Pre-reading questions:
- What do you usually drink first thing in the morning?
- Do you like drinking hot coffee, or do you like it iced?
A study published in Nature Medicine shows that coffee is actually good for our health. Older people who consume more than 5 cups of coffee per day have remarkably low levels of irritation. The more caffeine is consumed, the more a person becomes guarded from infections.
Researchers analyzed 100 blood samples from young and old people. Older people tended to have more activity in the inflammatory gene. Caffeine suppresses this and shuts off the inflammatory pathway. Further research is needed to determine when the inflammatory response loses its control.
Vocabulary:
remarkably – in a way that is worthy of attention
irritation – the production of inflammation or other discomfort in a body part or organ
guarded – cautious and having possible reservations
suppress – prevent the development or action
shut off – stop
Comprehension Questions:
- How many blood samples did the researchers analyze?
- What happens to older people who consume more than five cups of coffee a day?
- What does caffeine do to the body?
- What happens when we consume more caffeine?
Express Your Opinion:
- Do you agree that consuming more than five cups of coffee a day is healthier? Please explain your answer.
- Have you tried consuming that much coffee per day? If not, would you even try it? Please explain your answer.
- Not all people that consumed too much caffeine are healthy.
- Caffeine is bad for people with chronic illnesses like heart problems.
- Water is still the healthiest of all the beverages.