$6M in Funding for Coffee Study
/ AP HEADLINES
Thursday January 21 1999 5:47 AM ET
By AMY BURKDOLL Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Millions of Americans know the therapy a cup of coffee can deliver early in the morning.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University say it's possible coffee could do more, perhaps even help people who suffer
from depression and alcoholism.
``People drink coffee because they like it or they like the way
it makes them feel,'' Peter Martin, director of Vanderbilt University's Addiction Center, said Wednesday. ``My
suggestion is that we really don't know what causes those effects.''
Vanderbilt is scheduled to open its Institute for Coffee Studies within the next six months,
thanks to $6 million in funding from trade groups in leading coffee-producing nations in Latin America, including
Brazil and Colombia.
Some studies have suggested coffee can help relieve depression, treat alcoholism and prevent colorectal cancer.
The institute's mission is to understand why.
``We're going to help people get over the idea that coffee is caffeine,'' said Martin, who will head the institute.
``Caffeine actually is a very small component of coffee. There are a lot of other components in coffee that are
not very well understood.''
Some studies have suggested that caffeine might slightly boost blood pressure
and blood cholesterol levels.
But Edward Giovannucci, an assistant professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, said most Americans have
nothing to worry about.
He spent a year reviewing medical literature on the health benefits of coffee drinking and found the risk of colorectal
cancer drops 24 percent among those who drink four or more cups of coffee a day.
``I wouldn't tell people to go out and start drinking coffee,'' Giovannucci said. ``But there isn't much harm in
drinking coffee.''
