cancer.

They found the likely occurrence of liver cancer in people who never or almost never drank coffee was 547.2 cases per 100,000 people over 10 years.

But for people who drank coffee daily the risk was 214.6 cases per 100,000, the researchers report in this week's issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Unfortunately, these results were PURELY CORRELATIONAL IN NATURE and NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENTATIVE OF AMERICAN POPULATIONS THERFORE SHOULD NOT BE GENERALIZED UNTIL THEY ARE ESSENTIALLY AT LEAST REPLICATED IN THE U.S.

They were unable to compare the effect of regular and decaffeinated coffee, however, because decaf is rarely consumed in Japan (so the mechanism of aciton is somewhat still a debate).

The caffeine in coffee has been shown in other studies to prompt mental alertness in many drinkers, although it makes some people nervous. Some studies have suggested caffeine aggravates symptoms of menopause or intensifies the side effects of some antibiotics. Heavy caffeine use has been linked to miscarriage. But studies have also shown that a skin cream spiked with caffeine lowers the risk of skin cancer in mice.

In their study, the team also looked at green tea, which contains different antioxidants, and they found no association between drinking the tea and liver cancer rates.

While trans is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT - one of the hypotheses for this effect was antioxidants, the author's of the publication note that their are potentially other unbeknownst to them components of the beverages that aid in this decrease.

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(2) OTHER Liver DAMAGE (i.e. - namely through obesity, iron overload - hemochromatosis, hepatitis - viral-induced NOT DRUG INDUCED interestingly enough!)

STUDY: ~10,000 showed that those who drank more than two cups of coffee or tea per day developed chronic liver disease at half the rate of those who drank less than one cup each day.

The study, conducted by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and Social & Scientific Systems Inc., found that coffee provided no protection to people at risk of liver disease from other causes, such as viral infections.

Particulars: They analyzed the records of 9,849 participants in a government survey whose coffee and tea intake was evaluated and who were followed for about 19 years.


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DISCUSSION: This is current news - but remember what I said in the past about studies - figure out who they are funded by if you want to really gain a grasp on what is being purported in them. Additionally, rationalizing what Americans likely want to hear can be somewhat troubling too sometimes as studies PROVE NOTHING - they only and I am gonna cap it, underscore it, bold it, and the like [b]SUPPORT[b] things!!! The aforementioned studies though making American news should NOT by any means be generalized to all populations exactly. NOT TO MENTION THE POOR RELIABILITY OF SURVEY COLLECTION AND ANALYSES in studies. Think about is this way, ever just check "all 5's" or whatever the high or low extremes were or a certain bunch of random numbers without paying attention to the questions on a questionnaire.

So, what can we say about how to protect the liver you 17-alkalated PH-lovin' fools - I know what the bottom line of this thread is ;-)

What you eat and how well you take care of yourself CAN affect how well your liver works but it doesn't have to come per se in the form of highly caffeinated beverahges - namely at the tallies suggested by the studies of the day. Therefore, it’s important that you choose foods that will help maintain and support your liver. Good nutrition can also help to rebuild some damaged liver cells and help the liver form new cells (which is NOT what I gather from the study data).

HEHE - ON TO THE SCIENCE:

As we mentioned in prior posts and you likely know about, the liver has two detoxification pathways called Phase One and Phase Two. The work of each of these phases requires specific vitamins and minerals. These vitamins and minerals in turn need other nutrients called phytochemicals (the unbeknowst chemicals cited by the authors) and amino acids to help them. The liver has a big job to do and as you will see, it requires a team effort.

During Phase One, which changes a toxic chemical to one that is less harmful, free radicals are formed. Free radicals are unstable particles that react with the body and damage the body’s cells. If too many free radicals are made, they can hurt the liver cells. In order to get rid of or reduce these free radicals, our bodies need foods with a lot of antioxidants and phytochemicals. The antioxidants beta carotene, vitamins C and E, and selenium and many different phytochemicals are found in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. One of the most important antioxidants is an amino acid called glutathione. Glutathione is made by the body and is also found in some foods. The B vitamins including folic acid are also very important in this Phase One process.


During Phase Two the liver adds a substance to the now less harmful chemical to make it water soluble. It can then be moved out of the body in urine or feces. During this Phase Two process, foods rich in sulphur compounds are needed. Some of the foods with a lot of sulphur compounds are (you knowthe kind, they smell when you cook them) cabbage, brussel sprouts, and broccoli.


Following are some more foods that have the nutrients needed to help Phase One and Phase Two work as well as they can:






Foods to Help Phase One Detoxification


Beets contain antioxidants such as beta-carotene, other carotenoids and healing flavonoids. Antioxidants help to limit the damage caused by free radicals, thus they have a healing and cleansing effect on the liver; beets also have folic acid which is necessary for Phase One detoxification.


Broccoli contains B vitamins and vitamin C both of which help Phase One detoxification; it also is a source of folic acid.


Brown Rice provides B vitamins and the antioxidant selenium.


Carrots contain beta-carotene and other carotenoids that help to protect the liver.


Eggs supply B vitamins.


Garlic has selenium and glutathione, both of which act as antioxidants.


Spinach provides folic acid and other B vitamins.


Tomatoes have vitamins C and E which are both needed for Phase One detoxification. They are also a good source of the antioxidant lycopene.


