Why coffee is good for you

Coffee is NOT the enemy!  Strange as it may seem, modern society obsesses with how anything that people like to do a LOT might actually be bad for you…and seemingly would prefer to see you reasonably unhappy, divorced, nor not too healthy just so as to comfortably fit into the statistically destined heart attack after-50 crowd.

 We miss you James!

But more and more studies are beginning to question this ‘old wive’s tale’…coffee may actually be good for your heart.  And for your liver: 

”In a new study, researchers analyzed the coffee consumption and liver enzymes of about 28,000 people age 20 and older. They found that those who drank at least three cups of coffee daily, even those who consumed only decaf, had lower levels of these enzymes. The study was published in the Journal Hepatology.” 

Link

‘Earlier studies show that coffee may help lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer. ETC,ETC,ETC” LINK   

Makes for an interesting read, but echos what I have been saying all along here on this blog.  The best advice is to chill out and don’t let anyone ruin your day just when it begins.  Have a nice cup of coffee and then have an even nicer day!

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DENMARK BITES THE BULLET!

 LINK

I had no idea that it was NOT ILLEGAL to have sex with animals in Denmark.  Common sense asks why any normal person would want to have sex with an animal.  I accept that there may be some curious people out there who may have flirted with the idea, and might have even engaged in bestiality, though I personally have never met anyone actually married to a goat or a horse. Or even a dog…

Most astonishing to me is that even though Denmark is finally moving to prohibit sex with animals, polls indicate that 1 person in 4 do not want animal sex banned.  You go figure that one out…I just chalk it to the crazy world we live in!

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CHESS STOPS ALZHEIMERS ?

OR is it just a SCAM?

Does chess help prevent Alzheimer’s (dementia)?  I have to admit, cheerfully, that I know of no chess players who suffer from that horrible disease.  But–at the same time–I do know quite a few individuals , all of them intelligent, mentally-active, who have been diagnosed positive.  Some have died already. It is a horrible death. It is even worse for the family.

We would like to think that chess is an important factor in avoiding or delaying Alzheimer’s, and it might seem self-evident to us, but there is a BIG difference between SCIENCE and wishful thinking. The StreathamBrixtonChessClub blog, earlier this year, questioned the gullibility of our chess community with regards to overly optimistic (ignorant) statements and declarations about Alzheimer’s that have little or NO scientific  proof.

Famous chess names such as Susan Polgar and Garry Kasparov have been caught with their pants down blindly repeating scientifically unproven statements regarding chess and Alzheimer’s or presenting wild conjecture as fact. Unintentionally, ofcourse.  They had only the best interests of others in mind.

However, as an increasingly large part of our western society becomes older, aging adults trying to avoid dementia is becoming BIG BUSINESS.  It is estimated that before the end of the decade, this market will be approximately 20 billion euros. Many in our chess community would like to have a piece of that pie…and might not be unwilling to bend the facts in the process.

Today a respected British newpaper, The Guardian,  carried a thought-provoking article about the growing concern of scams in the so-called ‘brain-games’ industry.

 Some excerpts:

”Companies marketing “brain games” that are meant to slow or reverse age-related memory decline and enhance other cognitive functions are exploiting customers by making “exaggerated and misleading claims” that are not based on sound scientific evidence, according to an open letter signed by 73 psychologists, cognitive scientists and neuroscientists from around the world.”

“Many scientists cringe at exuberant advertisements claiming improvements in the speed and efficiency of cognitive processing and dramatic gains in ‘intelligence’,” they write, warning that playing the games may have the opposite effect by making the player less socially and physically active.

“Our biggest concern here is that older people are making choices – both about how they spend their money and on how they spend their time – based on this kind of information that we feel is not well-grounded,” he added. “It’s a serious concern for us, and it can feel like people are being exploited…The signatories say that the “most pernicious” claim, with no scientific evidence to back it up, is that some of the games can prevent or reverse the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, although this is not a claim made by Lumosity, Cogmed or Posit Science.”

I suggest the reader take a close look at the linked article.

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