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Coffee as dietary antioxidant source
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Most Americans are not consuming enough fruit and vegetables in their diet and are gleaning the majority of their antioxidants from coffee, according to new research from the University of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The research, presented yesterday at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society, involved analyzing the antioxidant power of 100 foods and beverages common in the American diet and comparing this to a USDA database on estimated per capita consumption of each item.
In terms of antioxidant content per serving, dates came out as a clear winner with an antioxdiant value of 1744.
Coffee - both caffeinated and decaffeinated - was lower down on the list, at 936, but since most Americans consume considerably more coffee than the higher-ranking items, it makes it the biggest overall antioxidant contribution to the average American's diet, offering 936mg of antioxidants per day on average.
According to the latest annual report from the National Coffee Association of the USA, 49 percent of adults are coffee-drinkers, averaging 3.4 cups a day.
Unfortunately, Americans are still not eating enough fruits and vegetables, which are better from an overall nutritional point of view due to their higher content of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
The USDA's dietary guidelines for Americans recommend between five and 13 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, depending on calorie intake. But the average American eats just three portions (excluding potatoes, which are a starch).
Antioxidants are believed to play a role in warding off a number of serious health conditions, including heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure and some types of cancer.
Some studies have also attributed health benefits to coffee; researchers reported further evidence for coffee's role in preventing liver disease, and also investigated the putative connection with diabetes.
But since other studies have implicated coffee as leading to high blood pressure and increased heart rate - not to mention the jitters and stomach pains that can be caused by excessive consumption - more human studies are needed to clarify its role in health.
Different foods are absorbed and utilized by the body in different ways, and this has an impact on the antioxidants made available to the body.
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