Wheatgerm contains selenium and vitamin E and is an excellent source of phytochemicals.


Melons and peppers are good sources of vitamin C.


Tomatillos, papaya, plantains, carambola and guava are good sources of the antioxidants beta-carotene and vitamin C.









Foods to Help Phase Two Detoxification


Broccoli contains natural sulfur compounds which are needed to enhance Phase Two detoxification.


Cabbage like broccoli, contains natural sulfur compounds.


Eggs contain methionine, a sulfur-containing compound needed for detoxification.


Brazil Nuts contain selenium, an antioxidant needed for detoxification.


Garlic has methionine which is needed for detoxification; also contains glutathione, a powerful antioxidant.


Onions have sulfur compounds which are important in both detoxification pathways; also a source of glutathione.


Asparagus and Watermelon are rich, natural sources of glutathione which is important for liver detoxification.


Papaya and Avocado help the body to produce glutathione.


Mushrooms have a lot of glutamic acid which is needed to produce glutathione and help with liver detoxification.









Foods for the General Health of the Liver


Soy Beans contain lecithin which helps the liver break down fats and helps reduce high cholesterol levels; lecithin also helps maintain healthy membranes around liver cells.


Cayenne Pepper contains many phytochemicals including beta-carotene and lutein and is rich in certain B vitamins as well as vitamins C and E. It also aids in digestion.


Lemon is a bitter, acidic food which is helpful for general cleansing of the body.

Walnuts are a source of arginine which helps the liver detoxify ammonia, a waste product in the body; they are also a rich source of glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids.
Wheatgerm has arginine and essential fatty acids.


Caraway Seeds contain many flavanoids and carotenoids which act as antioxidants. Caraway is helpful in liver and gallbladder disease and helps produce glutathione in the body.


Note: The foods listed above benefit the liver and they also have many other advantages that are not described.









General Tips for Foods that are Especially Good for the Liver


Eat plenty of fresh fruits and lightly cooked vegetables especially dark green, leafy vegetables and orange, yellow, purple, and red colored fruits and vegetables—they contain living enzymes, fiber, vitamin C, natural antibiotic substances, and anti-cancer phytonutrients.


Eat foods that are rich in glutathione or help to produce glutathione in the body. Asparagus, watermelon, broccoli and boldo are good sources of glutathione while papayas and avocados are foods that help the body to produce glutathione.


Bitter foods like dandelion greens, mustard greens, bitter melon, Romaine lettuce and broccoli raabe can help in cleansing the liver.


Herbs like dill, caraway seeds, garlic, onions, boldo, turmeric and cayenne are easy to use in cooking and can help protect the liver.


Green tea has immune-boosting properties and contains less caffeine than coffee.


Drink lots of water (6–12 cups per day) because it helps the kidneys to get rid of the toxins that the liver has broken down.

Omega-3 fats are very helpful. These fats are found in cold water fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines and halibut. Other good sources are ground flaxseeds, flaxseed oil and walnuts.


Nuts, seeds, and avocados are good food sources of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats that are less harmful to the liver than saturated fats.








Foods that can Make the Liver Work Harder


Saturated fats are harder for the liver to process. Limit high fat meats like sausage, bacon, salami, hot dogs and high fat dairy products like whole milk, ice cream and cheese, which contain saturated fats.


Other foods to limit that have a lot of saturated fat are french fries and high fat snack foods like potato chips, Doritos and Cheese Doodles.


Limit processed foods like white bread, white rice, cakes, cookies, donuts and candy. Add whole grains like whole grain breads and cereals, brown rice, quinoa and barley to your diet.


Limit caffeine to 2-3 cups/day. Caffeine is broken down by the liver and may make it more difficult to cleanse the liver. Coffee, tea and most sodas contain a lot of caffeine.


Eat light meals more frequently. Eating a light evening meal can help to reduce the liver’s work during the healing hours of sleep.








Things to Avoid


Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is known to be a powerful toxin that will damage the liver. Recreational drugs can also be stressful to the liver.


Limit, as much as possible, chemicals such as food colorings, flavorings and preservatives as well as toxins such as insecticides and pesticides because these substances make the liver work harder.


Avoid multi-vitamins that contain iron. Iron is stored in the liver and supplementing with iron may increase the risk of iron toxicity.






All in all, I find the aforementioned dietary changes SUPERIOR to caffeinated beverages - huh, but who would fund it?

[mcsteveof2h2h]

excellent post very informative this will help me out ALOT thanks much dinoiii

[CitadelArmyJag]

While I am a big fan of tea (green tea especially) and coffee, there just isnt any comparison when they go up against Yerba Mate.

I imagine a lot of you guys havent ever even heard of it, as I didnt start drinking it until I was living in Buenos Aires for a brief period about 4 years ago. It is amazing stuff with powerful Xanthines that I prefer to caffeine or ephedra, as there are no jitters and no crash... Just raw energy.

It aslo is a very mild diuretic and strong appetite suppressant, so you gotta force yourself to eat when you are bulking, but the energy helps keep off the the lethargy that can come around at times. I have an article on it somewhere, I will try to dig it up...

Until then.. here is a link with more info

http://www.yerbamatecafe.biz/?Click=1103