Expert enumerates health benefits ofcoffee

A cardiologist at the Lagos State University
Hospital, Professor Jane Ajuluchukwu, has
described as baseless the widely-held belief
that coffee has no significant benefit to the
human system, adding that there are
immense health benefits in this brand of
beverage, if moderately taken.
Ajuluchukwu, who is the co-ordinator of
Ignite, a pan-African educational project
aimed at enlightening the public on the
importance and relationship between
coffee and health, based on scientific facts
and researches, explained that the initiative
was put together to unravel some mysteries
surrounding coffee.
“As researchers we serve as watch dogs.
Through observational studies, we have
discovered some facts with which we aim
to empower people with adequate
knowledge on coffee, ” she said.
According to her, about 146 billion cups of
coffee are consumed in the U.S each year,
nearly three times more than tea, adding
that coffee also serves as America’s number
one source of antioxidants with average
consumption of 3.1 cups per day.
Besides, she stated, science has proved that
coffee is good for stimulating mental
alertness, improves cognitive function,
decreases the risk of developing Parkison’s
and Alzhemier’s diseases, lowers the risk of
liver disease and helps reduce risk of type-2
diabetes. Other benefits, she stated, include:
reducing the risk of developing colon
cancer and lowering the risk of cavities.
“In the developed nations, there is an
amazing level of coffee consumption. But
back here, the first impression about coffee
is caffeine, yet there is much that coffee has
to offer if consumed in moderation,” she
said.
She added that despite the fact that the
world talked about coffee and its benefits,
the subject had not elicited such passion in
Nigeria, adding that one of the roles of the
academia is to expand the frontiers of
knowledge and help the people to better
understand their environment.
She lamented the low level of literature and
facts available to Nigerians on coffee and its
impact on health, adding that, “the pan-
African Ignite programme is very vital as it
sets to provide Nigerians with proven facts
and case studies and will create mass
enlightenment on coffee and its health
benefits.
According to her, “we want to know their
fears concerning the beverage and proffer
scientific answers and leave consumers to
make choices. We want to examine the pros
and cons of coffee and let people know that
the beverage has numerous advantages if
consumers are well informed about it,” she
stated.